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

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And what's the feel for the RB Griffin? What are our chances? We need a home run hitter!

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And MAR is an ATH correct?

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I’d guess with the departure of Asa that Auburn would consider taking both if they knew both were willing to commit now and be okay with being part of a stacked class at that position. I don’t think that’s likely though. MAR is more dynamic so with DJ on board he’s the priority

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After five straight top-10 recruiting classes, Auburn just missed doing it again with the 2018 signees. That group finished 12th in the rankings.

Can the Tigers get back into the top 10. Is the top five attainable in 2019?

Time will tell ... but the odds look good.

Right now, the Tigers have 16 signees (17 commitments) and the No. 12 class ranking.

The good news? The class is high on quality. The average rating per commit is 91.94, which is well above the 90.00 threshold for a 4-star average. In fact, it's fifth best in the country.

Five-star linebacker Owen Pappoe, 4-star quarterback Bo Nix and 4-star receiver George Pickens are the headline-grabbers (Pickens has not yet signed), but the Tigers have done well at tight end with Luke Deal and Tyler Fromm, on the defensive line with top-100 recruit Jaren Handy, end Colby Wooden and buck Derick Hall and in the secondary, where 4-star corner Cam'Ron Kelly is one player of note.

Still, there is lots of work ahead.

On the offensive line, the Tigers have just two players signed. That's a major concern. That means they need to fill about two or three spots. Then you have the running back position, where Auburn is trying hard to land one more high-level back. At linebacker, only Pappoe is on board at the moment.

With the early signing period over and still up to eight spots left to fill, predicting what the final Auburn recruiting class will look like isn't easy. So much can and will change between now and National Signing Day, which is Feb. 6. The board will shift. New names will emerge. Surprises will pop up.

Nonetheless, we will try to predict the 2019 signing class.

Today, we've taken all the current intel we have and combined it with Auburn's needs to compile this projection, which really is simply an educated guess. We won't know for months how many total spots Auburn has available. We're guessing 24 or 25 based on coach Gus Malzahn's public comments last month.

Here goes nothing ...

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RB: DJ Williams, Sebring (Fla.): SIGNED, EARLY ENROLLEE -- Williams committed to Auburn over programs such as Clemson and Georgia in December. A one-time Appalachian State commit, his stock soared in 2018. He rushed for more than 1,400 yards as a senior despite playing quarterback and his offer list began to grow in November and December. Williams already is enrolled at Auburn.

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WR: George Pickens, Hoover (Ala.): COMMITTED TO AUBURN, DID NOT SIGN EARLY -- Pickens, who holds a 4-star rating and is a top-100 recruit, has seen his stock go way up this year. By the time it's all said and done, he potentially could be a 5-star prospect in the industry generated 247Sports composite. He committed to the Tigers last summer (2017) but has continued to visit other schools, notably Alabama, FSU and LSU. But now it looks like Georgia and Tennessee are Auburn's biggest threats. He plans to officially visit both. While Pickens did not sign early he said he came close to doing that. Auburn feels good about keeping him in the class but will have to keep recruiting him hard to hang on.

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WR: Jashawn Sheffield, St. Simons Island (Ga.) Frederica Academy: SIGNED, SUMMER ENROLLEE -- Auburn landed the 4-star athlete from Georgia in June. The 6-feet-1, 178-pound Sheffield was an Under Armour All-American (he had a strong week of practice in Florida during that event) and the No. 252 overall recruit nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He had some big catches, particularly down the stretch, for a state championship team in Georgia.

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TE: Luke Deal, Greenwood (S.C) Emerald: SIGNED, EARLY ENROLLEE -- The 3-star recrut in the 247Sports Composite committed to Auburn over Clemson, Michigan, N.C. State, Notre Dame and Ohio State last May. He's a big-bodied recruit who is 6-feet-5 and 237 pounds. A converted quarterback, Deal not only can catch the ball but is considered a high-level blocker. He sustained a knee injury in bowl practice at Auburn and is out indefinitely ... but the future is bright.

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