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

It's interesting because I think T Will sees a lot of himself in ZM.. T Will was small but played way bigger.

UF mod just CBd Schwartz to AU. KN spoke with Schwartz this evening and says he has not heard from Mullen

We gettin errybody

He must be the truth to be that small and still be this highly recruited. But he is from Valdosta and they produce ballers down there.

Wonder if we'll consider telling a couple of guys to maybe look around?

The guy hits like a ton of bricks. Pack on 20-30 pounds and he may really hurt somebody

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He must be the truth to be that small and still be this highly recruited. But he is from Valdosta and they produce ballers down there.

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Highly recommend checking his highlights out. Hard not to fall in love. That's his junior tape too

T-WILL really likes thumpers based off his early classes. Both Harris & McClain are two of the hardest hitting backers in this class

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Wonder if we'll consider telling a couple of guys to maybe look around?

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Like who? Our lowest prospect is Marsh, who could be a great sleeper. I really like him and his story of an Auburn Man earning his scholarship.

Alright so with McClain on board we have 7 spots left. I am going to assume the Australian punter takes a blue shirt which I believe means he won't count against AU's 25 since he won't sign a LOI but instead shows up in the fall with a scholarship. I could be wrong on that but will pretend it's the case

3* DE Kayode Oladele seems like a lock to commit to us on Dec 19th. He's OVing the weekend after the SEC Championship & that's only OV he's taking I believe. It's also looking like 4* WR Anthony Schwartz is turning into a huge lean. Mullen appears to want bigger WRs & hasn't reached out to Schwartz.

So let's assume we land those 2 this month as well. That would leave 5 spots left. That's where things probably get tricky. Does AU have to take a QB and/or a TE? We know AU wants at least one OT so that's probably one of the 5 spots. Very interested to see how all of this shakes out

Personally, my dream finish would be Justyn Ross, Trey Hill, Richard Gouraige, Channing Tindall & Saivion Smith. I don't see that happening right now but it's not as far fetched as it once might have been

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TP I'm not sure how likely this is but if Stidham goes pro do we add a juco QB or just role with Willis and true freshman QBs?

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My guess is if AU can't flip Emory Jones then they might take a peak at some JUCO options. I think it really comes down to how confident staff feels in Willis. If they think he's good enough to start next season they might just opt for another freshman QB instead

The perfect world is we don't take another QB this class, Stidham comes back & then we sign Bo Nix in 2019 setting up a Willis/Gatewood/Nix QB battle heading into the 2019 season

BREAKING: 4-star LB picks Auburn to move Tigers into top 10 of team rankings (SECCountry)

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Minutes after Auburn’s win in the Iron Bowl, with the crowd still spilling out of the stands, three smiling faces charged out of the locker room tunnel after a brief huddle. Arm-in-arm and leaping with excitement, Auburn linebackers coach Travis Williams, Tigers linebacker commit Michael Harris and 4-star linebacker prospect Zakoby McClain joined the orange and blue flood in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

The contents of that trio’s tunnel conversation shall be kept confidential — but the gist was made clear Tuesday night.

McClain committed to Auburn over LSU and West Virginia two days after leaving his Iron Bowl visit to become the Tigers’ 18th commitment in the Class of 2018. With McClain’s commitment, Auburn jumps to No. 10 to crack the top 10 of the 247Sports composite team rankings for the first time this cycle.

“They play fast. I love it,” McClain said after the game Saturday.

That feeling fits nicely with McClain’s style of play.

The No. 16-ranked outside linebacker in the country blows people away with his speed. He stands 6-feet and 205 pounds, which some might call slight for a linebacker, but he makes up for it with his sideline-to-sideline tenacity. The linebacker duo of Harris and McClain makes for a fast, high-motor combination.

Ultimately, it was McClain’s relationship with Williams and his fit in the defensive scheme that made Auburn the clear choice.

“It just comes down to mine and coach T-Will’s relationship. He’s like a father figure to me. We already know each other and all that stuff,” McClain told SEC Country earlier in the year. “His message is always just to work hard in everything you do and be a leader on the team.”

McClain’s decision adds to a 4-star trend in the last two weeks. Since the Tuesday following the Georgia win, Auburn has added four 4-star prospects — cornerback Christian Tutt, linebacker/defensive end Richard Jibunor, wide receiver Seth Williams and now McClain.

All four fill gaps at major positions of need in the class and each gradually pushed Auburn up the recruiting rankings. There is still work left to do for the Tigers to finish with a top 10 class, but with some of the targets left on the board, it’s certainly well within reach.

It’s also possible McClain isn’t the last linebacker to join Auburn’s 2018 class. Harris and McClain are clear-cut linebackers. Jibunor’s position placement will depend on his physical development, but he has pass-rush skill set. The Tigers will look to add another versatile linebacker option, if it’s the right guy.

For now, that list keys in on three people: Alabama commit Quay Walker, Channing Tindall and JJ Peterson. Those are the three high-quality prospects who Williams has strong relationship with that Auburn would be most willing to take as vacancies dwindle in Auburn’s 2018 class.

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