re: 2019 Football Recruiting Thread - Auburn Goes 4/7 & Land Brothers

quote:

---

My best guess at a commit is Keiondre Jones. Not confident tho AU gets a commit this weekend

---

quote:

---

but recruiting has came to a stand still since having him

---

quote:

---

There’s another target from Grayson, Ga., to watch

Auburn always has been present in Ronald Thompkins’ recruitment even when communication was minimal.

The Grayson, Ga., running back picked up an offer from the Tigers during his sophomore season. He can’t remember exactly, but Auburn was either the second or third offer he received. Since then, plenty has happened in Thompkins’ world. He picked up 20-plus offers. He committed to and de-committed from Florida State.

In that time, his communication with Auburn was on and off.

That changed recently.

The 5-foot-11, 190-pound athlete has been in contact with running backs coach Tim Horton more regularly of late. He took a visit last week to discuss all of it with Horton and head coach Gus Malzahn.

“They just want me to build that relationship that we lost. They reaffirmed that offer. I talked with Coach Horton. I also had a chance to talk to Malzahn,” Thompkins told SEC Country. “Auburn always had me listed as an athlete. Now they’re talking to me and like me as a running back, and that’s really when communication picked back up.”

Auburn is in a chase with Mississippi State, LSU and Penn State.

The Tigers have some ground to make up because of the newfound contact. Thompkins says, on a scale of one to 10, he listed his Auburn interest at about a “five or six.” That’s slightly behind the other three, but he also acknowledged he has rising interest in the Tigers. A few more visits to the Plains likely will send that number up significantly.

If Auburn has an edge, it’s related to its proximity and its brand of football.

“It’s close to home. It’s two hours away. It’s an SEC school. They run the ball. That’s what they like to do,” Thompkins said.

Thompkins said he hopes to have a college decision just prior to the start of his senior season. If that doesn’t happen, he’d like to take a couple of visits to college games and commit a few games into the 2018 season. The latter gives Auburn an opportunity to sell Thompkins at a fall home game, so that’s likely the Tigers’ best chance to make up lost ground.

The other helping factor? Owen Pappoe and Jakai Clark.

Auburn’s two Grayson High School commits didn’t hesitate to express their opinions when they heard their teammate had a newly developed interest in the Tigers.

“They found out I was coming here, and they were very excited,” Thompkins said. “They’re trying to get me now. They’re going to be on me until I commit.”

---

quote:

---

Mississippi DE on campus for multiple days

The battle for prospects in Mississippi is more competitive than ever.

Mississippi’s recruiting presence has seen a major uptick in the 2019 class. It has resulted in Ole Miss and Mississippi State — both typically fare well with in-state talent — fighting off the elite of the elite programs, including Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, LSU and others.

Auburn has offered 15 players from Mississippi, which is more than the reported offers from Alabama.

One of the biggest stars on that Mississippi list is defensive end Jaren Handy.

Handy called Auburn his No. 1 school after his first Auburn visit. He has backed off that some, telling SEC Country he didn’t want to name leaders after every school visit. But the Tigers are still at or near the top of his interest list.

That relationship likely will take a step forward in the coming days as Handy is back for a multiday visit. He plans to stay at Auburn through the Big Cat Weekend festivities, but that didn’t stop Handy from arriving on campus a few days early. Handy made it to Auburn on Thursday with several of his family members. He will enjoy some one-on-one time with coaches — specifically area recruiter Marcus Woodson and position coach Rodney Garner — during his visit.

---