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

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4* LB King Mwikuta

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5-star LB Owen Pappoe, Loganville, Ga.

- Owen Pappoe started his interview, unprompted, saying the players he thinks the Tigers will land. Those three names (big ones, too): guard Keiondre Jones, cornerback Andrew Booth and defensive lineman Colby Wooden. He said the vibe he’s getting from those three signals imminent commitments to the Tigers.

- After thinking about it, he wanted to bring up Georgia linebacker commit Trezmen Marshall who, as Pappoe aptly pointed out, made his second visit in three weeks to Auburn. This would’ve sounded crazy two months ago, but the chances of Marshall-to-Auburn is much higher than the chances of Pappoe-to-Georgia.

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4-star OLB Derick Hall, Gulfport, Miss.

- Standing at the top for Derick Hall: Auburn and Mississippi State. Hall said the gap isn’t huge between those programs and schools such as LSU, Florida State, Tennessee and Ole Miss.

- Hall hopes to make a summertime decision, but he’s open waiting into the fall if need be. He’ll sign and graduate in December. The official visit dates are being set up right now, but he plans to take his official visit to Auburn for the LSU game in the fall.

- Hall is an after-football thinker. He’s an honor student who will enroll early and wants to major in engineering. That’s why he thinks Auburn is such a great fit for him. He said the Tigers talk to him more about the non-football side of things — Big Cat Weekend being a perfect example — more than any other program recruiting him.

- Maybe more than any other recruitment, this is a testament to the work done by new defensive backs coach Marcus Woodson. Auburn was well aware of many of the Mississippi prospects before Woodson’s arrival. That wasn’t the case for Hall, who had a relationship with Woodson but not Auburn. That can’t be said anymore. The Tigers are a fixture in his recruitment and will be until the end.

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4-star DE Jaren Handy, Meridian, Miss.

- Jaren Handy had a slightly different visit than most. He and his family came up on Thursday and stayed through the Big Cat Weekend festivities, so he got much more time with Auburn coaches than most. Handy preached how important it was for him to make a multiday trip after the in-and-out visit last time.

- He said spent a lot of time with defensive lineman Marlon Davidson, who he referred to as his “big brother.” When he wasn’t spending time with Davidson or Charles Moore, Handy was with defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

- Handy raves about the way Garner treats his players. The word he uses to describe it: “real.” Garner hasn’t told Handy he’ll come in and play right away. He hasn’t given him the typical recruiting pitches he hears from other schools. Garner is a no-nonsense guy as an on-field coach, and that carries over to recruiting. Handy said he knows when Garner tells him something, it’s how he really feels and not something he’s saying simply to satisfy a recruit.

- Handy called Auburn his top school after the first visit he took this spring. He doesn’t want to name leaders after visits anymore, but he made it clear the Tigers are firmly a part of the top group.

- He wouldn’t say 10 out of 10, like Moore, but Handy said it’s “most likely” he and his close friend from Mississippi play together.

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4-star DL Charles Moore, Louisville, Miss. (Miss. State)

- This is a return trip for the Mississippi State commit, whose father recently moved to Opelika, Ala., for work. That has given Moore multiple opportunities to visit Auburn, and that will continue.

- Moore remains committed to Mississippi State, but he admits Auburn has pulled neck-and-neck with the Bulldogs. He likely won’t change anything with his commitment until after his senior season — as close to signing day as possible — but there’s no denying Auburn is as much of a factor here as Mississippi State.

- Moore gave a little insight into his growing interest in Auburn. After his ACL injury last year, Garner was one of the coaches who stuck with him most throughout the healing process. Garner made a major impression on him during that trying time.

- He has a close relationship with Handy. Moore had this to say when asked if they want to play together at the next level: “If I come to Auburn, it’s a 10 out of 10 chance you’ll see Jaren beside me.”

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