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re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:14 pm to TigerPaw1
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:14 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star RB Tae Provens, Madison County
Wolk: Provens is an interesting case. His communication with Auburn has tapered since he visited for junior day earlier this year. Tennessee has been in contact the most. The Volunteers are a clear-cut leader right now.
As for Auburn, it’ll be interesting to track how much love they show Provens during the evaluation period. The Tigers already have running back commit Shaun Shivers. Targets Asa Martin and Harold Joiner could be getting more attention from Auburn right now. As those recruitments work themselves out, don’t be surprised if Provens leaps up Auburn’s interest list, which could alter the course of his decision.
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Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:16 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star OLB Matthew Flint, Madison County
Wolk: For starters, Flint gave a “War Eagle” when we got to Madison County on Tuesday. He didn’t shy away from his love for the Tigers and went so far to say — just as he did at junior day — that Auburn is his favorite program at this time.
Tennessee offered within the last five days, so the Volunteers certainly have a chance to enter the picture. Ole Miss is another program that will give Auburn a run. Flint revealed that [LB coach] Travis Williams told him Auburn plans to take two linebackers, so he knows vacancies are slim. Williams pushed him to commit earlier. Now Auburn is taking a more patient approach to linebackers.
Interesting... So we only taking 2 LBs, I assume that does not include the Buck spot. That lines up with what T-WILL was telling Michael Harris. He wants Harris and McClain. Doubt we get Harris, like our chances with McClain. Curious to see where Flint, Walker, Watson and others fit in
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:17 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star DE Malik Langham, Lee
Kirschner: Tennessee has made Langham feel like a priority by reaching out almost every single day. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound prospect said he hears from Tennessee, Georgia and Vanderbilt the most. The in-state schools haven’t offered yet, but both Alabama and Auburn staffs have told Langham that they will be by Lee High School this spring to evaluate him further. If either school offers, Langham said it would be hard for any school outside the Yellowhammer State to get his commitment.
Wolk: Langham still doesn’t have offers from Auburn and Alabama, but he has visited both — along with several other SEC programs — over the last few months. He was in Tuscaloosa as recently as last week. Langham went to Auburn earlier in the spring for junior day. Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll and Auburn running backs coach Tim Horton have been his main points of contact at each school, so it’s mostly been area recruiters, not position coaches, contacting him. Langham said that, as a kid from the state of Alabama, offers from either of those programs would change the way he views his recruitment. Georgia and Tennessee are in good position right now, however.
Complete guess on my part but the team that misses on Andres Fox will land Langham
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:18 pm to TigerPaw1
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4-star RB Asa Martin, Austin
Kirschner: Florida still leads for the state of Alabama’s best running back, but after a recent trip to Auburn, the Tigers have closed the gap on the Gators. Martin admits, when he was last in Gainesville, commitment was on his mind. He has a very close relationship with Florida running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider. Martin is planning to visit Texas who recently offered. He says the Longhorns, depending on the visit, could make things interesting. Outside of those three schools, there is a wide gap between the rest.
Wolk: The No. 1 running back in the state of Alabama isn’t guaranteed to stay in-state, but Auburn is going to make it hard. On his Florida visit last month, Martin said he was as close to committing as he’d ever been. The Gators jumped out to the No. 1 spot, and while that hasn’t changed, Martin said Auburn has closed the gap almost entirely. His A-Day visit made him feel like Auburn might be the best place for him. Martin said Chip Lindsey, Gus Malzahn and Tim Horton have made a serious effort to build a relationship with his mother, which is something that had Florida holding a major edge over the rest of his suitors. Right now, it looks like it’ll be an Auburn-Florida battle until the end, which will likely come just before the start of Martin’s senior season. There are a few programs — Texas, Texas A&M and Nebraska — that could make Martin re-evalutate once he’s able to take visits to those places.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:19 pm to TigerPaw1
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4-star 2019 QB Bo Nix, Pinson Valley
Kirschner: For only being a sophomore in high school, Nix knows how to answer questions from reporters like he’s already in college. Nix isn’t going to give off too many clues on where his recruitment stands, but it seems like Auburn, Alabama and Clemson have caught his eye. Nix won’t make a decision anytime soon, but I think in the end, he’ll end up at one of those three schools.
