re: 2017 Football Recruiting Thread ["N$D Bryant" Edition]

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100 is obviously the denomination of bill he will be paid in

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The surprise fifth visitor during the weekend was 3-star DT Tyrone Truesdell.

The 6-foot-2, 330-pound lineman from Augusta, Ga., had been absent from Auburn for far too long, in his mind. He entertained other SEC schools in the fall, and Auburn showed patience with his recruitment. Of late, the Tigers staff rekindled some of the love it showed Truesdell throughout the spring.

It forced Truesdell to make a last-minute switch to officially visit Auburn instead of Florida.

“It had been a minute since I’d been up here, and I just wanted to come back up here, talk to the coaches and everything,” Truesdell said. “This time, I was able to get my grandma to come up and all that, so it was a big thing. Got them to see like where I come from and stuff, just learn a little bit more about me.”

Florida became the favorite to land Truesdell throughout the spring. The Gators were recruiting him hard, and he showed mutual love. His original plan was to attend Gainesville, Fla., last weekend for his official visit.

But Florida finds itself in a tricky spot.

Coming into the week, Florida had only 14 commits and the No. 31 class in the country. How could the Gators not have room for a 330-pound defensive lineman whom they seemed to want all year? Well, Florida already had multiple defensive linemen included in that 14 number, plus the Gators started to show some academic hesitation.

Now it appears Auburn might take a similar, wait-and-see approach as National Signing Day nears.

“(Auburn is) really just looking at things and see how it goes,” Truesdell said.

Truesdell might be a security blanket, assuming the staff feels confident enough in his grades to accept his commitment. The perfect scenario for Auburn down the stretch is Ryan Johnson and Markaviest Bryant. If that happens — adding in Alec Jackson — it’s another impressive late haul for Rodney Garner, and there wouldn’t be a need for Truesdell.

If Auburn misses on Bryant, and even more surprisingly Johnson, Truesdell could receive some renewed interest.

Truesdell’s plan is to decide by Monday, but that decision may have to wait. He said Sunday the two schools he’s considering are Florida and Auburn. Those schools haven’t pushed enough for a commitment to make that happen yet.

If they do, it likely will happen after Monday — or, in Auburn’s case, until it has a more firm answer on Johnson and Bryant.

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There aren’t many other ways to put it: Recruiting is nuts.

It’s a 24/7 business that provides twists and turns which will set the the future of the college football landscape. For Auburn, the 2017 class has had its fair share of ups and downs, which has been aided by constant coaching turnover and two very different bowl appearances.

History buffs love to reassess the past, so let’s hope you fall into that category. Calvin Ashley was the first commitment in the Class of 2017 way back on May 30, 2015. Let’s start there and take a chronological look at how Auburn got to where it’s at now with 20 commitments and the No. 10 class in the country.

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