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

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Football recruits no longer must wait until February to sign with their respective colleges.

In a significant change this recruiting cycle, high school prospects now are allowed to sign a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with a college during a 72-hour early signing period in December.

In past years, only junior college prospects were able to sign that month. But now, both high schoolers and junior college players can ink with college programs Dec. 20-22.

With 18 verbal commitments on board to date and room for about seven more, Auburn still has lots of work left in this particular cycle. And with the Tigers making visit after visit this week to see recruits, things already have cranked up a notch.

Previously, high school prospects who elected to graduate in December and early enroll in January could only sign a financial aid agreement. Now, they have the opportunity to sign a National Letter of Intent. It is not known how many recruits nationally will take part in the early signing period instead of the traditional national signing day in February, but several Auburn commits have told AuburnUndercover.com they plan to take advantage of the change.

Other recruits, though, still plan to take multiple official visits and wait it out. These mostly are undecided prospects who still need time to figure things out.

For those who plan to sign Dec. 20-22, few opportunities remain to make visits. The dead period (which prevents on-campus or off-campus recruiting) runs from Dec. 18-Jan. 11.

So, why would a prospect choose to sign early?

The two biggest reasons that come to mind: 1. A recruit is locked in with a program and over the recruiting process; 2. A player wants to make sure he has a spot secured in the class. Elite recruits can wait and probably be safe. But some recruits run the risk of losing their spot if they don’t grab it while they can.

Why might someone committed to a school wait until February to sign?

Perhaps that player isn’t 100 percent sold on his commitment. Perhaps he might want to see how the coaching carousel sorts out or needs more time to get to know a new staff. A recruit might be committed to a school with a new staff — and a. he either needs to learn more about those new coaches or b. the new staff may not want him so he might have to find a new home.

Then, of course, there are those who may effectively be looking to find what they consider a better landing spot.

One change we’ve already noticed with the new early signing period is the accelerated coaching carousel. No longer can a college wait until January to find a new coach. Schools no doubt are worried not having a coach in place would cause them to miss on top prospects signing in December.

The bottom line: The new early signing period is having a profound impact on recruiting.

As for the Tigers ...

Here’s an overview of where things stand with Auburn recruiting:

Right now, the Tigers have the No. 9 recruiting class nationally in the 247Sports rankings. Of the 18 commitments, it’s possible as many as 15 or 16 could sign with Auburn in December. That would be ideal for the Tigers staff, which then could focus solely on filling the remaining spots — not worrying about how firm committed recruits are.

Four-star quarterback Joey Gatewood of St. Johns (Fla.) Bartram Trail is one of the class leaders. He gave Auburn his commitment a full 24 months ago and hasn’t wavered. Of late, Florida and new coach Dan Mullen have tried to make a move and attended his game last week. But Gatewood, who will officially visit Auburn next weekend, has said repeatedly he plans to sign with the Tigers and isn’t strongly considering anyone else.

Look for Auburn offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Chip Lindsey to attend Gatewood’s state championship game Saturday in Florida.

Gatewood is a must keep for the Tigers, who are low on numbers at quarterback in terms of scholarship players on the roster. Right now, they have only starter Jarrett Stidham and backup Malik Willis. Because of this, Auburn also wants to add a second quarterback to the class. The player to watch there: Ohio State 4-star commit Emory Jones of Franklin (Ga.) Heard County.

At running back, Auburn is set in this cycle with commitments from 4-stars Asa Martin of Decatur (Ala.) Austin and Shaun Shivers of Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna. Combined, the two have nearly 4,000 rushing yards in 2017. Loading up at this position always is important for the Tigers and that’s especially true in this cycle as current players Kerryon Johnson and Kamryn Pettway both potentially could leave early for the NFL.

Martin is an early enrollee so he’ll be at Auburn for spring practice.

At receiver, Auburn has crushed it this cycle and might not be done. Four-stars Matthew Hill of Snellville (Ga.) Brookwood and Seth Williams of Cottandale (Ala.) Bryant are committed, along with 3-star Shedrick Jackson of Hoover (Ala.) — the nephew of Auburn legend Bo Jackson.

Meantime, the Tigers continue to pursue 4-star speedster Anthony Schwartz of Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage and 4-star Justyn Ross of Phenix City (Ala.) Central. Ross could be leaning Clemson, but Auburn is pushing hard and he plans to officially visit.

The Tigers want — and need — a tight end in the class. The player to watch there is 4-star Luke Ford of Carterville (Ill.). Auburn had two coaches visit him Tuesday. Right now, it’s an Auburn-Georgia battle.

On the offensive line, the Tigers have commitments from a pair of 3-stars — Jalil Irvin of Stone Mountain (Ga.) Stephenson and Kameron Stutts of Killen (Ala.) Brooks. They’d like to sign two more and there is no doubt 4-star Trey Hill of Warner Robins (Ga.) Houston County is target No. 1. Hill attended four Auburn games this season but Georgia is very much in the mix. It’ll likely come down to those two schools.

On the defensive line, Auburn’s current roster is loaded. But many of those players will be leaving for the NFL over the next two years so stocking up this cycle is ultra-important. At tackle, Auburn has two good ones committed — 4-star Coynis Miller of Birmingham (Ala.) Jackson-Olin and 3-star Daquan Newkirk of Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The biggest remaining targets both are ends. That’s 4-stars Andres Fox of Mobile Christian (Ala.) and Kayode Oladele of Hialeah (Fla.) Champagnat Catholic. Fox potentially could grow into a tackle.

Once again, linebackers coach Travis Williams is doing big things on the recruiting trail. The Tigers raided the state of Georgia to land commitments from 4-stars Michael Harris of Tucker, Richard Jibunor of Athens Christian (Ga.) and Zakoby McClain of Valdosta. They might not be done. Auburn is working hard to flip Alabama 4-star commit Quay Walker of Cordele (Ga.) Crisp County, but it won’t be easy. The Tigers also are in the hunt with 4-star Channing Tindall of Spring Valley (S.C.). He officially visited Iron Bowl weekend and could have a decision soon.

In the secondary, Auburn has loaded up at safety, with the headliners being 4-stars Quindarious Monday of Atlanta (Ga.) Carver and Jamien Sherwood of Jensen Beach (Fla.). Both of these players will push for early playing time because the Tigers are losing some good ones in the secondary, such as Tray Matthews. Each is an early enrollee. Kolbi Fuqua of Cordova (Tenn.), a safety, and Josh Marsh of Decatur (Ala.), a defensive athlete, also are nice additions to the commitment list.

For Auburn, there still are spots to fill at cornerback. The Tigers might also grab a punter.

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