Wolk: You’ve probably heard: Nix’s father, Patrick, led Auburn to an undefeated season in 1993. Bo Nix has made it quite clear — while he grew up an Auburn fan — his father’s connection to the university won’t be the be-all-end-all for his decision. Nix has liked all the SEC programs he has visited, including Auburn, Alabama and Georgia. He wants to visit LSU. Clemson and Oklahoma are the most likely non-SEC schools to garner Nix’s interest. Still, Nix feels like he’s about a year away from making a permanent college decision. Of note: Patrick Nix said he thinks Bo has the chance to be even better than he was, which is something that will drop the jaw of many in the Auburn fan base.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:20 pm to TigerPaw1
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4-star 2019 OL Pierce Quick, Hewitt-Trussville
Kirschner: Alabama is the clear leader for Quick. Not only did he grow up an Alabama fan, but so did every single person in his family. The Crimson Tide are recruiting Quick the hardest from offensive line coach Brent Key to Nick Saban himself. When asked to put a percentage to Alabama’s lead, he said the Tide are at 100 percent and the Auburn Tigers are at 70 percent. I can’t see any school not named Alabama getting his commitment when he does decide. He did not rule out a potential commitment this weekend when he’s in Tuscaloosa for A-Day.
Wolk: Quick’s No. 1 is Alabama. He grew up an Alabama fan. His whole family went to and cheers for Alabama. The Crimson Tide are prioritizing Quick to the point it’ll be nearly impossible for any school to pick him away. In fact, Quick said he’s almost felt compelled to commit to the Crimson Tide on a few occasions. He’ll be back in Tuscaloosa for A-Day, but he doesn’t know if the commitment will come yet. What’s holding him back? Auburn. Quick said the Tigers are a clear No. 2 and the family feel has made him step back to re-assess. Gus Malzahn and Herb Hand showed Quick and Clay Webb major love during the A-Day spring game, and they’ve told the Austin Troxell story of an Alabama-fan offensive linemen choosing the Tigers over the Tide. Still, it’s tough to see Quick anywhere other than Tuscaloosa.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:20 pm to TigerPaw1
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Unranked 2019 QB Paul Tyson, Hewitt-Trussville
Kirschner: Tyson has obvious connections to Alabama through his great-grandfather who is legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant. Tyson maintains that, even if Alabama extended a scholarship his way, he will not commit immediately to the Tide.
Not only does he like Alabama, but he really likes Notre Dame and Clemson, as well. All three staffs have told him that they’ll be by Hewitt-Trussville this spring to evaluate him. Because of Hewitt-Trussville’s offense, and with it being one of the best football programs in the state, I expect Tyson’s recruitment to heat up in the leading weeks and months.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:23 pm to TigerPaw1
Auburn makes wise move to help push Florida for top RB target Asa Martin’s commitment (SECCountry)
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Florida’s lead for Asa Martin isn’t set in stone.
Florida continues to lead for the Austin (Ala.) running back, but Auburn has closed the gap. After a long wait before extending an offer, the Tigers have started to prioritize Martin on their running back board. The 6-foot, 195-pound prospect felt the love on his most recent visit to the Plains, which made the race between Auburn and Florida that much closer.
“The gap is a little closer now, but nothing has changed with the order,” Martin said. “The Auburn visit went really well. I got everything I needed out of it. … I got a good talk with coach [Gus] Malzahn, and we just talked about staying in-state and building a legacy here. It went real good.”
Regarding that conversation, it brings up an interesting point about in-state running backs. Since 2010, the No. 1 running back in Alabama has signed with either Auburn or Alabama.
In 2018, that’s Martin.
