USA TODAY High School Sports‘ Friday Night Notes is a weekly high school recruiting recap that looks at the latest news from around the country—from the Class of 2024 to ’25 and beyond.
We begin this week with the latest high school football recruiting news, hot off the presses.
This morning Andalusia (Ala.) four-star running back J’Marion “Phat” Burnette announced his commitment to Auburn.
WAR DAMN EAGLE🦅… pic.twitter.com/JMig2Q3dXJ
— J'Marion ‘‘Phat’’ Burnette (@JMarionBurnette) March 24, 2023
According to On3, Burnette had offers from 27 different programs. Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, Tennessee were also among his finalists.
As his nickname suggests, Burnette comes with plus size at his position, checking in at 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds. He’s put that huge frame to work, posting 3,724 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns on 513 attempts (7.3 yards per carry) over the last two seasons.
ESPN currently has him ranked No. 8 among running backs, while On3 has him as low as No. 28. Going by the composite rankings, he is No. 10 at the position in his class and No. 8 overall in the state of Alabama.
Burnette joins an already-loaded RB room at Auburn. He makes four hard commits for their recruiting class of 2024. They also have two four-star cornerbacks as well as Arkansas four-star quarterback Walker White. The group ranks No. 18 in the nation.