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

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@Ellitor_AU: If Joey progresses and plays like he did Saturday, is it a given Auburn takes a second QB if they miss on Fields? Who are some names to watch?

There’s no doubt Auburn quarterback commit Joey Gatewood‘s play Saturday on national television pleased the Tigers coaching staff. The better he plays, the less Auburn feels like it needs a second quarterback.

But the decision to take a second quarterback had more to do with attrition than Gatweood’s ability.

Woody Barrett transferred. Tyler Queen transferred. Who knows how long Sean White and Jarrett Stidham’s futures will last on the Plains.

5-star quarterback Justin Fields was the easy answer, but if that doesn’t happen, the feverish desire to land another likely simmers. After all, the Tigers are in the driver’s seat for 2019 quarterback Bo Nix who I think could end up as the best quarterback in next year’s class, and by default, one of the best prospects in the nation.

If Fields goes elsewhere (I project him to Georgia for now), Auburn will test the waters with Emory Jones. Steven Krajewski is a name that’s been thrown out, but I believe Auburn is still evaluating its options here.

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@elcarg: Where does Auburn look for two class needs — corner and defensive tackle?

Going into this recruiting cycle, the only desperate need for Auburn (in my opinion) was at safety. The Tigers figured that situation out before the season got under way with Quindarious Monday, Jamien Sherwood, Kolbi Fuqua and Josh Marsh, leaving room for a potential change in heart from one of those prospects.

Now, the two position groups you’ve named are the right spots to turn, if you’re the type of person looking to unnecessarily panic about a position group. That distinction probably would’ve gone to running back if Auburn missed on Martin last week.

At corner: See the question below for your answer on Auburn’s No. 1 option at the position. He isn’t the only name available. Derek Turner would probably commit tomorrow if Auburn was willing to accept his commitment. JaKorey Hawkins is a guy I’ve written about in the past who could end up on Auburn’s radar by signing day. Christian Tutt is a cornerback who has had one of the most bizarre recruitments that has visited Auburn on occasion.

At defensive tackle: Coynis Miller is the guy for Auburn in this class. On top of that, commit Daquan Newkirk will most likely play inside. Defensive line coach Rodney Garner said he’d like to add at least one more guy to the class, assuming Miller chooses Auburn, and the most likely option there might be Mobile (Ala.) prospect Andres Fox if he were to bulk up and move inside.

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@JFergusonAU: Which current Auburn commit/target has the best name?

We’ll let my SEC Country colleague Justin Ferguson close out the inaugural edition with a question everyone loves. I might start doing an all-name team or something like that around signing day every year, not just for Auburn. The Tigers have some great names, though.

Here are my picks for best names Malzahn has signed in every class since making it to Auburn.

10. Noah Igbinoghene
9. Rudy Ford & Roc Thomas
8. Chandler Cox
7. Mackenro Alexander
6. Montravious Adams & Montavius Atkinson
5. Kenny Flowers
4. Kalvaraz Bessent
3. Markaviest “Big Kat” Bryant
2. Prince Tega Wanogho Jr.
1. Brodarious Hamm

There are stellar candidates in the 2018 recruiting class, namely at the safety position (ranking from best to not quite the best): Quindarious Monday, Kolbi Fuqua, Jamien Sherwood and Josh Marsh. Joey Gatewood is a solid name, as well.

Monday has the best so far, and it’s going to be hard to top.

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1. Secure a top pass-rush target

This hasn’t happened yet, but this isn’t something for Auburn to give up on. The task will likely just carry over to next month’s list.

Richard Jibunor was the most likely option to fill this void, but he expressed at the start of the month that he wouldn’t be able to make a decision until he took a visit to Florida. Unfortunately for the timeline of this to-do list, NCAA rules prevented him from taking that visit during August, so he will have to wait until Sept. 16 to make that trip.

When he does, Auburn’s chances of landing this pass-rush target it will go up.

Status: Work in progress

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3. Finish off with some late-summer momentum

Yes, this is a subjective to-do list item, but I think the answer here is pretty obvious.

Any time Auburn top Alabama for a prospect both schools really, really want, it’s massive for momentum. The Asa Martin situation isn’t any different. Auburn needed some buzz like it received last week when Martin threw on an Auburn hat after another sweet AL.com commitment video.

On top of that, Auburn finally landed 4-star wide receiver Matthew Hill. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before Hill made that decision, but because of his timing, the Tigers scored two 4-star offensive players in a one-week span.

I don’t know what you call it, but I call it late-summer momentum.

Status: Accomplished

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Richard Jibunor to visit Auburn, sets Florida date

Add another name to the expected visitors’ list Saturday vs. Georgia Southern: Richard Jibunor.

This is a big visit because, when SEC Country visited Jibunor in Athens, Ga., earlier in August, he expressed his desire to visit Florida as quickly as possible. Now for Jibunor’s first planned trip during the contact period, Jibunor told SEC Country he expects to make it to Auburn for the season opener instead.

Part of that has to do with scheduling. Florida — the part of the roster that’s available — will travel to Dallas to take on Michigan, so it doesn’t make much sense for Jibunor to visit the Gators this weekend. Likewise, Tennessee doesn’t play until Sunday against Georgia Tech, so that matchup wouldn’t affect his visit plans if he wanted to go to Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta to see the Volunteers.

So it’s not that big of a deal Jibunor is visiting Auburn this weekend, but it shows where his heart is for a season opener. Do I think he’ll commit this weekend? No, but I do have him listed as my next-to-commit prospect in multiple articles. However, I think he waits to make that decision.

