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

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4-star ILB Ja’Len Sims, Fultondale (Ala.)

Ja’Len Sims is one of the few 2019 prospects that I’ve already logged a Crystal Ball prediction for. I made that pick to Auburn in June shortly after Sims camped with the Tigers.

Sims has been on the Tigers’ radar for a while. When he camped over the summer, he received a lot of special attention from Travis Williams and Kevin Steele. That was the first sign the Tigers were probably the team to beat.

He’s also been at Auburn already in the 2017 season.

Sims attended the Auburn-Ole Miss game and spent some extra time with Auburn coaches. So far, Auburn is his only primary offer, so it’s easy to pick the Tigers. But even when others jump on board — and they inevitably will — I expect Auburn to be tough to top.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound linebacker is ranked No. 8 nationally at his position.

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4-star S Keontra Smith, Chaminade-Madonna (Fla.)

This might seem like a weird addition considering Keontra Smith is already committed to Kentucky. That decision kind of came out of nowhere when he committed in June. It’s possible Smith rides with his Big Blue decision, but I expect a player of his caliber to end up being recruited by all the top programs across the Southeast.

Auburn will be one of them.

The reason why I like the Tigers’ chances: Shaun Shivers.

Shivers is a running back commit in the 2018 class, but he’s high school teammates with Smith, who will be a major 2019 target. Shivers is one of the best recruiters among players in his own class. I can only imagine how persuasive he’d be with Smith.

Some of this is dependent on Auburn’s push for Smith, but the Tigers already have offered.

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Starting to wonder how much Kirby was behind the recruiting prowess at Bama.

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Three recent Mizzou de-commits for Auburn to watch

Missouri struck gold this summer with a trio of commitments from Montgomery, Ala.

Lanier High quarterback James Foster spearheaded that Tigers class in April when the 4-star prospect chose Missouri, one of the only schools recruiting him exclusively at quarterback. His commitment led to increased interest from multiple other recruits in the Montgomery area, namely Lanier High linebacker La’Dedric Jackson and Park Crossing athlete Cam Taylor, both of whom committed to Missouri in July.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This is an Auburn recruiting notebook. Why in the world are we talking about Missouri recruiting?

Well, all three names — Foster, Jackson and Taylor — are need-to-know prospects for Auburn going forward. Jackson de-committed from Missouri earlier in October. Taylor and Foster have followed suit in back-to-back days, which has been a crippling reality for the Missouri recruiting class, but welcome news for many other programs across the Southeast, especially Auburn.

When each of those three prospects committed, Auburn was showing interest, but the Tigers weren’t making serious pushes for any of them. Foster had received an Auburn offer, but it was more as a general athlete than a quarterback. Taylor and Jackson didn’t yet have offers and still don’t. Missouri prioritized them, which led to those decisions at the time.

But all three have had standout senior seasons.

Foster has been one of the most impressive overall players in the state of Alabama, especially at quarterback. LSU offered him earlier this week, which helped inspire the de-commitment. Auburn will continue to evaluate Foster as the Tigers search for their second quarterback in the class.

Foster spoke with SEC Country’s LSU reporter Sam Spiegelman prior to the de-commitment, which hinted at what was to come. LSU appears to be the front-runner immediately after the de-commitment, but Foster also referred to his feeling about Auburn as “very interested.” Communication has picked up in recent weeks, so much of it will depend on how those conversations and evaluations go.

Keep in mind that Auburn was a school Foster has visited regularly dating to 2015, when his recruitment first kicked off. The Tigers will be in this one until the end.

As for Taylor and Jackson, the thing to watch for here is the offers. Taylor and Jackson have articulated in the past their trust and belief that an Auburn offer would eventually come. In both cases, it might depend on how the rest of the class shakes out. Jackson is likely a backup option — albeit a very good one — to the hopes of flipping Quay Walker from Alabama. In Taylor’s case, it’s a matter of position fit.

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What?

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