He’s the state’s top running back and rarely does a person in that role leave the Yellowhammer State. New Alabama offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has reached out to Martin a few times about getting to Tuscaloosa for a visit, but Martin hasn’t been able to make the trip. Even if he did, Martin said he doesn’t think the visit to Alabama would alter his recruitment.
That puts the onus on Auburn to maintain the state’s reputation of keeping its best running back in-state. So far, the Tigers are doing a good job to gain some momentum.
“I wouldn’t say I was close [to committing to Florida a few weeks ago], but I was thinking a little bit. I didn’t get that feeling, but it feels like home,” Martin said. “Then when I was at A-Day, you know, it was a tough decision. Because A-Day was like: ‘Wow. How can you say no to this?’ But it’s the same way with Florida. How can you say no?”
Martin said Tuesday that his decision plans have been fluid.
There were times that he thought he’d get it out of the way soon, but now Martin is expected to announce his final decision sometime shortly before his senior season at Austin. That will give him time to visit a few other programs — Texas (offered Monday), Nebraska and Texas A&M, if possible.
Do any of those programs have a chance to give Auburn and Florida a push?
“You know, I’ve got to visit schools I haven’t seen before,” Martin said. “I won’t really know until I visit. If the visit goes as well as they’re thinking, then maybe.”
With that said, when Martin commits at the end of summer, I’d be surprised if it was any more than an Auburn-Florida decision.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:24 pm to TigerPaw1
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Motherly influence on Auburn, Florida
Florida held a few advantages over Auburn.
He is closer with Gators running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider than any other coach in the country. During his junior season at IMG Academy, Martin got a better feel for the Florida campus, and it’s always been one of his favorites. And, even though it was just by 2 days, Florida offered Martin before Auburn did.
But probably the biggest reason: his mother.
Martin’s mother hasn’t pushed him one way or another, but until Auburn’s spring game, Florida had been in regular communication with her. Auburn hadn’t.
That has changed drastically in the last week.
“My mom and coach [Chip] Lindsey are starting to build a relationship now. They’re starting to text. That’s one of the things I was missing. She didn’t really have a relationship. She hadn’t talked to them really. Now they have that going,” Martin said. “They’re just talking to her about the program, just them as people. My mom, she has always had that with Florida coaches. That’s one thing she didn’t have with Auburn.”
Auburn and Florida have both vouched since offering that Martin is the top priority at running back.
At times, he didn’t know what to believe. But, with the newly initiated contact between Auburn coaches and his mom, Martin thinks Florida and Auburn are on a level playing field in terms of prioritization.
“That’s one of the things my mom wanted to see,” Martin said. “At first, they weren’t really in contact with her. They were only really in contact with me. She was like, ‘They might not really want you as much as they say they do.’ So now they’re really showing that a lot more.”
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:26 pm to TigerPaw1
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Auburn offers big-time DT from Birmingham area
When Auburn missed out on Texas Tech transfer Breiden Fehoko, it stood to reason that Auburn might look for more defensive tackles in the 2018 recruiting class.
It didn’t take the Tigers long to make that move. They sent an offer to St. Clair County (Ala.) defensive tackle Jalen Cunningham. An Auburn source has said in the past the Tigers evaluated Cunningham more as an offensive guard than a defensive tackle, but the Tuesday offer appears to be a reverse course from that.
On Monday, Cunningham released a top 5, which included Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oregon and Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide are seen as the heavy favorites to land Cunningham.
It’s unknown whether the Auburn offer will alter Cunningham’s top group. Conveniently, Chris Kirschner and I — who have been on the road all week — will be back in the Birmingham area later in the week to talk with Cunningham, so there will be more updates on whether the offer changed anything.
Cunningham’s most recent visit to the Plains came for Auburn’s March junior day.
Just offer Alfred Thomas already... Cunningham is all Bama
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:26 pm to TigerPaw1
Recruiting road trip: Alabama, Auburn writers in Montgomery to meet with 4-star prospects, others (SECCountry)
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Tuesday was a busy day for SEC Country’s state of Alabama recruiting reporters.
