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

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Crystal ball just came in from EJ Holland for Wanya Morris to AU

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The nature of the Auburn recruiting job requires some advanced scouting.

In essence, Auburn is sandwiched between Alabama, Georgia and Florida State. That requires the Tigers to evaluate deeper than most as it has to fight off proximity-to-home recruiting battles with three of the biggest blue bloods in college football. Auburn still manages to win its fair share of battles against the aforementioned three schools, but it’s no surprise that the Tigers sometimes have to dip into their secondary or tertiary options on the recruiting board.

Those moments are when the staff’s evaluations are most vital. Any coach can look at a highly ranked prospect and say he’s a good fit for the program. It’s much tougher when the recruit is less touted and has fewer offers from big schools. That when evaluations are so important.

Auburn has had a lot of success recently with that type of guy.

Jordyn Peters, Daquan Newkirk, Daniel Thomas, Mike Horton, Jeremiah Dinson and JaTarvious Whitlow are a few of the prospects ranked outside the top 500 who Auburn has landed in recent recruiting cycles. All of them are expected to make contributions to the 2018 Auburn football team. You can even throw in a fringe guy such as linebacker Deshaun Davis or someone such as Malik Willis, who Auburn believed in at a position others didn’t.

The jury is still out on who that may be among Caleb Johnson, Kam Stutts, Kolbi Fuqua and Roger McCreary. But history suggests at least one of those four likely will shine past their sub-500 ranking by the time their Auburn career is complete.

And, just as likely, the Tigers will land someone of similar caliber in the 2019 class.

Here are the prospects Auburn is strongly considering so far this spring. The following 12 prospects have been offered by the Tigers and have visited the Plains in the last two months. Oftentimes the sub-500 names that land in the class emerge later in the cycle (see: McCreary and Johnson), but it’s also that type of player who can help turn stagnant recruiting into some buzz (see: Stutts and Fuqua last A-Day).

It wouldn’t surprise me to see any of these prospects end up in Auburn’s class, even though they might not be as highly regarded as some of their counterparts — yet.

TE Sean Brown
OL Carter Colquitt
OL Kingsley Eguakun (Miami commit)
DB Cordale Flott
DL Jalar Holley
DL Patrick Lucas
DB Quinton Newsome
ATH Cornelius Nunn
ATH John Rhys Plumlee
DB Deantre Prince
ATH Malik Washington
ATH Tra Wilkins

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2020 linebacker places Auburn on top

Jackson-Olin High School has been good to Auburn the last few recruiting cycles.

The Birmingham, Ala., school has provided the Tigers with 2017 linebacker TD Moultry and 2018 defensive tackle Coynis Miller. Jammal Abrams and Vonta Bentley are the 2019 recruits who Auburn is targeting, though Abrams is already committed to Florida. The trend won’t stop in the 2020 class, either.

Auburn offered 2020 linebacker Quandarrius Robinson last summer. He has since picked up offers from South Carolina and Oregon. Robinson is 6-4 and 200 pounds, so his sheer size stands out on a football field.

He has always had major interest in Auburn. For the first time (to my knowledge), Robinson announced the Tigers were his No. 1. In an interview with Rivals.com’s Chad Simmons published Monday, Robinson called Auburn the leader for now.

“I have visited Auburn five or six times and I went to a lot of their games last season, so I am really liking them a lot right now,” Robinson told Simmons. “They are my No. 1 school because I believe they really want me. I know it is not time for me make a decision yet, but they are recruiting me like it is my time and like I am a priority.”

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Where Auburn stands as Owen Pappoe’s decision nears

Everyone in the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry country should mark their calendars for May 5.

It’s been dubbed Cinco de Pappoe by many of the Internet’s creative minds.

Five-star linebacker Owen Pappoe will make his college decision on that date in early May. Pappoe said following his most recent visit to Auburn that he’d like to make a decision sooner rather than later — preferably before his senior season — and it didn’t take long for Pappoe to set that timeline in stone.

Pappoe told SEC Country two weeks ago that this will be an Auburn-Georgia battle despite the Tigers being left out of his original top 2.

“That top three is gone. I’d say Georgia and Auburn are my top two. … Right now Georgia is my top school. I said Auburn and Georgia are my top two, but I would say Georgia is my No. 1 right now. They really do have a good chance of landing me,” Pappoe said.

