re: 2020 Football Recruiting Thread

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more CBs to AU rolling in for Trenton Simpson and his announcement in a few days. I'll take that trade.

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Bama might be the main threat. If so they just got Kennedy and Q and seem to be trending for the number 1 guy so hopefully that would help us with Webb

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I'm blown away at hoe the turds keep getting these LBs. Have ya'll seen there LB class they have....they are going to end up with 7-8 Blue chip LB prospects.

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If you're an elite LB that wants to go to the league you call Bama first.

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Congrats on your new career with Auburn E

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AUBURN, Alabama — Travis Williams wants to sign four linebackers in Auburn's upcoming recruiting class.

But every position coach always wants an extra player that is not allotted by their boss, the head coach. Williams has a reason for wanting an additional player, and it's not just for selfish reasons and placing an extra body on the roster for emergency situations.

"It’s going to be three," Williams said recently outside the Montgomery Auburn Club. "What you run into is the 2016 year where you didn’t sign a guy. The young man who was here isn’t here anymore (3-star linebacker Tre' Threat transferred to Jacksonville State). That’s a whole year with no linebackers. You want to have at least 10 to 11 in your room. People say: Well, you only play with two. That’s true. Last year, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, A&M … that’s four teams that we played with three linebackers. You’re going to need ‘em. Then special teams. I’m not going to have Deshaun (Davis) on kickoff and then be quarterback on defense (last season). You can’t quarterback a defense when you just ran 100 mph. You have to have guys on special teams as well. And that’s when you can play guys to keep them happy. KJ Britt was on special teams the last two years — every last one of them. Chandler Wooten — two years. Now it’s time for those guys to shine (as starters)."

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Auburn does not have a commitment yet at linebacker, but that could change soon. Four-star outside linebacker Trenton Simpson is trending toward Auburn, according to the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, and is scheduled to make a commitment to a school Friday.

The good news for Auburn after losing three senior linebackers from last season is that the Tigers do not have a senior linebacker on scholarship entering this season. The issue: there are only six scholarship linebackers, though walk-ons help bump that number near a dozen, just as Williams likes to see it in his meeting rooms during the season.

Williams understands the culture at Auburn as an alum, former All-SEC linebacker and now the Tigers' linebackers coach. He relates to players as good as any on campus. He often travels across the street from the Auburn Athletics Complex to play video games with his players.

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He also has standards and expectations he never deviates from, and most of those are set by head coach Gus Malzahn, when he is on the recruiting trail.

"I'll be honest with you, you can't be around here slapping no girl and freaking getting domestic violence and disrespecting women. We're not taking that. That's coming from the top," Williams said. "But I'll take a kid that doesn't have a daddy at the house. He ain't even had a male figure at his house. Now, I'm not going to take a turd. But if you get a kid who is rough around the edges, I don't mind. Because I'm going to be the only butthole in the room.

"And then the culture of the room is going to get that particular player in line, you know what I'm saying? But I definitely look for great character kids, and you've got to have a skill set. But you can have a skill set and you go and look at this kid and say, 'You know what? He needs Auburn.' I needed Auburn. But you can't just be a kid that's disrespectful.

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"Like, when I go speak at these clinics, we'll do Xs and Os, and I'll just talk about building the room. Everybody's talking about building a program. I'll talk about building a room, because your room is your program. Just buying into their culture. Like, who's your girlfriend? What's going on in your life? What do you do when you get into the dorms? Like, literally going over there and hanging out, just seeing what he's got going on. Not just seeing him when he comes to the complex. Taking him fishing. Going to the movies. Bring him over to the house — my wife likes to cook. All the little different things to just buy into their culture. And in return, they'll know, 'OK, this guy really cares about me.'

"But you'll take chances on kids. Everybody does. But that particular coach has to know what he can handle. Everybody just can't handle everything as a kid. But not disrespectful to women in any way. Drugs, all of that stuff. You can't bring that to Auburn if they're just off the chain like that."

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