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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:26 pm to TigerPaw1
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:26 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4-star wide receiver Justyn Ross
- Justyn Ross has been to a dozen Auburn games over the years, but he called it “probably the best Auburn game I’ve been to” after the big Tigers win.
- Auburn continues to feel like it has a chance here despite Clemson being the perceived favorite. Even Ross said after the Iron Bowl his recruitment isn’t over and that all three programs still have a shot. “They are in it,” Ross said about Auburn.
- What three schools is that? Clemson, Auburn and Alabama. He’s already taken an official visit to Clemson. Ross hasn’t set up his official visits to Alabama and Auburn, but both of those schools will receive official visits before he commits.
- Ross still plans on making a National Signing Day decision. While my Crystal Ball sits on Clemson, this one isn’t over and Auburn’s offensive improvement throughout the season is helping mightily with that push.
Gonna be interesting to see how they manage Schwartz & Ross if both want to jump on board. Number getting tight now for AU
1
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:27 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star defensive lineman Kayode Oladele
- Kayode Oladele made his first visit to Auburn since camping with the Tigers in the summer. He spent most of his time with Auburn commit Richard Jibunor, a fellow Nigerian he’s become close with over the years.
- Oladele will make his commitment decision on Dec. 12, which is his birthday. He will make the choice between Auburn, Florida State and Miami. Auburn is in his top 2, he said, but he declined to say who the other school was in his top 2. My sources tell me it’s Florida State, but Auburn doesn’t have much to worry about here.
- He was originally planning on taking his official visit next weekend. Now Auburn is playing in the SEC Championship Game, so that isn’t happening. Instead, he’ll take it the following weekend, which happens to be the weekend before his commitment. That’s a great sign for Auburn.
- All my sources suggest this is Auburn’s to lose.
All the Nigerians are ours
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:28 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
3-star athlete Cam Taylor
- Cam Taylor has always had a close relationship with defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. This week, they’ve communicated a lot and spent a good bit of time together before the game. Taylor said, based on those conversations, he’s “really close” to picking up an Auburn offer.
- It’ll be at the cornerback position, most likely, perhaps as a nickel option down the line. Taylor likes the idea of playing defense in college and would be happy playing corner or safety.
- If Auburn offers? “That’s going to change a lot of things in my recruitment,” Taylor said.
- The coaching staff is going to go see Taylor next week most likely after the SEC Championship Game.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:28 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star defensive lineman Caleb Johnson
- Caleb Johnson returned for yet another Auburn game. That makes at least three this season, including the Georgia and Alabama games. The results of those games certainly matter to Johnson, he said. “It does a lot. I like the way they work. I like how the team is ran,” Johnson said.
- Johnson will talk with coaches about official visit plans after the SEC Championship Game, but he expects it to be sometime in December.
- It’s still Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee for Johnson.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:29 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4-star 2019 OLB King Mwikuta
- For King Mwikuta, this game had a lot on the line. He’s been to a lot of Auburn games this season, but Alabama has always been the team to beat. That’s probably still the case with the Crimson Tide, but the Tigers are making it interesting. “They did surprise me,” Mwikuta said. “They’re making progress.”
- Mwikuta still plans to make his commitment decision on Dec. 15 and claims his top 3 of Alabama, Auburn and Miami — in that order — hasn’t changed. With that said, Mwikuta admitted his recruitment isn’t likely to end just because he commits in December.
Man I would love to steal this kid from Bama. He would be a stud at the Buck
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:30 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
3-star offensive tackle Jalen Goss
- Auburn has told Jalen Goss how much they like his athleticism as an offensive tackle. When he camped at Auburn over the summer, that was the big takeaway, as well. Since then, he’s added weight and is up to 265 pounds. He’d obviously like to grow more and there’s some confidence his frame will allow him to do just that.
- Goss put Auburn at the top of his list of schools after watching Auburn beat No. 1 Georgia and No. 1 Alabama.
- He plans to take an official visit to Auburn in the “next few weeks.”
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:31 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4-star wide receiver commit Seth Williams
- It was Seth Williams’ first game at Auburn all season. It also happened to be the first game he visited Auburn since committing on Thanksgiving Day. He couldn’t stop smiling talking about both his commitment and the Jordan-Hare atmosphere.
- He said he’s known “for a while” that he was going to choose Auburn, saying Big Cat Weekend and the summer cookout sealed the deal for him. Williams has known since the summer. So why wait? He just wanted to take his time and didn’t see the rush.