“Clemson, I haven’t really been in contact with them. I wouldn’t say they’re out the picture, but we haven’t really been communicating that much.”

It’s not going to be easy to top the home-state Bulldogs. Pappoe, the No. 7 overall prospect in the 2019 class, has visited Georgia so many times in the last two years that he can’t count how many times he’s been to Athens.

If Auburn has a shot, it’s with linebackers coach Travis Williams. One source said that Auburn knows this is a long shot, but Pappoe is a can’t-miss prospect who is worth the attempt. That late dedication has given Auburn a push. This is an uphill climb, and the Tigers knew that going into the heavy spring recruitment. But they’re gradually closing the gap.

Pappoe expects to visit the Plains at least two more times before making his decision. He plans to attend the spring game and make a separate, more personalized trip. He’d like to make more, but the clock is ticking as May 5 is less than two months out. Of course, Pappoe will make more visits to Athens, as well.

Last-minute trips to Clemson, Tennessee and Alabama also wouldn’t come as a surprise, though Pappoe doesn’t have anything lined up.

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Wiltfong put in a CB to Bama for Clay Webb last night....

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Does a Texas writer have any connections to Wanya's recruitment?

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Relationship with Auburn DL coach stands out to top DE

FOREST PARK, Ga. — For Justin Eboigbe, it’s box-checking season.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end isn’t in a rush to make his college decision. He has a flexible timeline, but at this rate Eboigbe (pronounced: e-boy-be) expects his decision will run through the fall so he can take official visits. So the spring and summer is about Eboigbe evaluating each of the schools courting him.

His list — which has grown exponentially since the Rising Stars all-star game in Atlanta — includes Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, Mississippi State, Florida, Miami, Tennessee, Notre Dame and many others.

It is now time for Eboigbe to create his checklist and figure out which schools fit him best.

“I’m closer to the middle than the end. I’m still trying to figure things out. I’m still trying to go on visits. I’m still trying to see where I’ll take my official visits. I’m really just weighing my options right now,” Eboigbe told SEC Country.

“There is going to be a point in time where I narrow it down, but there’s a couple schools I’m waiting on: USC, Ohio State and LSU. … It’s been somewhat crazy trying to just figure out where I’m going to spend the next three-to-four years after my last year of high school.”

The boxes, in no particular order, that the Forest Park High School star wants checked by his college of choice: strong relationship with his position coach; a place where he feels “comfortable” on and off the field; a program with a winning history; and a school close enough for his family to attend games.

Auburn immediately checks the position-coach box, which is the factor about which Eboigbe speaks most passionately. Eboigbe said his four most tight-knit coaching relationships are with Florida defensive line coach Sal Sunseri, Clemson defensive line coach Todd Bates, Georgia defensive line coach Tray Scott and Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner.

When Eboigbe visited the Plains on Feb. 17, his interaction with Garner made an impression.

“Having conversation with Coach Garner and Coach [Kevin] Steele was just great. They’re great guys,” Eboigbe said. “I have a better relationship with Coach Garner because he’s my position coach. He’s an old-fashioned guy that has been around for a long time and has seen basically everything that you can see.

“He’s one of the most proven D-line coaches in the nation, has had plenty of guys go to the draft. But it’s more about life than football when you’re talking to him.”

Eboigbe has taken five college visits since his recruitment took off. He’s been to Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Tennessee. Eboigbe said he didn’t have a favorite from that group, but all five stand out. He wanted to make it clear that those schools are the ones on his mind because he’s taken visits.

But based on that, he at least feels a sense of comfort at Auburn.

The proximity-to-home factor works in the Tigers’ favor, as well. It’s only an hour and a half from Forest Park to Auburn, which was on Eboigbe’s radar at an early age. He self-identifies as a Tigers fan growing up because his interest in college football was kicked off by the success of the 2010 football team led by Cam Newton.

It won’t be a major factor in his decision, but Eboigbe admitted that the Tigers’ special place in his heart will play a small role.

“I started watching college football right at the Cam Newton time, so that’s where it started. But I continued to like and want the success of Auburn with Nick Marshall and Tre Mason and so on. That was one of my favorite teams in sports and college football,” Eboigbe said.

“It factors in somewhat, but not really. You can like somewhere, but it may not be the most comfortable situation. But running out to Jordan-Hare Stadium thinking I grew up watching TV and seeing past players who I liked so much were doing this exact same thing — that was cool.”

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