The Birmingham area has so many elite prospects, and it’s almost impossible to talk to everyone in one day. We didn’t hit everyone on our list, but we’ll swing back through Birmingham on Friday before ending our trip.
Auburn recruiting reporter Benjamin Wolk and I plan to visit three schools in Montgomery on Wednesday — Park Crossing, Lee and Lanier — before making our way down to Mobile.
Here are the prospects we will talk with Wednesday:
4-star offensive guard Tank Jenkins
4-star defensive tackle Alfred Thomas
3-star athlete Cam Taylor
3-star quarterback James Foster
Linebacker Kevontae’ Ruggs
If time allows, we’ll try to catch 4-star wide receiver Jacob Copeland in Pensacola before ending the day in Mobile.
Make sure to check back at the end of the day for quick updates from all of our visits. And, as always, head to SEC Country Alabama and SEC Country Auburn to read recruiting notebooks written by Wolk and me.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:27 pm to TigerPaw1
State of Alabama recruiting insider: Day 3 on the road (SECCountry)
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Day 3 is in the books.
Alabama recruiting reporter Chris Kirschner and I made our way from Birmingham down to Montgomery to speak with a handful of the area’s top prospects on our way down to Mobile, which is where we’ll be Wednesday night and Thursday morning.
The Montgomery pit stop took us to three schools — Park Crossing, Lee and Lanier — to see five different prospects. These visits were as Alabama and Auburn-centric as the previous two days of posts, but they still had plenty of useful notes for both of the in-state programs, as well as other schools around the SEC.
Check out the quick-hitters from these interviews below, and make sure to check back throughout the week for more detailed commentary from each of these visits.
Programming note: Thursday will be used to see Mobile-area prospects and Pensacola wide receiver Jacob Copeland before making one more stop in Birmingham before finishing up the trip.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:28 pm to TigerPaw1
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4-star OL Tank Jenkins, Park Crossing
Wolk: Auburn already has two offensive guards on board in Kameron Stutts and Jalil Irvin, but that hasn’t scared of Jenkins. He looks forward to competing with other offensive guards at whatever school he chooses. The 6-foot-3, 330-pound offensive lineman from Montgomery has long been believed to be an Auburn lean, but he assured Wednesday that no decisions have been made. He referred to the decision as “the toughest decision he’s ever made” and said, if he had to commit tomorrow, he has no idea who he’d choose. Auburn will be in that mix, as will Oklahoma, Missouri, Miami, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Louisville and a few others, but there are no favorites. A top 10 list should be coming soon. Jenkins expects to announce his final choice by late May or early June and will enroll early. One interesting note: He is second cousins of new Missouri quarterback James Foster (mentioned below). The two are very close to one another.
FWIW KN doesn't think Jenkins is a take now with Stutts and Irvin on board
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:29 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star ATH Cam Taylor, Park Crossing
Wolk: Taylor will be an interesting prospect to track this spring and fall. He’ll play quarterback at Park Crossing for his senior year, but most colleges see him as a slot receiver or safety. Auburn fits into the latter. There are a few smaller schools — Troy, Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and others — who want Taylor to come play quarterback. But Taylor said he prioritizes playing at a Power 5, especially SEC, program as a receiver or safety over playing quarterback at a small school. The question is: What schools will he be able to choose from? Right now, his only Power 5 offers are from Michigan and Iowa State. But Taylor spent his junior year with a torn ACL, and coaches haven’t been able to properly evaluate his skill set. Auburn DC Kevin Steele and DB coach Greg Brown talk to Taylor on a fairly regular basis and have said they’ll come out and evaluate Taylor this spring. If that offer comes, I think it would difficult for any other program to land him. Taylor has a close friendship with Auburn standout Kamryn Pettway. The two have known each other since Taylor was a 7-year-old in city league football, and he’s able to lean on Pettway throughout the recruiting process whether it’s Auburn or otherwise.
