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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:08 am to TigerPaw1
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:08 am to TigerPaw1
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Shaun Shivers, track star and football star
As you’ve probably heard, Shaun Shivers is lightning fast.
The 3-star Auburn running back commit brings track speed to the 2018 recruiting class. And I don’t say that as the common football cliche you hear about fast players. Shivers is actually a track star who plans to be a multi-sport athlete on the Plains.
This summer provided Shivers an opportunity to flaunt his skill set on a national stage. Shivers participated in the 200-meter dash at the Prefontaine Class in Oregon where he qualified for the finals in the event.
He placed sixth with a time of 21.08 seconds. For some context, that time would already put Shivers in 20th of the 35 qualifying times posted at the 2017 SEC outdoors, and — in case you forgot — Shivers is going into his senior year of high school.
The national track experience set the Auburn commit up nicely for his multi-sport future.
“The experience was so nice, running against all the fastest kids in the nation,” Shivers said. “Oh yeah, it was a real good experience.”
With the summer track schedule complete, Shiver has turned his full attention to football. That doesn’t involve recruiting unless, of course, he’s the one recruiting other 2018 prospects to Auburn. Kentucky and Utah continue to recruit Shivers, and Kentucky has one of Shivers’ high school teammates Keontra Smith committed in the 2019 class.
But Shivers gives all coaches the same message.
“I’m 100 percent Auburn, that’s all,” Shivers said.
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Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:09 am to TigerPaw1
BREAKING: Key safety target Jamien Sherwood commits to Auburn over Florida (SECCountry)
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Last weekend, Jamien Sherwood sat in an office with his mother, Gus Malzahn and Kristi Malzahn.
It was a fairly standard coach-family conversation in the head coach’s office. Sherwood was on his third Auburn visit since the spring game. The Malzahns and the Sherwoods sat in the Tigers’ athletic complex, having what was a mostly non-football conversation.
Until the 3-star safety from Jensen Beach, Fla., turned it toward his recruitment.
His original plan had been to wait until National Signing Day. He didn’t want to tell anyone until then, including his mother. But as he assessed his options further, Sherwood wanted to make sure to claim a spot at his college of choice earlier rather than later.
So, much to the surprise of everyone in the room but himself, Sherwood announced he wanted to be a Tiger. He told the Auburn coaching staff he was committing.
On Tuesday, Sherwood made his commitment public — through a video with TCPalm.com — to become the 11th member of Auburn’s 2018 class.
“As I was walking away from the school this weekend, I was just so excited on the inside. I’d just committed. I never knew what it would feel like. Now I just don’t have to do anymore thinking. I got a spot at my college. It just feels great to not have to worry anymore,” Sherwood said. “Everyone was ecstatic.”
Sherwood’s top 4 included Auburn, Florida, Michigan and Oregon.
Ultimately, the decision came down to a “neck-and-neck” race between the Tigers and the Gators. They were the only members of his top group who he’d visited more than once, and he’d been to both campuses three times.
But Auburn inched ahead with every passing visit.
His first came by chance when a scheduling issue with Tennessee sent Sherwood and his coaches to Auburn for the spring game. Sherwood told SEC Country on Monday night that it was on that visit he “felt like it was home,” but it was only his first time on campus. He wanted to return for reassurances.
His mother and brother joined for the second visit for Big Cat Weekend. Sherwood said on the 8-hour drive back to Jensen Beach he was “pretty sure” he’d commit to Auburn one day.
All he needed was the final trip for the weekend cookout to solidify any doubts that Auburn was his choice — and he didn’t need to wait.
“This past weekend really kinda sealed the deal. This past weekend just sealed the deal for me. I just knew that I want to go there,” Sherwood said. “It was a hard decision for me to choose from those two schools. Those were my top schools (Auburn and Florida). Those two were neck-and-neck. Besides the football part, I just felt like I could be at Auburn more. That’s what separated Florida and Auburn. They were my top two, and they were right there.”
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Floridian projects as a safety for Auburn, though he plays in all three facets for his high school.