- When it was decision time, it came down to Auburn and Alabama (he did have committable offer, sources say), but this one was the Tigers all the way. Williams told Kodi Burns last week who was ecstatic to add his third receiver in the class.
- Auburn has talked to Williams about signing early, but he’s still not certain yet whether that’ll happen or not. Either way, he says his commitment is “really strong.”
Dude is gonna be a monster for us
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:31 pm to TigerPaw1
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2020 defensive line commit Andy Boykin
- Like Williams, Andy Boykin made his first visit since committing on Tuesday. “The atmosphere, man, that was crazy. Big, big win,” he said.
- Boykin wanted to go ahead and commit because he wants to be a part of a family early in his recruitment. He doesn’t want to wait until late in his recruitment to form a bond and relationship with other guys in his class. Instead, he wants to get out in front to help recruit other prospects to Auburn with him.
- His main focus is on the other Troup County guys — King Mwikuta, Kobe Hudson and Joko Willis. Boykin will work heavily on that group as their recruitments wrap up.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:32 pm to TigerPaw1
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4-star defensive tackle commit Coynis Miller
- Coynis Miller made sure to text his father “War Eagle!” during his interview with reporters. His dad is a noted Alabama fan who had a funny reaction to Miller’s commitment to Auburn by shaking his head during his commitment ceremony. With that said, Miller made sure to explain how supportive his dad has been about it all. He just wanted to make sure to give him a hard time after the big win.
- Miller said this game has no effect on his recruitment because he was all Auburn regardless. He wasn’t committing to Auburn for the result of a single game, rather because he loves the Tigers.
- Alabama hasn’t stopped recruiting him, but Miller said he thinks the Crimson Tide staff is aware he isn’t flipping.
- With that said, Miller will still sign in February.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:32 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
Other important recruiting notes
Ohio State quarterback commit Emory Jones was back for the second time in two weeks. He was the last player to leave the recruiting facility Saturday night, which happened to coincide with the time Gus Malzahn left. Jones politely declined an interview, so there isn’t much intel beyond that. He said it’s possible he takes an official visit, but there’s nothing set in stone.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:33 pm to TigerPaw1
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Georgia commit Adam Anderson visited for the Iron Bowl. That’s the first time he’s visited the Tigers since visiting just before the summer dead period hit. There isn’t much to look into here yet, however. LSU running back commit Tae Provens was in attendance, too. I’m not sure if Auburn will take another running back, but if it does, Provens would be the most likely option.
I think Anderson is a pipe dream. Not looking forward to facing him the next 3-4 years
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:33 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star defensive lineman Andres Fox didn’t want to do interviews after the game. With Alabama and Auburn as his two favorites, that’s not a huge surprise. Still, he was decked out in Auburn gear for the game, and my sources continue to tell me the Tigers are confident about this one.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:33 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
4-star linebacker Zakoby McClain is likely a down-the-line option after Channing Tindall and Quay Walker, but he spent some time with linebackers coach Travis Williams before and after the game. He hopes to be back. It’s still Auburn, LSU and West Virginia for McClain.
Heck of a backup option
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:37 pm to TigerPaw1
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Former Georgia commit Caleb Tannor visited for the first time since de-committing from the Bulldogs. He stayed overnight along with a good friend of his and Auburn linebacker commit Michael Harris. Tannor has some work to do academically, but he doesn’t expect it to be a concern. That’s something to track going forward.
If he really does qualify take this dude in a heartbeat
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:37 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
Running back Harold Joiner, safety CD Daniels and safety Joe Foucha were all at the game. These are likely down-the-line options, as well, but they’ve all been regular visitors this season.
My boy Foucha's chances are looking slim...
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:37 pm to TigerPaw1
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The Grayson contingent of Wanya Morris, Owen Pappoe, Jalen Alexander and Kevin Harris attended the game.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:38 pm to TigerPaw1
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Keep an eye out for more information throughout the day. There are eight official visitors on campus right now — tight end Luke Ford, JUCO corner Saivion Smith, linebacker Channing Tindall, running back commit Asa Martin, offensive lineman Trey Hill, offensive lineman Jerome Carvin, wide receiver commit Shedrick Jackson and athlete commit Josh Marsh.
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:43 pm to TigerPaw1
Auburn’s top TE target Luke Ford says Tigers ‘definitely moved up’ after official visit (SECCountry)
Gus Malzahn is a cool dude now
quote:
Nation’s No. 2 tight end recaps Auburn official visit
AUBURN, Ala. — Luke Ford made his first visit to Auburn since his summer trip that included a personal campus tour with Gus Malzahn. Just like the first one, Auburn knocked it out of the park, this time on an official visit with the entire Ford family.
