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Posted on 5/11/17 at 4:28 pm to AUtigR24
Rankings Update: The Opening Charlotte, N.J. and D.C. (247)
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Over the last month we've seen The Opening Regional Camp circuit start to wind down along with spring football and the high school track season. Those have all given us plenty of evaluation material for some fresh updates to the Top247.
Posted on 5/11/17 at 4:28 pm to TigerPaw1
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The new five-stars
- We've seen enough of Justin Fields to make the five-star jump. He joins Trevor Lawrence as the only five-star quarterbacks to date for 247Sports, both out of the state of Georgia. Fields is a Penn State commit that combines the physical traits in terms of size (6-3, 221 pounds) and athleticism (4.51 40) that gives some Deshaun Watson projectability in terms of play extension and big play potential. The more we've seen him, the more comfortable with him we are as a passer and he's now the No. 5 ranked player in the nation.
Posted on 5/11/17 at 4:29 pm to TigerPaw1
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- As we've seen more players around the country and compared them to what we've already seen out of Columbia (S.C.) Spring Valley linebacker Channing Tindall, the more we like Tindall. He's now ranked No. 45 nationally. Auburn, Georgia, South Carolina and Notre Dame are among the schools chasing.
Posted on 5/11/17 at 4:29 pm to TigerPaw1
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- Similar to Tindall, we've had a chance to compare linebacker Zakoby McClain to what we've seen elsewhere this spring and I'm ready to keep moving him up. The Valdosta native is undersized but he's incredibly athletic and is one of the most active linebackers in the country in pads. He's now ranked No. 131.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:30 am to TigerPaw1
Lots of updates incoming....
Auburn’s top defensive target Jalyn Armour-Davis hopes for summer decision after more visits (SECCountry)
Not gonna lie, starting to worry about Bama in this race. Also sounds like he's a long ways off from a decision
Auburn’s top defensive target Jalyn Armour-Davis hopes for summer decision after more visits (SECCountry)
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Auburn’s top DB target hopes for summer decision
GULF SHORES, Ala. — In between a few gold-medal performances, the top defensive player in the state of Alabama found some time to provide an update on his recruitment.
Jalyn Armour-Davis shined at the Alabama High School Athletic Association state track meet with first-place performances in the 5A 100-meter dash and triple jump. It’s that type of athleticism that earned him the No. 1 ranking among the state’s defensive players. The 4-star cornerback is a highly sought-after prospect by many of the nation’s top programs.
With spring football ready to get underway, Armour-Davis is about a month away from hitting recruiting full force in hopes of finalizing his decision before his senior season at St. Paul’s Episcopal, though he won’t force or rush a decision.
“I’m still really waiting until the summer to get all that figured out. Spring starts on Monday. Right now, I’m more focused on St. Paul’s. When spring is over, I’ll get back started up on more visits and really started to look into to make a final decision,” Armour-Davis said. “I’d like it to be July or early August, but I’m not going to push it. Push comes to shove, I’ll just put out a top 2 or top 3 and commit after the season, but definitely before December.”
As is always the case with Armour-Davis, it’s worth mentioning Auburn was the first program to offer when he was in ninth grade.
The state’s top defender has always vouched that will play a key factor for the Tigers. He wants to continue building that relationship. When it comes to Auburn’s sales pitch these days, however, he’s not sure if there is anything else the staff can do.
Kevin Steele, Greg Brown & Co. have made Armour-Davis’ prioritization evident. He just wants to see that connection grow as he narrows in on a decision.
“They already know how I feel. I know how they feel. It’s just getting comfortable, as usual. There’s nothing really new they can pitch me. I’ve been up there multiple times,” Armour-Davis said. “They’re definitely making me feel like their top guy. They’ve been doing that since my ninth grade year when they were the first to offer, so I know where I stand with them.”
As for the other schools in contention, look at Armour-Davis’ previously released top 6 — Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Georgia, Florida and USC — plus Alabama. The Crimson Tide didn’t make the original list, but Armour-Davis said: “From a more mature standpoint, it would be a 10 times better decision for them to be in it.”
Auburn and Florida State have been the two programs mentioned most with Armour-Davis. Alabama needs to be included in that mix, and as Armour-Davis prepares to take college visits, the other programs on his initial top list of schools also can remain factors.
All the while, Auburn has stayed consistent in Armour-Davis’ ear.
“They haven’t pushed [for a commitment]. They’ve asked, but they haven’t said, ‘Go ahead and commit.’ They’re just wondering where I am and where I stand,” he said.