Sherwood joins Quindarious Monday and Kolbi Fuqua as the three additions at safety, perhaps the biggest need in the Tigers’ class. Sherwood’s relationship with Kevin Steele and Greg Brown blossomed quickly. He saw their track record with defensive backs and Auburn’s need at the position.
If he needed any extra reason to choose the Tigers, the depth chart availability provided it.
“With their lack of depth at safety, me getting on the field shouldn’t be a problem. They said since I’m graduating early, I can come in January and start putting the work in, gaining weight, learn all the defense,” Sherwood said. “The rest is up to me.”
With Sherwood’s commitment, Auburn moves to No. 30 in the 247Sports composite team rankings.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:10 am to TigerPaw1
5 things to know about new Auburn safety commit Jamien Sherwood (SECCountry)
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Auburn landed a big-time commitment from one of its top safety targets in the 2018 recruiting class. Jamien Sherwood chose Auburn over Florida, Michigan and Oregon.
There’s a lot for Tigers’ fans to learn about the newest member of the recruiting class.
Here are 5 things SEC Country has learned about Sherwood that will help Auburn fans get to know the newest commit.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:10 am to TigerPaw1
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1. Sherwood’s hometown is mostly like Auburn, he says.
Who knew Jensen Beach, Fla., and Auburn, Ala., were similar?
Apparently Sherwood.
He said that’s what surprised him most about his first visit to the Plains. He didn’t know exactly what to expect from Auburn during his first visit, but he found a tight-knit community and a lot of friendly, smiling faces.
Sherwood’s immediate thought: wait, this feels like home.
“The people. It’s the people in town. Not just the fans, but people on campus, how good they are to random strangers. Everybody waves. Auburn isn’t so different from where I live. The only thing about Auburn that’s a little different is I live by the beach. Other than that, same type of climate, same environment,” Sherwood said. “It’s nothing really different, except no water.”
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:10 am to TigerPaw1
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2. His favorite player is former FSU DB Jalen Ramsey.
Sherwood watches the former Florida State cornerback closely.
He won’t play cornerback most likely, but it’s the style of play Sherwood wants to simulate on the football field. Sherwood likes to get physical, and he has the speed and quickness to cover well in space, too.
“I just like the way he plays. Jalen Ramsey, I just love the way he plays football. That’s who I want to be,” Sherwood said. “That’s who I want to play like. What he did when he was in college, I want to simulate something like that.”
For some context, Ramsey was an All-American and a BCS national champion. If Sherwood can sniff Ramsey’s level of success, then Auburn will be landing someone much better than his 3-star rating.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:11 am to TigerPaw1
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3. Sherwood’s pregame routine explains his personality.
Sherwood is a tough personality to read sometimes. He even admits that himself. The 3-star safety often moves quietly. He doesn’t say much unless he has to.
But he’s got a fun side, too.
Let’s let Sherwood self-describe his personality.
“Most people say every time you see me, my facial expression looks kinda mad,” Sherwood said. “I’m a nice kid, though. Once I get to know you, I like to play around a lot. I know when to play and when not to play. I like to have fun a lot.”
He’s serious, but he likes to have fun.
So his pregame routine makes a ton of sense. Sherwood likes to throw on a rap music of choice. It’s usually a song that would make most people “want to dance,” Sherwood said. But he’s not much of a dancer. He takes a much calmer approach to his pregame routine, which fits right in line with his own personality description.
“I sit in the corner sometimes. I lay down with the lights off, listening to some kind of rap music. It’s always something that makes you want to dance, but I’m the type to just sit there silently and listen to it,” Sherwood said.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:11 am to TigerPaw1
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4. He’s set the expectation bar high for himself.
When Sherwood was talking about Jalen Ramsey, he gave himself some lofty career expectations.
Sherwood hopes to mimic Ramsey’s career path. A successful college career and a top NFL draft pick. But Sherwood took his self-expectations a step further, thanks to Auburn defensive back coach Greg Brown’s track record of coaching postseason award winners.
“I hope to be able to achieve a Jim Thorpe award or, if you’re lucky enough, a run at the Heisman,” Sherwood said.
The Heisman part seems tough to fathom for a defensive back, obviously, but the Thorpe Award would be a great place to start.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:11 am to TigerPaw1
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5. Sherwood will play safety, but he’s super versatile.