Why’s that?

Because, perhaps more than the Saturday visit, Jibunor told SEC Country about his plans to visit Florida. The 4-star pass-rusher will visit Gainesville, Fla., for the first time Sept. 16 when Florida and Tennessee play each other. That’s a big one because Jibunor said he wanted to make his decision shortly after he visited the Gators.

Auburn and Tennessee are the front-runners for now, but Florida can make a move on that visit.

Auburn continues to be the team to beat and Jibunor’s travel intentions for opening weekend indicate that.

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Cue the 30 for 30 voice: What if I told you there’s a place where the No. 1 football prospect in the country was just another face in the crowd?

That place exists. It’s called a baseball diamond. And Baseball America expert Carlos Collazo was blind to the gridiron hype when he watched 5-star high-school quarterback Justin Fields play shortstop this summer.

“I actually didn’t know much about him on the football field,” Collazo told SEC Country this week. “I looked him up and I was like, ‘Whoa, this guy is pretty legit.’ ”

Legit is right; Fields — the No. 1 football prospect in the Class of 2018 — has offers from dozens of prominent programs, including serious overtures from Florida, Georgia, Auburn and Florida State. He de-committed from Penn State in June.

They all want him to play quarterback, and the Harrison (Kennesaw, Ga.) High School senior has given every indication that football is his first choice.

But there are plenty of Major League Baseball scouts who wish he would change his mind. Fields, a middle infield prospect, is considered a promising talent on the diamond, so much so that he competed in a prestigious Perfect Game showcase in Fort Myers this summer.

One American League scout told SEC Country that Fields compares well to Jameis Winston, a former dual-sport star who won a Heisman Trophy and also pitched for the Seminoles baseball team.

“Fields has more foot speed,” the scout said. “Both have similar arms.”

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Justin Fields scouting report

Collazo, the Baseball America expert, spoke with multiple scouts to give SEC Country an idea of Fields’ strengths and weaknesses on the diamond.

Read the breakdown below.

- “The general consensus is that he’s a raw, interesting prospect on the baseball field. Scouts don’t have a ton of history with him. I know this summer, he’s only gotten a few ABs in real games. He was at the showcase at Perfect Game National in Fort Myers earlier this year, which is a very big showcase. It’s impressive for him to be in that field.”

- “But I think scouts are still trying to figure out what he is, exactly, as a baseball player. Defensively, they’re not sure where he fits. He took some balls at shortstop.”

- “Personally, I don’t think he would be a shortstop at the next level. Just because his actions are still a little bit raw. I don’t think he has the glove or the footwork for shortstop, just on my one look.”

- “At the plate, he has some quick hands. There’s a lot of stuff he’ll have to iron out in the box if he’s going to pursue baseball at the next level. His stance is slightly wide, slightly open, with a medium leg kick. He’s got kind of a little hitch in his load, and a downhill bat path. He had a lot of ground balls in batting practice. He’s far from a finished product on the baseball field.”

- “He had a fringe to average arm [at the Perfect Game event]. I think the arm strength is in there. Obviously, at quarterback, he’s throwing the ball from a different arm slot than what you normally see in baseball players, but I definitely think there’s some arm strength in there.

“His footwork to the baseball and getting the ball out of the glove was a little fringey. Fringier than most of the guys you see take reps at shortstop or playing shortstop in game. I don’t know where I’d project him at. That’s another big question I got from scouts, is they don’t really know defensively where he fits.”

- “He is a ‘plus’ runner. I know he ran the 60 in 6.63 [seconds] at Perfect Game National. That’s definitely a plus run time. So maybe he can figure it out in the outfield, if he gets some range. He definitely seems like he’s an athletic guy at 6-foot-3, I imagine he’s got the ability to track down some balls out there just with that speed.”

- “A lot of scouts think it will be hard to get him to play baseball at the next level just because of the attention that he has on the football field — how highly rated he is there — and just because they haven’t seen it on the baseball field at this point.”

- “I think at this point, most people see Fields as a much better football player than a baseball player. So I think that will create some caution for some scouts, as far as how much time they spend on him. I think another part of it is, he’s got a long ways to go to get where scouts want to see him on the baseball field.”

- “That’ll raise his price tag, because he’ll have a scholarship to whatever school he wants to go to. The professional scouts, they’re gonna have to put a price on him that they wouldn’t normally have to because of the football aspect. So that will definitely make it difficult for scouts to jump in on him and want to get him signed.

There are a couple factors that could still lead Fields to the baseball diamond instead of the football field.

For one, the health risks inherent in football are making more national headlines than ever, and football contracts are notoriously unfriendly for players. Baseball, on the other hand, offers guaranteed money and much lower risk of brain damage.

Second, regardless of health, Fields’ college football career is not a guaranteed success. If he becomes frustrated by performance or playing time at his new school, he could turn to baseball as an alternative professional option.

Corrazo said the Class of 2018 features a few other dual-sport players, most notably North Carolina commit Jordyn Adams, a 4-star wide receiver and highly touted outfielder.

Like Adams, if Fields doesn’t want to choose baseball now — but plays some college baseball while focusing on football — he could find himself in the same decision-making position two or three years down the line. Any number of factors could influence his thinking between now and then.

And as long as he shows at least a small amount of interest in baseball, MLB teams will be keeping an eye on him

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Someone asked if DL class was down this year & KN says it's very down

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