Not gonna lie, starting to worry about Bama in this race. Also sounds like he's a long ways off from a decision
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:31 am to TigerPaw1
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Who Auburn hosted on campus visits
It had been a few weeks since the Tigers held a big campus visit weekend.
Some coaches remained out on the road recruiting, but Auburn hosted a few big names over the weekend, and it looked to be a successful experience overall. Take a look at a few of those prospects who visited and where they currently stand with the Tigers.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:31 am to TigerPaw1
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3-star S Joseph Foucha, McDonogh 35 (La.): As SEC Country reported last week, Foucha made his first visit to the Plains over the weekend. Auburn is making a serious push for the defensive back from New Orleans, and the Tigers will be heavily in the mix until the end.
Check this guy's film. He's a baller. Would be perfectly happy with a safety class of him and Monday
This post was edited on 5/13/17 at 7:32 am
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:32 am to TigerPaw1
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3-star WR Shedrick Jackson, Hoover (Ala.): He claims to be wide open with his recruitment, as plenty of other schools evaluate him. There are many wide receiver options for Auburn in this class, but it seems like it would be tough for any program to snatch Bo Jackson’s nephew away from Auburn.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:32 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star S Kyler McMichael, GAC (Ga.): McMichael was maybe the biggest surprise visitor of the weekend. He holds Auburn in high regard, calling it one of his top schools. Communication with the Tigers has picked up substantially of late.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:33 am to TigerPaw1
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4-star QB Bo Nix, Pinson Valley (Ala.): Nix says his decision is probably still a year away, and as a 2019 prospect, that makes sense. But that hasn’t stopped him from doing college tours, including making a few stops at Auburn this spring.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:33 am to TigerPaw1
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Texas WR plans to visit Auburn over summer
Auburn’s 2018 recruiting targets at wide receiver are a very strong group of players.
Let’s tally the list: Matthew Hill, Justyn Ross, Seth Williams, Shedrick Jackson, Jacob Copeland, Kearis Jackson and Anthony Schwartz. All of those prospects fall inside the top-50 receivers in the nation, according to the 247Sports composite rankings.
Add another to the list, at No. 48 — Miles Battle.
Battle is a 6-foot-4, 188- pound receiver from Cy Creek in Houston. He holds offers from 29 schools, but he told SEC Country South Carolina reporter Mike Wilson that a trip to Auburn is likely in his future.
His dad has family ties to the Huntsville area, which will lead to a summer visit to the Plains.
“My dad is originally from Alabama, so I have a lot of family out there. I’m going to be making that visit this summer,” he said.
He also hopes to make trips to UCLA, Oklahoma State and Ole Miss. Battle is ranked the No. 287 overall prospect in the nation.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:38 am to TigerPaw1
Auburn recruiting rewind Q&A with Tadarian Moultry: ‘You have to determine your future, not rankings’ (SECCountry)
Moultry is such a boss
I love that Ole Miss got eliminated because they didn't feed him
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Recruiting rankings never mattered to Auburn linebacker signee Tadarian Moultry.
He didn’t care for them when he was a middle-of-the-pack prospect, and his interest in them didn’t grow when he ultimately became a 5-star prospect ranked inside the top 20 in America. That’s just the Auburn signee’s nature.
He knows that the real work lies ahead.
“It’s all good, but I don’t believe in the rankings and the social media and all that,” Moultry said. “Once you put the pads on, it’s different. I try to let people know not to worry about the rankings and the scholarship offers and all that. You’re going to have to put those stars away.”
Moultry isn’t your average 18-year-old.
He’s had some life experiences that have altered his point of view. His high school coach, Tim Vakakes, often jokes that Moultry is a 50-year-old man in an 18-year-old’s body. That maturity has given him a perspective many other top prospects don’t have until later in their college years or beyond.
“You have to determine your future, not rankings. I don’t believe in that. There are some players in the NFL that were 3-stars with no offers. But their work ethic got them that far,” Moultry said. “So I said from the beginning that I didn’t have a ranking. I try to tell myself that. Don’t get the big head.”
The following is a Q&A with Moultry for our Auburn recruiting rewind series
Q: If you could give a junior one piece of advice about the recruiting process, what would it be?