Maybe Sherwood’s Heisman talk stems from his belief that he’s not just a safety. After all, he’s not just a safety.
For his high school team, Sherwood plays all spots on the defense — safety, corner and linebacker — but that’s not all he does. He’s a big player in the return game. Sherwood returned 4 punts for touchdowns in the 2016 football season.
Defensively, he added 69 tackles and two interceptions. But Sherwood will try his hand on the offensive side this season, as well, after scoring a few touchdowns in the passing game and running game a year ago.
In June, Andrew Ivins of 247Sports put together his state-of-Florida superlatives from the spring evaluation period.
Sherwood’s superlative: Most versatile. Ivins wrote that Sherwood looks like he could play five different position, and that Michigan’s defensive coordinator said Sherwood reminds him of a bigger Jabrill Peppers.
Has Auburn talked about playing more than safety?
“No, but I play special teams, as well. I might get some reps at kick returner and punt returner. They might give me some reps at wide receiver,” Sherwood said. “Hopefully. Maybe.”
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:13 am to TigerPaw1
Louisiana ATH high on AU, decision soon (Rivals)
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Auburn in the past four days has added three commitments to its 2018 class, and could continue the momentum with another addition soon.
Who could be next for Auburn? Derek Turner is one possibility.
Turner, a cornerback/athlete from West Feliciana in St. Francisville, La., has Auburn at the top of his list and doesn’t plan to wait long before making his decision.
“I’m getting close,” Turner said. “I want to do it in mid- or early-August, sometime before the season starts.”
Turner named Auburn his No. 1 school after he, his father and brother all visited Auburn over the weekend. Turner spent three days on the Tigers’ campus, participating in camp on Friday and attending the Cookout on Saturday.
“It went really well,” Turner said. “I really enjoyed it. I really like it at Auburn.”
It was Turner’s first visit to Auburn, as well as his first time to meet with defensive backs coach Greg Brown.
“I finally got to meet him in person,” Turner said. “He’s been recruiting me for a long time, so it was good to meet him and to build a relationship with him.”
Turner plans to return to Auburn in the fall for at least one of the Tigers’ home games. He could be committed to Auburn when he makes the trip.
“Auburn is my leader,” Turner said. “I really like it at Auburn. Auburn has been recruiting me hard and they were the first big school to offer me.”
Turner said Auburn leads three other SEC schools, all of which have offered: Missouri, South Carolina and Ole Miss.
Rivals ranks Turner, who is 5-foot-11 and weighs 190 pounds, the No. 53 player in Louisiana.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:16 am to TigerPaw1
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:16 am to TigerPaw1
Twitter Tuesday: Jones' job status, USC in 2017, Alabama, Auburn (Rivals)
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@rivalsmike Thoughts on Michael Harris, LB #Auburn picked up today? #TwitterTuesday
I like this pickup and view him as one of the 10 best commitments of the last week. The reason I like Harris as a prospect is because his best football is still ahead of him. He’s a tall, long, athletic kid who plays inside in high school and does a great job working off of contact and taking the proper angle to the football, and he has that outside linebacker build where he can work in space. Those kids are hard to find at the high school level and, in my experience, they usually turn out to be defensive leaders.
His job in high school is to set the defense, read the play and react, but he has good closing speed and the athleticism to come off the edge mixed with the power to thump when he arrives. I’ll be very interested to see how big he gets because I think that will determine whether he stays inside or outside at the next level.
Many kids get away with false steps or misreading a play because of their sheer athletic ability in high school, but Harris shows a great football IQ and he makes a ton of great reads. Auburn fans should be excited.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:17 am to TigerPaw1
Rivals250 safety says role and relationships led him to Auburn (Rivals)
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Jamien Sherwood has long since named Auburn as his leader. Tuesday’s commitment to the Tigers was simply the follow through. There weren’t any twists or turns in this third act.
Sherwood’s recruitment ended the way most had expected it would for some time. And is reasons for the choice were just as predictable as the announcement itself. The four-star defensive back is not one for manufactured drama. Instead, he cuts to the chase.
“From my first time going to Auburn I just felt at home and I loved everything about it,” Sherwood said. “I didn't want to leave after my first visit.”
