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

I agree for the most part. In a perfect world you'd have two detailed coaches as coordinators and great recruiters as position coaches to get the best of both worlds.

Forgot all about that guy. What position is he listed as?

He did pretty well in JUCO last season 700ish yards and 7tds. He's a big guy looks like Kam pettway running routes lol

Really wanted him back. Lane Kiffin has a really good weapon to work with. Will start from day 1.

The first three ranked teams have recruiting classes that are on a whole other level from ours. Obviously, Michigan is rising as well.

Yeah, we're in the same zip code, but that is it.

KN put up a NSD insider last night

- Apparently the reason for all the LSU smoke on Bryant was he told them 2 days earlier he was going to Baton Rouge. We never stopped recruiting him though and it ended up paying off. KN thinks that a big role in him coming here was how comfortable Bryant felt with AU players

FWIW the LSU 247 guys say that UGA spent a lot of time negative recruiting LSU when it seemed he was going there and think it played a major role. He just ended up flipping to AU instead of UGA

- Sounds like news on Truesdell Tuesday was purposefully silent. KN spoke with him a bunch on Monday but did not hear anything Tuesday. Turns out staff had given him a spot but didn't want other teams to know in case it encouraged them to turn up the heat. Despite that Florida, Ole Miss and Louisville reached out to Truesdell but sounds like he told them he was going to AU. He was headed to FAU before AU pushed

- Tigers have always liked Whitlow but academics were always major concern probably for other schools as well. KN says Whitlow has apparently made quite the turnaround in the classroom and staff now thinks he will qualify. That would be big

Auburn recruiting: Don’t sleep on these 5 Tigers commitments (SECCountry)

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While National Signing Day drama puts a lot of emphasis on Auburn football’s uncommitted targets, it’s a huge day for the longtime commitments, too. Wednesday is the day they officially become Tigers.

Auburn fans are familiar with the biggest names of the class — Jarrett Stidham, Calvin Ashley, Tadarian Moultry and the multiple 4-star early enrollees.

But on this National Signing Day, it’s time to take a look back at a few of the less-heralded signees in the 2017 Auburn recruiting class. These players didn’t command as many headlines during the past few months of the cycle, and some will arrive as under-the-radar freshmen.

Here’s a look at 5 Auburn signees that fans might need a refresher course for after a long recruiting cycle.

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Austin Troxell, Alaric Williams, Carlito Gonzalez, Alec Jackson and Jordyn Peters are listed

Markaviest Bryant explains why he went to sleep knowing Auburn was his choice (SECCountry)

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“On my very first visit it just kind of stood out,” Bryant said. “Me playing at Auburn. I kid you not. I could see myself walking around on campus, playing in that blue and white and I just knew — this was it.”

So in an instant the standout they call “Big Cat” composed himself, held back tears of happiness and chose Auburn.

The Plains always felt familiar to Bryant, who was born and raised in the tiny city of Cordele, Ga., population 11,147.

Enticed by the small town vibe, and confident it would help him stay focused and out of trouble, Bryant came to appreciate the people even more than the place.

Not only did Bryant recognize how he fit in with Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson — both starred on the defensive line as freshmen last season — he viewed the teammates he’d battle alongside as family.

“That was what drew me,” Bryant said. “As much as they explained and expressed they needed me, I believed them. Everyone was saying the same thing. That’s why I made the decision I made, too. I’ll be with those guys every day. I really bonded with them and I feel really great about them.”

Bryant’s admiration soared as he familiarized with Gus Malzahn and his staff.

Through conversations with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele, Bryant saw how he’d be used and developed.

“Coach Steele is a genius,” Bryant said. “A straight genius. And oh coach Gardner. I love Coach G. I don’t know what it is about him, he’s almost like a third father to me. I really love Coach G and I could say millions of words about Coach G, but he’s just a great coach. The way he’s going to develop me, the way he’s going to love me, the way he’s going to teach me — it’s all there.”

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So Bryant planned for one more important conversation: the one with his mother.

Marcia had her doubts. Recently she’d been pointing him toward what seemed like the easiest choice, suggesting he sign with LSU in order to avoid the overwhelming pressure stemming from the Deep South’s oldest rivalry. Auburn was the one school she hadn’t visited with her son.

But finally at the end of what had been an exhausting process for their family, she began picking up on the excitement in her oldest son’s voice as he spoke about Auburn.

In the end she wasn’t surprised.

“He just looked at me and said mom, “I feel it in my heart,” she said. “This is where I want to be.”

Bryant slept soundly through the night and woke Wednesday morning feeling just as he had the night before. Everything about heading to Auburn felt right.

So Big Cat became Auburn’s biggest defensive get of the day.

“I’m going to get in and get stronger, bigger, faster,” Bryant said. “I’ll work on my flexibility. Pass rush, it’s going to come I know, just working on it. It takes time. But just working on my game, period. I want to work on myself as a young man. That’s what I’m going to do.”

“All that’s really left to say is War Eagle, baby.”

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Key storyline: Surprise swipe of Markaviest Bryant caps successful day for Auburn (SECCountry)

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Malzahn saved the biggest news until the end of his opening statement.

“Of course our last one was (Markaviest) Big Cat Bryant,” Malzahn said. “Big Cat is a guy that we circled in and recruited for a long time … Talking to him, we always felt like we had a good chance. Last night, we felt like that he was coming here. This morning, we felt the same. He’s got a chance to really be a special player.”

Georgia, LSU and Auburn were all desperate to add Bryant as an edge rusher.

The LSU side started to show plenty of optimism Tuesday night, which translated into a flurry of 247Sports Crystal Ball projections for the Bayou Bengals. Even Bryant admitted Wednesday LSU gained so much late traction he felt like he would head to Baton Rouge.

But Malzahn said he woke up confident Wednesday morning. He received reassurance from Bryant on Wednesday prior to his announcement.

“You fight hard. The guys who aren’t committed when you go down to signing day, especially with our need for a pass rusher, that was really extra-special big for us as a staff. It was big,” Malzahn said. “It was kind of the icing on the cake to this class. The last one to send his stuff in and commit. It was a good end to a good day.”

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JaTarvious Whitlow can make defenders miss in open field (AL.com)

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How he fits into Auburn's plans: Whitlow was originally recruited to Auburn as a defensive back by defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and then-defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff. Interest cooled during his senior season, but after Chip Lindsey was named offensive coordinator last month, he keyed in on Whitlow. The versatile athlete and Class 2A Back of the Year earned an official offer as a wide receiver on Tuesday night and chose the Tigers on signing day over Tulane, where he originally intended to sign. Whitlow, a three-sport star at LaFayette with state titles in basketball, brings some added depth to the receiving corps.

Projection for 2017: Whitlow is an explosive athlete who can make defenders miss in open space when he has the ball in his hands. Auburn has plenty of young talent at receiver, so cracking the rotation could be difficult for Whitlow and a redshirt is not out of the question.

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