A: “Enjoy it. Enjoy your recruitment. I didn’t enjoy it, because I was so serious with the coaches. I told the coaches early how it was and how it wasn’t going to be. I called Georgia and told them, ‘Y’all will not get me, because you didn’t say anything about education.’ Ole Miss, they didn’t feed me. Bama didn’t recruit me hard enough. LSU, I think I told them, ‘Y’all too far.’ I didn’t make a trip. I just told the coaches, ‘This is how you’re going to recruit me.’ So if you want to recruit these guys who are going to be good as me one day, you need to make sure you do that. … But I would just say, enjoy the recruitment. Wherever you can go, go.”
Q: What school came in second? What could they have done better?
A: “Ole Miss. And if they fed me. They didn’t feed me when I went down there.”
Q: What was the most creative thing a school or coach did to get your attention?
A: “Try to get in contact with my family and get to know them instead of getting to know just me. I will be on campus for three to four years, so I want you to know my family as well.”
Q: What was the biggest rumor about your recruitment that wasn’t true?
A: “I don’t remember one. I was locked down.”
Q: What is the funniest thing any head coach said to you during the entire recruiting process?
A: “I don’t remember anything funny. I think I was being too serious with them.”
Q: What was your biggest regret of the recruiting process?
A: “I didn’t really enjoy it. I didn’t have a ride to go certain places and experience certain places with my family. I wanted to take an official to LSU, California, Missouri. I wasn’t able to experience that.”
Q: Was there any funny recruiting story that stands out to you?
A: “We did the Running Man Challenge at one of those camps. I think it was Rivals. It was real big. They were recording like we were going to race, and we hit the running man.”
Q: Which coach was it the hardest to tell no?
A: “Not one. Not one. They said, ‘Thank you at least for telling us. If you decide to make a second choice, let us know.'”
Q: What school disappointed you the most during you recruitment?
A: “Of course, Alabama. They could’ve recruited me like family and stayed in contact with me. My coach, he was like, ‘I am sure you get to Bama whenever they ask. Because they know I’m an Auburn fan, but I’m not recruiting you to Auburn. You go to Auburn because you want to go to Auburn.’ If you want me to come, you need to say ‘Bring T.D.,’ or ‘Hey, T.D., come on.’ I never had to do that with Auburn. They always said, ‘Hey, bring T.D.’ or ‘T.D., can you come on down?’ But my coach was always like, ‘Come on, we’re going to go to Bama.’ They never asked about me but one time. I went there four times. And the one time they asked me, they didn’t acknowledge me. They didn’t say anything to me.”
Q: Which school would you have taken more seriously if they recruited you earlier in the process?
A: “Probably Bama, because I grew up a Bama fan.”
Q: How much negative recruiting was out there?
A: “There wasn’t any of that. I think they took me serious. They said, ‘Hey, he’s a young man, and he sees through that.’ I don’t want a team bashing another. Because at the end of the day, I might be going to that school you’re bashing. Don’t bash them, just tell me how you can get me.”
Q: Which non-Auburn coach was the nicest to you? Anyone that was a little more hard-edged?
A: “I guess Ole Miss’ coach. Coach [Hugh] Freeze [was the nicest]. I’d say Nick Saban [for most hard-edged]. The one time I tried to talk to him, it took like two phone calls just to get to him.”
Q: If you were in charge of the NCAA, what’s the one rule you would change with recruiting?
A: “They can talk to us whenever they want.”
Moultry is such a boss
I love that Ole Miss got eliminated because they didn't feed him
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:43 am to TigerPaw1
Seth Williams says Auburn still recruiting hardest, Kodi Burns relationship strongest (SECCountry)
I have very little faith we pull this off unless we miss on Ross but it does sound like Burns has done a good job of recruiting this kid
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What Auburn does differently than others for 4-star WR
With Seth Williams, the common question has remained the same throughout: Is it really possible for Auburn to snag a top-ranked quarterback away from Tuscaloosa, from a high school named after Bear Bryant?
It’s something I wrote about back in February after Williams attended Auburn’s junior day. At the time, his coach hinted that it was well within reason for Auburn to think it had a legitimate chance with the 4-star receiver from Paul W. Bryant High.
As the months have wore on, the likelihood has gone up thanks to one critical factor: The Tigers are pushing harder than any other program.
“They really are. They’re just always contacting me every day,” Williams told SEC Country. “They always know what I’m going to do that day. They’re just always contacting me.”
Most of Williams’ communication goes through wide receiver coach Kodi Burns, who has a busy cycle with big-time wide receiver prospects such as Williams, Kolbi Fuqua, Justyn Ross, Jacob Copeland, Matthew Hill, Kearis Jackson, Shedrick Jackson and others all interested in Auburn. Williams speaks with coach Gus Malzahn on occasion as well.