Auburn offers Sherwood familiarity and a level of comfort. It also provides him with a defined role, something for which the 6-foot-2 prospect had long been in search of. From the moment he lands on campus, Sherwood will have defined expectations. This, it seems, was a selling point.
“I'm in the back half of the defense, roaming from sideline to sideline,” Sherwood said. “I’ll be blitzing from the safety position and coming off the edge, too.”
Of course relationships also played a role. Auburn’s recruitment of Sherwood was headed up by Tigers secondary coach Greg Brown. And the credit for making the Florida-based standout feel comfortable with Auburn should, in bulk, belong to him.
After all, Sherwood’s decision to move to Alabama didn’t happen by accident. This was a business decision, sure, but personal connections also played a part.
“Coach Greg Brown is the man who gave me my offer,” Sherwood said. “ He's been coaching DBs forever. He's been to plenty of colleges and coached plenty of pro athletes. To me, he's just a heck of a person and great person to talk to. I like that I'll be coached by him the next few years.”
Sherwood is ranked as the No. 17 safety and the No. 181 overall prospect in the class of 2018. He attends Florida’s Jensen Beach High School.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:18 am to TigerPaw1
Southeast spotlight: Five summer surprises (Rivals)
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This summer has already brought a lot of big commitments and developing storylines throughout the country, but especially in the Southeast. From performances we did not expect to commitment changes we did not foresee, here is a run down of five summer surprises from the Southeast region.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:18 am to TigerPaw1
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Justin Fields keeps everyone guessing
When the month of June started, five-star quarterback Justin Fields was committed to Penn State. Now the calendar is about to turn to August, and Fields has every recruiting fan and analyst guessing about where he will end up committed. Georgia, Florida State and Auburn appear to be the three schools left battling for Fields, especially after Florida nabbed a commitment from five-star quarterback Matt Corral over the weekend. Unlike some prospects in high profile positions, Fields has continued to do interviews following his trips, only stirring more speculation about where he will commit. Most thought that when he opened up his recruitment he might end the summer as a commit somewhere else. But so far it's been surprising to see him keep his future destination under such tight wraps.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 7:19 am to TigerPaw1
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Auburn lands Monday
This is not a surprise in terms of a new prospect emerging and impressing, but when he committed to Auburn July 11, that was a surprise. Monday was at one time an Auburn lean, but after visiting Clemson in mid June, those Tigers grabbed the lead. He was set to visit Clemson this weekend for the cookout and he planned to commit to the Tigers during the visit. A couple of talks with Auburn coaches, defensive coordinator Kevin Steele in particular, changed his plan.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 9:58 am to TigerPaw1
KN says that AU is planning on taking their time at CB. Even tho Derek Turner and Jamari Brown are high on AU, sounds like they might not be takes right now. Says that could change but thinks AU might wait until later and hope that a strong season catches some eyes
Posted on 7/26/17 at 11:13 am to TigerPaw1
Mizzou taking all those Montgomery kids. They got James Foster, Cam Taylor and now La'dedric Jackson. JaKorey Hawkins is supposed to commit soon too and will probably pick Mizzou
Posted on 7/26/17 at 11:19 am to TigerPaw1
Former Alabama RB commit Dameon Pierce calls Auburn ‘home away from home’ (SECCountry)
Seems like a smart kid. Recognizes the risk of waiting but doesn't wanna rush another decision after his decommit
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Dameon Pierce calls Auburn ‘home away from home’
For the second time since de-committing from Alabama, Dameon Pierce visited Auburn.
The 4-star running back from Bainbridge (Ga.) attended the Auburn cookout along with two dozen other top Auburn targets. Pierce arrived on the Plains fresh off a Friday Night Lights visit to Florida. Those two programs — and perhaps LSU — will battle it out for Pierce.
Auburn brings a different environment than most, he says.
“As soon as you walk in, you’ve got someone greeting you at the car basically. You can’t beat that. It feels like you’re already at home. It’s a home away from home basically. Anybody would be glad to be here,” Pierce said. “What you see is what you get from Auburn. I love it. I love [running backs] coach [Tim] Horton. That’s my main guy right there. He’s a great coach, and I love to be around him.”