Former Prattville QB. Will probably be a solid backup option
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:30 pm to TigerPaw1
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Unranked OLB Kevontae’ Ruggs, Robert E. Lee
Kirschner: Ruggs is the younger brother of Alabama wide receiver signee Henry Ruggs III. Kevontae’ is 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, but still needs to fill out his frame. Alabama is the clear favorite to land Ruggs when he makes his decision, which doesn’t know when it will happen just yet. Like his older brother, Kevontae’ grew up a Crimson Tide fan. Also in comparison to Henry, Kevontae’ would like to weigh out all of his future options. He mentioned just how much stress Henry was under leading up to National Signing Day. On the Tuesday before Signing Day, Henry stayed in a hotel room with several family members as he weighed out his options between Alabama and Florida State. Seeing that, Kevontae’ does not want to rush into any decision because he understands the magnitude of making a college choice.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:31 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star CB JaKorey Hawkins, Robert E. Lee
Wolk: Here’s another prospect who I’d keep an eye on this fall. Both of the Park Crossing prospects raved about Hawkins when asked about top players in the Montgomery area. He’s a recruit who will likely pick up major offers throughout the spring. Just Wednesday, West Virginia cornerbacks coach Doug Belk — a defensive grad assistant at Alabama the last three seasons — stopped by Lee to talk with the 6-foot corner. West Virginia is his lone Power 5 offer so far. There will plenty more of that throughout the spring. Hawkins has communicated with Alabama defensive backs coach Derrick Ansley a good bit, which helps explain why Belk is so high on Hawkins already. His 247 page lists Auburn as his favorite, but Hawkins said that’s a mistake. He’s only visited Auburn once, as a sophomore, and his communication with the Tigers’ staff is virtually non-existent. Again, don’t be surprised to see a lot of that change in the coming weeks and months. I’ve talked with several people who think Hawkins is a prospect who has the most to gain as a 2018 prospect. If Auburn has any edge for Hawkins, it’s his closer relationship with former Lee teammate Daniel Thomas. He mentioned how excited he was getting to see Thomas make plays in last year’s Iron Bowl, and early playing time is something very important to Hawkins.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:31 pm to TigerPaw1
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3-star QB James Foster, Lanier
Kirschner: Missouri was the favorite for quite some time for Foster, but Wednesday’s commitment to the Tigers came as a surprise. Foster told SEC Country in March that he was going to make a late summer decision, but on Tuesday night he decided the timing was right before going public on Wednesday. Missouri considered Foster its top quarterback prospect in the Class of 2018 and one of its most important recruits in the entire class. Foster’s recruitment, he says, is over. He will not taking anymore visits, and he has told coaches at other schools that already. Georgia finished No. 2 for Foster, and he says Missouri beat out the Bulldogs because of his relationship with Tigers’ staff. I believe that if Alabama had offered Foster a committable spot in its class that he would’ve likely taken up the Crimson Tide on their offer. He grew up a big Alabama fan and dreamed about playing for the Tide, but it’s clear that Missouri is his new dream school.
Wolk: Just before we made it over to Lanier to talk with Foster — an Alabama target — the dual-threat quarterback made a big announcement. He committed to Missouri, which is something he’s been hinting at for a while. Foster originally planned to go to Georgia for the G-Day spring game this weekend, but that won’t happen any more. He said he has completely shut off his recruitment. It’s all Mizzou. That won’t stop other coaching staffs from trying. Since his offer, Alabama secondary coach Derrick Ansley and Georgia linebackers coach Glenn Schumann already texted him to congratulate him on his decision, but in Schumann’s case, he made a tongue-in-cheek comment about thinking Foster would be at G-Day this upcoming weekend. Missouri made Foster its top recruiting priority in the entire class, and it paid off.
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:32 pm to TigerPaw1
Auburn is only thing stopping lifelong Crimson Tide fan Pierce Quick from already committing to Alabama (SECCountry)
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Pierce Quick shoots it straight.