But he has a particularly close connection with Burns, which has a lot to do with Burns’ youth and recent experience as a student-athlete.
“We good. We text and talk at every chance we get. He talks with my dad and my mom all the time, too,” Williams said. “He’s cool. He understands where you’re coming from. He played in the national championship against Oregon when they played. He’s real cool. He’s young like you. He came through Auburn.”
Williams’ recruitment has been relatively tame recently as he finished up his track season. That wrapped up over the weekend when the 6-foot-3, 212-pound wide receiver showcased his speed and leaping ability in numerous track and field events.
He’ll quickly transition into a football mindset.
Williams’ first order of business will be figuring out which programs he hopes to visit this summer. He has yet to determine all of them, but when he sets that visit schedule, those will be the schools the 4-star wide receiver is considering going forward.
“I want take all my visits this summer and see where I want to go. During the summer, whichever schools I decide to visit are the places I’ll choose between,” Williams said. “I have no timeline. I’m just going to wait it out.”
Alabama, once reported to have stepped off the gas, has returned to a few conversations with Williams per week. If the Crimson Tide make a major push, it’s unknown how much that will change Williams’ impression of Alabama. Ole Miss is another program Williams said is staying in regular contact, along with Auburn and Alabama.
When he speaks with the Tigers, though, they make him feel like he could have a successful pass-catching future on the Plains.
“They’re trying to make me into an NFL wide receiver. They like my physicality,” Williams said. “You’ve just got to think that he’s [Jarrett Stidham] a pretty good quarterback, so I’d have a pretty good chance of getting the ball thrown to me. It’s things like that when you know you’ve got a good quarterback.”
I have very little faith we pull this off unless we miss on Ross but it does sound like Burns has done a good job of recruiting this kid
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:44 am to TigerPaw1
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OL commit explains why ranking doesn’t matter to Auburn
Kameron Stutts’ spring game commitment came as somewhat of a surprise.
Not because Stutts hadn’t shown love for Auburn. He’d shown that well prior to attending Auburn’s junior day. It had more to do with his tempered recruiting ranking compared to some of the other offensive guards Auburn remained in contention with at the time — and still do.
But the Tigers had no problem accepting the commitment of the 3-star offensive lineman from Brooks (Ala.).
According to the 247Sports composite rankings, the 6-foot-4 offensive lineman — who projects as a guard in college — is the No. 470 overall prospect in the nation. Just within the state of Alabama, there is another offensive guard, Tank Jenkins, ranked ahead of Stutts.
Auburn views Stutts much higher than that.
At the AHSAA state track meet, Stutts explained what Malzahn and Auburn offensive line coach Herb Hand have said to him about why his lower ranking seems unfitting.
“I think a lot of it is I have really great footwork,” Stutts said. “But one of the things they’ve told me is they think I’m just a really great person. They said they like my character. I don’t get in trouble. I don’t do anything stupid. I just do what I’m supposed to do.
“Athletic-wise, I have really good footwork. I’m really good at getting off the ball. I’m coachable. I’ll do whatever my coaches tell me, and I’ll do it 100 percent, no matter what the circumstances are.”
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:46 am to TigerPaw1
Incoming TE John Samuel Shenker ‘really likes’ what he saw from Auburn’s offense this spring (SECCountry)
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MOULTRIE, Ga. — If Chip Lindsey had to design his ideal tight end for Auburn football, the prototype would look a lot like John Samuel Shenker.
The 6-foot-3, 245-pound tight end, who played his senior year of high school at Georgia powerhouse Colquitt County, committed to Auburn two days before National Signing Day in February. The Tigers picked up the former 3-star recruit for his versatility at an important position in Lindsey’s offense.
“[Lindsey] needs someone who can put his hand down, flex out and be in the backfield at H-back,” Shenker told SEC Country. “He can do it all, so the offense can be more up-tempo. It’s an advantage because they won’t have to substitute. They get that guy who can do it all, and that’s what he wants.”
Shenker originally committed to Auburn earlier in his high school career to play baseball. However, Shenker switched to a football focus after his junior season. He later transferred to play for Rush Propst at Colquitt County.
Propst and Colquitt County’s offense got him ready for what he’d do at Auburn. Lindsey was Propst’s offensive coordinator at the famous Hoover (Ala.) High School in 2007.
“I knew what his background was and what he does with the ball,” Shenker said. “He told me when we met what he’s going to do. I watched film of some of his teams, and it was what I like to see at tight end.”
