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

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Top 5 class?

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Also if we drop Fuqua and RJ could we add two more to this list?

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Maybe smoke and the TE from New Jersey

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Quay Walker, a 4-star Alabama linebacker commit, declined interviews for the second day in a row as Auburn, Florida and Georgia are trying to change his mind on the Tide. From all I’ve heard in Orlando, I’m having a hard time projecting him to end up in the Tide’s class when National Signing Day rolls around. Alabama is doing what it can to keep him in this class, as the staff believes he has the ability to play any linebacker spot in the Tide’s 3-4 defense. He’s that good.

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Auburn targets in Under Armour All-America Game

Here are the six main Auburn targets who will participate in the Under Armour All-America Game.

5-star offensive tackle Nicholas Petit-Frere
4-star offensive tackle Richard Gouraige
4-star linebacker Quay Walker
4-star offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum
4-star wide receiver Justyn Ross
4-star wide receiver Anthony Schwartz

There’s a heavy emphasis at two positions: offensive line and wide receiver.

Along the offensive line, Petit-Frere, Gouraige and Wonnum will be there. Those will be three of the five offensive tackles (Jalen Goss and William Barnes are the others) Auburn will pursue heaviest in January. Gouraige and Wonnum have been on campus regularly during the 2017 season, but the Tigers will work hard to get Petit-Frere on campus for the second time.

At wide receiver, Ross and Schwartz will be emphasized. Ross is the state’s No. 1 prospect who is destined for a National Signing Day choice between Auburn, Alabama and Clemson. Schwartz is set to make his college choice during the Under Armour All-America Game, and Auburn appears to be the team to beat.

Walker remains committed to Alabama, but Georgia and Auburn are going to push for him down the stretch.

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Auburn commits in U.S. Army Bowl

Here is the one Auburn commit — already signed — who will participate in the U.S. Army Bowl on Jan. 6 in San Antonio, Texas.

4-star cornerback Christian Tutt

Tutt will hold down the fort as the lone Auburn commit in the game. When February arrives, Tutt hopes he won’t be alone. The 4-star Tigers cornerback signee — who is soon to enroll and participated in bowl practice — plans to be an active recruiter in the final month of the 2018 recruiting cycle. He has his eyes set on a few uncommitted prospects — mostly named below — who could add to Auburn’s class.

Also, Tutt will have the opportunity to match up against many of the nation’s best prospects. Tutt’s recruitment has been a roller-coaster ride that has seen him at the top of rankings and seen him drop in rating at times. This will be a nice bookend to his high school career, as a final measuring stick against the country’s most elite athletes.

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Auburn coaches and teammates have repeated the statement often the last two seasons, and as cliche as it sounds, there’s a lot of truth to the statement: Chandler Cox is an irreplaceable part of this offense.

I’ve been asked a few times in the last month — and again above — how Auburn plans to replace Cox when he graduates and leaves the Plains. That remains a year away, so the problem doesn’t have to be solved during the 2018 recruiting cycle. It can wait until 2019, if need be, but it’s something the Auburn coaching staff has monitored throughout the year.

Things can change, but for now, if Auburn does something at H-back, it likely won’t be with a scholarship spot in 2018.

One initial option was Noah Ford, the older brother of top tight end Luke Ford, who Auburn offered a preferred walk-on position at fullback. Ultimately, Luke committed to and signed with Georgia, which eliminated the potential for Noah to fulfill the Chandler Cox-type role for Auburn.

There’s another preferred walk-on option Auburn has evaluated this year, Reggie James IV. He’s a 6-foot-3, 235-pound linebacker/fullback hybrid from Gainesville, Ga.

James only holds scholarship offers from programs such as North Carolina Central and Stetson. Places like Georgia Southern and Colorado State have entertained him, as well, but haven’t given scholarships yet.

But there’s a possibility he plays Power-5 football. Miami and Auburn have both offered preferred walk-on opportunities, and James told SEC Country he’s “definitely interested” in the chance to play big-time football at a big-time school even if it’s not as a scholarship player at first.

Larry Porter has made a few trips to see James at Chestatee High School, and it’s made an impression on him. This recruitment will obviously go differently than it would for a scholarship player, but it’s something for Tigers fans to keep an eye on since the position has an important role in the offense.

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LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- 247Sports was on hand during the initial practice ahead of the Under Armour All-America Game, where cameras were isolated in the trenches during one-on-one competition. See some of the nation's top linemen work against one another to kick off the week.

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Holy crap Hill can't catch

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