re: Old Recruiting Thread: RIP insiders

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“It was great. It kind of opened my eyes to everything,” he said. ““Just seeing how the coaches bonded with me, it was great.”

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“Coach Freeze and Coach Crime Dog (McGriff), those two guys were just great to me,” he said. “Sitting in a meeting with Coach McGriff, just a great guy and a great coach. He wants you to be the best person in life and in football.”

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“It’s very important, just because it’s an in-state school,” he said. “I like to look in-state first. It kind of opened my eyes. This was the place I first wanted to come before the coaching change. I kind of backed off with coach (Bryan) Harsin here. With Coach Freeze and the new staff, it kind of opened my eyes.”

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“The track coaches are great,” Mbakwe said. “I came down for a track practice once. They were really fast. I see myself being one of those guys, a 9.9 guy.”

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Mbakwe said he’d likely return to Auburn in July for Big Cat. The Tigers, he said, have a chance to change his commitment.

“After this visit, I can say they do,” he said.

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“Oh, the visit was great,” Lindsey said. “This is the best visit I’ve been on so far. This was my first time down here, I was supposed to come, but I don’t think Coach Freeze was here. This was my first time but I’ll be back, definitely. Probably for a game. I loved my time down here.”

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What stood out about the visit?

“Just the people and the environment,” Lindsey said. “I’ve been everywhere and seen all the fancy things, so it really just comes down to people. I just had a really good time here with everything from the players to the coaches and how they treated me and my family.”

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“Coach Garrett is amazing, that’s been my guy,” Lindsey said. “We’ve been close for a minute now, he offered me in January. He talks to me almost every week–real talks, too. We have some genuine long conversations.”

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“They see me everywhere from a 5 to a 3 to potentially at Jack,” he said.

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“I met with Coach Freeze a lot,” Lindsey said. “He’s probably the realest coach I’ve been around. He don’t sugarcoat anything, but he’s a good genuine hearted person at the same time.”

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“Some other schools are Texas, Texas A&M, Miami, Missouri, Arkansas,” Lindsey said.

Alabama recently offered as well.

“Bama definitely got in it,” Lindsey said. “I just started talking to Freddie Roach not too long ago, so we are still developing a relationship. But, I’ll probably be out there soon.”

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What did the visit do for the Tigers’ chances with him?

“It definitely helped boost Auburn’s chances for sure,” Lindsey said. “The coaches are amazing. Everything from coaches to student assistants, everybody is amazing.”

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“They’re definitely high high on my list,” Lindsey said. “They already were, but now they’re a top priority.”

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4* OT Kevin Heywood's OV might not happen either as he's expected to commit to Wisconsin.

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The visit to Auburn of Tuesday was one he had anticipated. After the visit, the Tigers are one of three schools standing out.

“Oh yeah, for sure, top five,” House said. “I would have to say Washington and Texas–yeah, those three.”

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The visit was an unofficial, but due to limited time and the fact that he lives in California permanently, the Tigers made it feel like an official visit.

“Oh yeah, it was good, I liked it a lot, for sure,” House said. “It was an unofficial, but we treated it kind of like an official, though. I was already out here, so we made everything feel like an official. They showed me everything that would happen on an official and we just treated it that way.”

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“Well, my mom moved to Atlanta so I was already down here,” House said. “He didn’t know I was moving to Atlanta, but when he heard, he was like ‘Oh yeah, we have to get you down.’ He offered me before I came.”

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What were some highlights of the visit?

“Just talking and sitting down with Coach Roberts and him showing me where I would play,” House said. “They like me at nickel, like multiple positions, sending me off the edge and blitzing a lot. I also liked just walking around, getting to see the dorms and everything of that nature. It was a great visit for sure, the hospitality was A1.”

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Is House actually going to take an official visit?

“We were close to scheduling it this weekend as a matter of fact,” House said. “I’m leaving Thursday, we were going to push the flight back, but I feel like it was a little too cluttered. We had a sit down and talked about it. We treated it like an official. I personally think official visits are just for show. The reason why I’m taking an official to Texas is because I haven’t been down there. They offered to pay, I haven’t been down there once, so might as well take an official. I’m not basing my decision off of my official visits. I’m able to make a decision off of the unofficial.”

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House pretty much saw what he needed to see from the visit.

“They showed me everything I would see on an official: the dorms, the campus, except for the bells and whistles like the nice dinners. That stuff–I mean, I don’t even really like that stuff.”

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“They’re not really recruiting me at backer, they have me listed down as a nickel/DB,” House said. “Not even linebacker–which is great to me, that’s good.”

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According to House, other schools have brought it up, but not quite like Auburn.

“Washington brought up some nickel, but I think weak side linebacker,” House said. “A lot of schools are recruiting me as a ‘Will’, but I like that Coach Roberts could see my versatility. He could see that I’m able to do things like play nickel, cover, and do things of that nature. I like that, I really appreciate that he’s able to see that I’m an athlete instead of just one position.”

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House and his mother met with Roberts and Tigers’ coach Hugh Freeze during the visit.

“I really liked him, he told me his background, told me his story,” House said. “I appreciate his authenticity. He sat down, taught me his philosophy, what he’s bringing to Auburn, and I think it’s coming up for Auburn. I really like him, he seems like a real genuine guy. A guy who cares about his players. Not only if they’re performing for him, but even if they do have a bad game, it seems like he’s a coach that will be on you, discipline you and things of that nature, but also be there for you.”

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House does not need to be close to California, he can play anywhere.

“I don’t care, I don’t care where I’m at, I just want to play ball, man,” House said. “It doesn’t matter, whatever is the best situation. Especially now that my mom is down south–it really doesn’t matter to me anymore. I was already liking a couple of schools down south like Tennessee. I visited there a couple of times, but you know things don’t work out like you think. SEC is SEC, man. I want to compete, I want to play.”

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When might a final decision come from House?

“Before my senior season, for sure,” he said.

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Will he visit again before his decision?

“Maybe if I’m down here again,” House said. “He (Roberts) said if I really liked another school, don’t just commit on the spot. Come back, he wants me to come back for an official if I really like another school. And, I would do that. Just because I’m not taking an official there does not mean they are not up there on my list.”

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Did House’s mother enjoy the trip?

“She liked it, she liked all of those coaches,” House said. “She wants me to go to a school that’s kind of closer to her now so she could come to all the games.”

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