Shenker got to see that firsthand this spring. He visited Auburn for the A-Day Game, when he saw fellow 2017 tight end signee Sal Cannella line up as a detached wide receiver.
It looked a lot like what Shenker did for the Packers in Colquitt County. According to Keith Niebuhr of 247Sports, Shenker caught 30 passes for 451 yards and 2 touchdowns during the 2016 season.
“It’s exactly what I did here,” Shenker said. “I flexed out here. I caught my touchdowns flexed out, and I caught a few passes attached. But I did everything.”
Shenker also saw different roles for junior H-back Chandler Cox and tight end Jalen Harris during spring ball.
“[Lindsey] wants to use us in all different ways, so that’s exciting,” Shenker said.
Shenker also used the spring to get to know his new position coach. Lindsey and former tight ends coach Scott Fountain offered Shenker a scholarship in January.
However, Auburn moved Fountain out of his role shortly after National Signing Day and brought in Larry Porter. While the new Auburn recruiting coordinator never has coached tight ends or H-backs in his previous stops, Shenker was impressed with Porter’s work this spring.
“Coach Porter is very passionate about what he does,” Shenker said. “He starts with the fundamentals. That’s all they did all spring was fundamentals. It all starts there. I really like what I saw there.”
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:46 am to TigerPaw1
Report: Auburn signee Markaviest Bryant went to hospital after ‘freak accident’ (SECCountry)
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Auburn football fans are excited to see “Big Cat” Markaviest Bryant on campus by the end of the month. And Tuesday’s incident will only make them wish that time frame could be shortened to avoid any more potential accidents.
The 4-star defensive end from Cordele, Ga. spent a portion of Tuesday at the hospital getting repairs from what his high school coach termed as a “freak accident,” according to a report from 247Sports’ Keith Niebuhr.
Per the report, Bryant’s right arm went through a window on a door after the big man slipped and tried to catch himself on the door. Crisp County coach Shelton Felton told 247Sports how it went down:
“He was horsing around a little bit,” Felton said, per Niebuhr. “He slipped and tried to catch himself on the door. He’s so big, his arm went through the window. I guess it was just a regular window.”
Bryant posted photos of the wounds and himself in a hospital bed to his Snapchat account. One was accompanied with the message “I’m good.”
While there surely will be some recovery time involved, Auburn fans likely can exhale as fears of a long-term injury hopefully have subsided. Bryant is expected to arrive on campus by the end of the month, and with any luck, he may be a serious contributor on the field for the Tigers as soon as this fall.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:48 am to TigerPaw1
Top defensive back target provides positive news for Auburn after Greg Brown visited school (SECCountry)
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DB from Florida names top 3, calls Auburn ‘favorite’
As Auburn defensive backs coach Greg Brown goes through his first recruiting cycle at Auburn, a lower-ranked defensive back from Florida has caught his eye.
Juanyeh Thomas is listed as the No. 90 safety by the 247Sports composite rankings, which puts him at 1,230th overall among Class of 2018 prospects. Brown doesn’t think that ranking is fitting for the 6-foot-2, 204-pound prospect who plays wide receiver and cornerback at Niceville (Fla.).
“I talk to Coach Brown probably like three times a week,” Thomas said. “We’ve got a real good relationship. He said that Auburn and him, they really want me bad. He wants me to come there and make the all-freshman team. He wants me to come to Auburn real bad. They make me feel like I’m a top player they really, really want. Coach Brown was telling me I’m in his top 5 recruits, so I feel like they want me pretty bad.”
Brown visited Thomas’ school on Tuesday.
The Tigers’ prioritization of Thomas is working.
There are a few programs that haven’t offered yet: Alabama, Clemson and Louisville. They are communicating and could get into the mix for Thomas if they extend an offer. For now, however, Thomas is beginning to narrow his top options.
He said Auburn, Florida and Georgia Tech stand out, but one has started to separate itself.
“Those are basically my top 3 right now, but I would say Auburn is my favorite now,” Thomas said. “I’ve visited Auburn, Georgia Tech and Florida. Auburn just gives you that home feeling.”
That last tidbit is particularly promising news for the Tigers.
When asked what he’s looking for in a school — or what a program could do to match the Tigers — Thomas referenced his desire to find that at-home environment. Auburn presented him with that during his visit for the March junior day.
He planned to return to the Plains last weekend, though conflicting schedules prevented it. Thomas likely will wait until late spring, perhaps Big Cat Weekend on June 3, to make his journey back to the Plains.