Perhaps the biggest movement for Pierce last weekend wasn’t with the prospect himself, but his mother’s reaction to the visit. Pierce came with his mother and stepfather, which was big news considering his mother had yet to take a college visit outside the state of Georgia.
Pierce laughed and shook his head when asked about his mother’s opinion of the Tigers.
“Man, don’t get me started with her. She loved it. This is her first time actually coming. She really don’t travel. This is her first time leaving Georgia to come out here and experience,” Pierce said. “To have the time she had, it really impacts me to see my mom have fun outside the state of Georgia.”
Auburn will have to work for it, however.
Pierce doesn’t plan on making a decision until after his football season, though he expects to be in Auburn for at least one game — the Iron Bowl vs. the team he was formerly committed to.
He’s still assessing whether he can enroll early. If he does, his decision could come anytime after his high school season concludes. If he doesn’t enroll early, it’s possible he waits all the way until National Signing Day on Feb. 7, but Pierce maintains his timeline is flexible for now (as long as it’s after his football season).
Auburn and Florida are the most likely landing spots. He likes Georgia, but the Bulldogs have already landed No. 1 running back Zamir White and are in the sweepstakes for No. 3 running back James Cook. That would make Pierce the likely odd-man out. LSU will also work to score a visit.
Pierce said those four programs will most likely be his official visits after the season.
“It’s really fluctuating right now between Auburn, Florida and Georgia right now,” he said.
Auburn hopes to add at least one more feature-potential running back in the 2018 class. The Tigers’ two top targets for that right now are 4-star Asa Martin and Pierce. Martin will announce his decision on Aug. 24 between Auburn, Alabama, Florida and Clemson.
Pierce understands some of these programs may only be in the hunt for one. That won’t alter his decision timeline.
“If a running back commits and a school is only going to take one, you can’t take it away from a school not letting me come. I just have to choose a different school,” Pierce said. “I’m really taking my time. I’m taking it all in and having fun more than anything.”
Seems like a smart kid. Recognizes the risk of waiting but doesn't wanna rush another decision after his decommit
Posted on 7/26/17 at 11:20 am to TigerPaw1
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My thoughts on Jamien Sherwood
In some cases, it makes more sense to look at the programs who offered rather than the recruiting rankings.
Safety Jamien Sherwood from Jenson Beach, Fla., is a perfect example. Here are the Power 5 programs who have offered Auburn’s most recent commit.
Auburn
Duke
Florida
Florida State
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
LSU
Miami
Michigan
Mississippi State
N.C. State
Nebraska
North Carolina
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Oregon
Penn State
Tennessee
That’s an impressive offer sheet, one that probably warrants more than a 3-star rating. He is a 4-star prospect on Rivals.com, and I’d expect to see a ratings boost throughout the fall on all the other sites, as well.
Sherwood is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound athlete who could pass as a 4-star wide receiver if you just watched him play and never knew he was a defensive back. He returned FOUR punts for touchdowns last season, which gives you an idea of his special playmaking ability with the ball in his hands.
This is a guy who defensive backs coach Greg Brown sought out early on in the process. Brown’s evaluations are worth trusting.
Posted on 7/26/17 at 11:21 am to TigerPaw1
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Commitments by start of the season?
After securing four commitments — three in the 2018 class — since Friday, Auburn fans are starting to get a little bit greedy with all the recruiting momentum.
So it begs the question, “Who’s next?”
I asked a few commits and received some interesting answers (some that didn’t make my list below). But the general consensus was they expect Auburn’s class to get to at least 15 commits by the start of the season.
Here are the 7 prospects who I think are most likely to join the class by the start of the football season.
4-star WR Matthew Hill
4-star LB Zakoby McClain
3-star CB Derek Turner
4-star DT Coynis Miller
3-star DE Andres Fox
3-star DE Richard Jibunor
4-star RB Asa Martin
Doubt Turner, Miller and Fox happen. Starting to doubt Hill will announce before season. If we get McClain back on campus this weekend I think he could commit. Feel pretty good about landing Jibunor sometime this month. Martin seems like Bama to me
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