The 4-star 2019 offensive lineman doesn’t downplay his Crimson Tide fandom. Quick’s whole family attended Alabama and he’s always dreamed of playing in crimson and white. Once Alabama started recruiting him hard — harder than any other program — Quick found it nearly impossible for another school to overtake the Tide.
He felt so strongly about it that he’s, on a few occasions, thought it was probably time to just commit to Alabama.
There has only been one program stopping him: Alabama’s in-state rival.
“Auburn is the only thing that’s been holding me back, really, just because Auburn is really nice, and I love it,” Quick told SEC Country. “They were my first Power 5 offer. That’s where they have an advantage for me because, growing up an Alabama fan, it was hard to consider them, but they really offered me when nobody else had. That was huge.”
But Auburn still has nearly insurmountable ground to make up.
Quick said, if he has 100 percent interest in Alabama, then his Auburn interest is roughly at 70 percent. That’s not a knock on Auburn — his clear-cut second-place school — rather it explains just how strongly he feels about a future in Tuscaloosa.
“Auburn is second, for sure, but I’d have to say right now Alabama’s got a pretty good lead,” Quick said. “They would have to show me more love than what Alabama’s showing me, and I mean I’m not going to lie, that would be tough just because of how much they’re showing me. It’s possible, but Alabama has just shown me so much love.”
He has felt that love at Auburn, too.
Most recently, he attended the A-Day spring game and spent much of his day on the sideline with Oxford (Ala.) offensive lineman Clay Webb, a fellow top target in the 2019 class. During pregame, coach Gus Malzahn and offensive line coach Herb Hand showed the 2 offensive linemen on-the-field attention, something that caught Quick off guard — and made the whole A-Day experience feel particularly special.
“That was huge. I’m not even going to lie. That was big-time right there, especially because there were so many other people out there. For him and Coach Hand to come up to us and yell across the field, that was awesome. … He just said, ‘Now those are 2 guys I like to see together.’ It was really cool,” Quick said. “Every time I go there, I love it. I honestly do. It’s just a huge family. It really is just a big, old family. That’s their motto. Even their name tags, it says family.”
With those Auburn staff interactions, Malzahn and Hand are well aware of Quick’s favorite program since he was 5 years old. It’s not the first time they’ve tried to convince a Crimson Tide fan to join the Tigers.
In fact, it happened last cycle when Auburn signed offensive lineman Austin Troxell, who comes from an Alabama-only family. Malzahn and Hand have used that experience to try to convince Quick to come to Auburn, though they know it will be a difficult task to accomplish.
“Austin Troxell, his whole family was big Alabama fans. They said they wanted me to be kinda like him,” Quick said. “They said to just keep on coming and, sooner or later, I’ll love Auburn.”
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:33 pm to TigerPaw1
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Quay Walker puts Auburn in top 5
There weren’t many surprises in Quay Walker’s top-5 list, which he released Wednesday night.
The programs included — Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and LSU — have been the same ones Walker has talked about since I started interviewing him last season when Walker was known more as “Markaviest Bryant’s teammate” at Crisp County High (Ga.)
Now, Walker has emerged as one of the top pass-rushing threats in the nation. There have been times when Georgia led and when Florida led. LSU and Alabama began to enter the equation a little bit later, but his love for both of those schools has been in full effect since they started showing regular interest.
As for Auburn, the Tigers have been Walker’s perceived favorite since Bryant surprised many with his commitment to Auburn on National Signing Day. Walker even said, at the time, that Auburn overtook Georgia and LSU for his top spot when Bryant made that announcement.
In recent weeks — specifically when he was back at Auburn for junior day — he said publicly that no school has an edge over another. But he did leave with some reassuring news for Auburn regarding his friendship with Bryant.
“At the end of the day, I’m going to go where I think it’s the best fit for me. At the same time, it kinda played a big role where Markaviest went,” Walker said in March. “Y’all know I want to play with him.”
Posted on 4/20/17 at 8:37 pm to TigerPaw1
KN says Chip Lindsey visited 5* WR Justyn Ross today. It's shaping up to be a 3 team battle early between Auburn, Alabama and Clemson
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