“Auburn, when I came and visited them, all the coaches were showing me lots of love. When I came to Auburn, I felt like I was at home. I was just looking for that home feeling. I want a college that makes me feel like home,” Thomas said. “Auburn fits that perfect.”
As for a visit plan and decision timeline, Thomas has an idea in mind.
He wants to retake visits to his top 3. No dates are set, but he knows Auburn, Georgia Tech and Florida will be a part of that. If the aforementioned schools end up offering, expect Thomas to make trips to those programs, as well.
Once those visits are taken, Thomas said he’ll “probably” have a final decision made before his senior season begins at the end of August.
“More offers are coming in now. I want to wait and take visits to all my favorite places. Then I’ll make a decision probably before our regular season,” Thomas said. “If [Clemson, Louisville and Alabama] offered, that would probably change my game plan, but for now, I’m rolling with Auburn, Florida and Georgia Tech.”
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:49 am to TigerPaw1
WR Jacob Copeland feels built for SEC, has 5 league teams on top (SECCountry)
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PENSACOLA, Fla. — Jacob Copeland is coming soon to an SEC stadium near you.
Copeland, a 4-star wide receiver from Pensacola, has a top 5 that consists of Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee. Copeland holds scholarship offers from the 30 schools but wants to play his college ball in the SEC.
“That’s the strongest conference and I feel like I’m built for that,” Copeland told SEC Country. “Through my whole life, I played with kids way older than me and I was young coming up, so I just had to learn from my big brothers. … Playing in the SEC, you gotta ball out if you want to be on that big-dog level.”
Copeland is 6-foot, 192 pounds and the nation’s No. 9 wide receiver and No. 52 overall prospect, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings.
In the video interview below, the Under Armour All-American discusses the following topics:
- His car ride with Alabama coach Nick Saban on A-Day.
- How he fits into Auburn’s spread offense and its passing game.
- What he likes about Jim McElwain and the in-state Gators.
- Why he’s considering Ole Miss despite potential NCAA sanctions.
- Which assistant coach at Tennessee has the Vols in the running.
- When he plans to decide and his determining factors.
Posted on 5/13/17 at 7:50 am to TigerPaw1
Patrick Nix, Bo Nix dish on Auburn’s perceived advantage and family rivalry (SECCountry)
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PINSON, Ala. — To the Nix family, the conversation around Bo Nix’s recruitment has become comical at times.
Patrick Nix, Bo’s father, was an Iron Bowl hero for Auburn in its undefeated season in 1993. Bo has grown up a lifelong Auburn fan, so there are articles and questions all over the place whether any school other than Auburn has a shot to land Nix, a 2019 recruiting prospect.
Those queries have even flowed over to the coaching ranks as staffs gauge their chances with Nix, the nation’s No. 2 dual-threat QB in the 247Sports composite rankings.
“A lot of them are like, ‘Do we really have a chance?’ ” Patrick said. “My thing is, if you don’t offer, I can assure you that you don’t have a chance. If you do, I don’t know. But if you don’t, then you don’t have a chance because everyone else has.”
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback holds 17 offers from all the top programs. Auburn made its offer in June 2016.
Bo’s college decision remains roughly a year away, he said. But just by looking at his 247Sports recruiting page, it’s obvious what the general public thinks will happen at the end of it. All 10 of the Crystal Ball predictions favor the Tigers, which has almost everything to do with his father’s legacy at Auburn and Bo’s childhood fandom.
Patrick wants to downplay how much that will factor into Bo’s decision.
“Every kid is a fan of some school. Growing up, you hope that schools offers you. As you grow, you realize that you’re not making a decision as a fan. You’re making a decision as a player, and that’s completely different,” Patrick said.
“Yeah, he’s been an Auburn fan his whole life, but that’s no different than a kid down the road that’s been an Alabama fan his whole life. … The funny thing I’ve seen is it’s like he’s the only one out there that has any allegiance to any school. If people really think that, they’re out of their mind, and they probably miss out on the kids. ”
It’s also important, for both Patrick and Bo, to separate each other’s career paths.
Patrick had a successful four years on the Plains. It’s not out of the question Bo will, as well. But Patrick doesn’t want his own career trajectory to add decision-making pressure on his 4-star son.
“The biggest thing I’ve told him is he’s in the driver’s seat,” Patrick said. “He’s been very mature with it of looking at everything and keeping his eyes open to what’s the best for him. I’ve told him all along I want whatever is the best experience for him, not my experience. I’ve already had my experience, and I want him to have his experience. I hope his experience is as good as mine was.”
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