re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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KN now thinking of switching back to OHST. He's struggling right now on some stuff. He seemed blindsided by Armour-Davis, is indecisive on Coynis Miller and just seems lost with Teague. Needs to nail down some better sources

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True but my point was it seems he's struggled more than usual here recently on some of these guys. He's twice now apologized for not having a good handle on recruitments (Armour-Davis, Teague) & then apologized for the "drama" around his CB flips with Miller. Could be recency bias but I just don't remember that happening much in the past.

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As for Ross it seems like all 3 teams (AL/AU/CLEM) all like where they stand. Most of the time the season doesn't have a major affect on a recruit unless it results in coaching staff change but I do think passing offense this season is going to matter in Ross's recruitment. At this point I am cautiously optimistic but until we sign a composite #1 player with Saban at Bama I am not gonna get hopes too high

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AUBURN, Ala. — In three visits, Kyler McMichael‘s viewpoint of Auburn has drastically changed.

He attended a game last fall and has now visited twice this spring. He’s a prospect who has recently emerged as a realistic top target for Auburn — placing the Tigers in his top 5 — and wants to continue his regular trips to the Plains. McMichael was on campus for Big Cat Weekend.

He hopes to be back several times before his commits.

“We definitely made it a priority to get back up [to Auburn]. It’s definitely a top school. I love everything they have to say,” McMichael said. “I’m definitely trying to make it a priority to get back up here as much as possible. … I had no idea what Auburn was like at all. Like getting up here and being able interact with everyone, I loved it.”

The No. 105-ranked overall player in the nation, according to the 247Sports composite rankings, said the best part of Big Cat Weekend versus most recruiting events was “being able to interact with a bunch of different coaches.” Most of that time was spent with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele and secondary coach Greg Brown, who are chasing the 4-star cornerback.

But this visit had a different encounter that helped add intrigue: one with Gus Malzahn.

“I was able to talk to the head coach and get an idea of what he saw in me and how he can use me. That was great,” McMichael said. “He thinks I’m a great player. He could talk to my family and really get an idea of how we do things. He was able to ask me what I was looking in getting out of a school like this.”

One interesting part of that quote is the phrase “how he can use me.”

McMichael is ranked as the nation’s No. 13 cornerback. Some programs might even see the 6-foot-1, 196-pound defender as a future safety. But Auburn hinted at something during his Big Cat Weekend visit that only Clemson had done in the past — that McMichael could be used on offense.

“We talked offensive-wise, as well. Loved that,” McMichael said. “Possibly getting offensive plays. Possibly looking at slot or running back, so I’d love that. Clemson has been talking a lot about that, too.”

McMichael said Auburn, Clemson, Florida State and Alabama are recruiting him harder than anyone else, and those are the visits he would like to take throughout this summer as he narrows in on a decision.

The 4-star corner from Greater Atlanta Christian (Ga.) previously said he’d like to commit before the start of his senior season, but he now has another approach he might take since he won’t be enrolling early.

“I was planning on committing before the season, but I’m probably going to hold off so I can get up here, spend the night on campus, get an idea,” McMichael said

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Former Auburn football defensive lineman Antwuan Jackson Jr. is still looking for a new school after the Tigers reportedly denied his appeal to transfer to another SEC program.

According to Phil Kornblut at The State of Columbia, S.C., Auburn denied Jackson’s appeal to lift restrictions on his transfer away from the program. The former top-50 recruit is reportedly barred from transferring to any other SEC school as well as Clemson, Ohio State, Mercer and Georgia Southern.

Kornblut reports Jackson is most likely headed to a junior college following the appeal denial. He redshirted during his true freshman season in 2016 and left the program last month.

“He’s vetting some JUCOs he might attend in Mississippi,” Jackson’s mother, Darnisha Allen-Jackson, told Kornblut. “He is weighing all options. He’s not sure if he wants to sit out a year. He redshirted last year and he misses playing the game. So, he’s weighing all of his options. He should know something by the first week of July.”

Kornblut reported South Carolina was a transfer destination high on Jackson’s list. South Carolina assistant coach Lance Thompson was one of Jackson’s recruiters during his time at Auburn.

Former Auburn teammate Stephen Davis Jr., a native of South Carolina, transferred there last month. However, Davis Jr. will have to walk on at South Carolina in 2017 and sit out a year because of Auburn’s restrictions.

According to Kornblut, Allen-Jackson said the family has not been in any contact with coaches from South Carolina or any other SEC school.

Allen-Jackson also told Kornblut that Auburn didn’t give the family a specific reason for blocking Jackson’s transfers to the schools on the list.

“It seems very petty because Antwuan requested his transfer,” Allen-Jackson said, per Kornblut. “Seems like the one year of punishment should be enough.

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LAKE MARTIN, Ala. — Some positions in college are easier to play right out of high school than others. Auburn football has a pair of playmakers who could make that quick jump at an area of need in 2017.

Auburn true freshmen Markaviest Bryant and T.D. Moultry are both natural pass rushers joining a program that lost its top two — Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams — to the NFL this offseason. That could be perfect timing for the duo in their first season on the Plains.

“With [defensive line coach Rodney Garner], he’s done a really good job with the young guys,” Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said Thursday at his Ambush Tour appearance. “He plays young guys if they’re talented enough to do that. [Defensive coordinator Kevin] Steele is really good at finding ways to let young guys play and be specific at the things their strengths are.”

Bryant, who hasn’t been limited in summer workouts after a freak injury to his right hand last month, will be a Buck defensive end under Garner. “Big Cat” had 36.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in his senior season at Crisp County (Ga.) High School.

“I think we’re getting a dynamic young man that has a tremendous skill set,” Garner said in February. “He has great length. He can bend, and he has burst. He’s got the ability to affect the game in a third-down situation when you want to get pressure on the quarterback.”


According to Auburn coaches, Moultry will start out as a traditional outside linebacker under Travis Williams. However, Moultry has the ability to play Buck — and he inherited the No. 55 jersey from Lawson.

“He’ll be with me,” Williams said this spring. “He’ll be a designated pass rusher, as well. We’re going to figure the things he can do, but he can do a lot of good things. We’ve got to put him in the right spots and see what he can do. We’re looking at him as a Money ‘backer and designated pass rusher.”

The Money, or strongside, linebacker position blitzes the most in Steele’s scheme. Whether he lines up there or closer to the line of scrimmage in the Buck end position — a hybrid in its own right — Moultry is expected to bring some instant impact to the pass rush.

Malzahn said the staff is eager to see what Moultry and Bryant will do in their first full practices at Auburn. Their performances there could go a long way in securing early playing time on a defense that needs to reload quickly post-Lawson and Adams.

“When we recruited those guys, we thought both of those guys have the potential to be very good pass rushers,” Malzahn said. “That’s one of the things early in fall camp that I know the defensive coaches will put them in those situations and see if they’re ready.”

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imo the absolute worst thing that could happen is another 8-4 season.

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Would probably mean Malzahn keeps his job

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