“It was an amazing visit,” Ford said. “For one, Coach [Malzahn] is probably the coolest head coach I’ve talked to. He spends a lot of time with me. It means a lot to me, especially coming from a prestigious school like Auburn.”
Ford came into the weekend with a clear top group of Alabama and Georgia. Those are the two programs most often talked about in regards to the No. 2 tight end in the nation.
Auburn, thanks to the Iron Bowl environment, even managed to surprise Ford.
“Auburn definitely moved up after this,” he said. “That was the best game atmosphere I’ve ever been to. I’ve been to a lot of schools with like 100,000 fans, and this was louder than 100,000 fans, and it’s only like 87,000. It was the best game environment I’ve ever been in.”
Auburn has joined Alabama and Georgia in Ford’s top group. Below that is a secondary list that includes Florida State, Michigan and Texas. He plans to take official visits to Alabama and Georgia. Michigan and Florida State also could earn one.
In Ford’s mind, no school stands out over the others.
“I don’t know if I have an official leader,” Ford said. “I have pretty much a top 3 right now that are all right beside each other. It’s Auburn, Bama and Georgia. It’ll just have to be me looking at tight ends and seeing where I fit in. That’s just going to come down to my personal decision.”
The one thing he wants to monitor from all programs, especially Auburn: the use of the tight end.
He pointed out the Tigers haven’t utilized the tight ends much this season. Ford had that conversation with Auburn coaches throughout the weekend, and he’s had similar conversations with the Georgia and Alabama staffs.
In Auburn’s case, he sees it more as a personnel issue right now — and he could be the fix.
“I’ve seen the tight-end usage. It doesn’t really happen much because, with their depth chart, they don’t have a true tight end. They have blockers and then they have a developmental guy with [Ford’s player-host] John [Samuel Shenker] as a redshirt. They think he can be pretty good next year. They just don’t really have the depth,” Ford said. “That means a lot to me, especially playing in such a prestigious conference like the SEC West. For a freshman to do that, especially at the tight end position, that’d be crazy.”
Ford expects to make his decision at the U.S. Army All-American Game.
Auburn will make an in-home visit with Ford, and the Tigers’ staff told him they’d like to be the last ones to see him during the contact period.
Gus Malzahn is a cool dude now
Posted on 11/26/17 at 2:45 pm to TigerPaw1
quote:
Luke Ford’s fullback brother Noah will be a factor
There is a secondary factor to Ford’s recruiting process: His older brother Noah.
Noah Ford is a 20-year-old fullback who spent a season at Southern Illinois. At 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds, college coaches recruiting Luke took notice of Noah early on. Gus Malzahn was the first to do so this summer, which stood out to Noah. Georgia has followed suit.
That summer visit made a major impression on Noah.
“They definitely had the best unofficial for me and their experience over the summer. I think they were definitely the most serious school when it comes to offering me a real spot as a walk-on when it comes to fullback,” Noah said. “When Luke kinda blew up, all these schools started coming talking to me because they saw my size and everything. Gus Malzahn walked up to me and said, ‘Oh my God. Where have you been?’ I was like, ‘Hey man, you’re talking to Luke. I’m right here, too.'”
Noah will be a factor in Luke’s decision.
While Auburn and Georgia have offered walk-on spots, Alabama hasn’t. Noah understands his decision is dependent on Luke, so he doesn’t want to speak for his brother, but he expects Auburn and Georgia to have a better shot because of the walk-on offer.
“I think it’s huge [for Auburn and Georgia] because, growing up, me and Luke have been very close together,” Noah said. “I’d love to play football with him. We played football in the backyard together. Us playing together is a huge factor.”
Having played just the 2016 season at Southern Illinois, Noah has three years of eligibility remaining.
Auburn views him as a Chandler Cox-type, which is fitting since he spent a lot of time with the Fords on that visit this summer.
“Our first person to host us was Chandler Cox. That dude is a beast,” Noah said. “If you ask him to run through a brick wall, he’ll do it for you. Getting to be around that kind of personality, and having the experience I have playing fullback in college at SIU, it makes me fall in love with it.”
Getting smarter with our package deals. Brother not getting a scholarship but preferred walk on spot
Posted on 11/26/17 at 5:17 pm to TigerPaw1
Schwartz not that thrilled about Mullens hire. Said knows he did good stuff in past but had a bad passing offense this season
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