Tag: auburn football recruiting

Auburn football landed four-star Carde Smith because ‘It feels like home’

Carde Smith breaks down why he committed to Auburn football this week.

Carde Smith committed to Auburn over the weekend, giving the SEC program another strong verbal in their impressive 2024 recruiting class.

A four-star offensive lineman from Williamson (Mobile, Alabama), Smith checks in as the No. 216 player in the nation according to 247Sports. ESPN ranks him among the top 30 offensive tackles in the class of 2024 and as part of their ESPN 300.

Florida State, Miami, Mississippi State and Tennessee were among the offers for Smith, who is a solidly built 6-foot-6 and 300 pounds.

Asked this week by USA TODAY High School Sports why he decided to stay in-state and picked Auburn, Smith’s answer was simple.

“Auburn feels like home,” Smith said.

“Me and coach Thornton (offensive line coach Jake Thornton) have a real good relationship. I have been on Auburn’s trail since June of last year and they have everything I want and more.”

Williamson is an agile and fluid mover at his size. He pulls well and gets downfield in his run-blocking. His movement shows athleticism that is unique given his frame.

There is no stiffness in his blocking and he bends well.

Finishing blocks and playing to the whistle, he relies on his natural strength at the high school level but has some nice tools to work with and develop at a Power Five program.

Auburn’s proximity and connection with him during his recruitment paid off in the end and helped guide his decision this week.

“Going to the games and having a relationship with them since last summer and building connections with the coaches and players,” Smith said about how Auburn came to feel like home.

Two 2024 commits are on ‘flip watch’

Auburn has put together a solid 2024 class so far. How close are they to losing two of its key components?

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has been praised for his efforts in putting together a stellar 2024 class in year one as head coach. As the season continues, there are two top commitments that Auburn will need to work hard in order to keep.

Four-star OL [autotag]Deandre Carter[/autotag] and four-star athlete [autotag]Jalewis Solomon[/autotag] were the subjects of On3’s interview with Auburn Live’s Jeffrey Lee this week. Lee told Josh Newburg of On3’s The Inside Scoop that those two are on high alert to flip, or even decommit.

Auburn beat out Texas for the commitment of Carter, but the Longhorns are far from out of it. Carter is set to officially visit Austin this weekend for Texas’ game with Kansas. Although Carter set the visit before committing to Auburn, Lee says there is room for worry.

“Anytime a commitment takes an official visit to another school I think there’s reason to be concerned,” Lee said. “If you want to look at the bright side on this, DeAndre Carter had planned this visit before he committed to Auburn … he gave (Texas) his word that he was going to visit for this game and he’s holding to it.”

As for Solomon, he chose Auburn over South Carolina during the summer. However, the Gamecocks were never out of the race. Lee describes Solomon’s thought process before ultimately committing to Auburn.

“He went from South Carolina, then he flipped to Auburn before the announcement. He went back to South Carolina about 15 minutes before the announcement. Then, his family was late to the announcement, delayed it an hour, and then he went back to Auburn, committed to Auburn,” Lee said. “He was so unsure, they were so even the day of his announcement — he’s certainly a guy you want to keep an eye on moving forward.”

According to 247Sports rankings, Auburn owns the No. 14 recruiting class of the 2024 cycle. Headliners include five-stars [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] and [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag], as well as four-star quarterback [autotag]Walker White[/autotag]. In order to hold on to a top 15 class, Hugh Freeze and company will need to keep up their efforts in order to secure Carter and Solomon’s signature in December.

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Nick Marsh commits to Michigan State

The four-star wide receiver has rejoined the Spartans.

Auburn target [autotag]Nick Marsh[/autotag] has committed to Michigan State. He originally committed to them on July 31, 2022 before reopening his recruitment on March 7.

Auburn quickly offered him a scholarship after his decomiitment and hosted him on a visit during March. However, it wasn’t enough to prevent him from reuniting with the Spartans.

Apart from Auburn, the highly-rated receiver chose the Spartans over programs such as Arkansas, Penn State and Pitt.

According to 247Sports, Marsh is a four-star recruit with a 0.9526 composite rating. He is the No. 99 ranked player nationally, the No. 16 ranked wide receiver and the No. 3 ranked player in the state of Michigan.

The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder is a three-sport athlete, also playing basketball and running track.

The River Rouge, Michigan native would have been the second wide receiver and the 10th player to join Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class.

Rodney Colton Jr places Auburn in top six

Colton has quickly become one of the areas most popular prospects for the 2026 cycle.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has ramped up Auburn’s recruiting efforts and has already gotten started on the class of 2026.

[autotag]Rodney Colton Jr[/autotag], an athlete in the class of 2026, listed his top six school choices and Auburn cut along with Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, LSU, and Tennessee.

His recruitment has taken off over the last two months. Liberty was the first program to extend an offer to Colton back on May 3. Since then, Colton has received offers from ten programs across the country. Auburn was one of five schools to offer Colton on May 3 according to 247Sports.

The Newnan, Georgia native is a 6-foot-1, 200-pounder who typically plays the nickel position. Due to his age, he has not received a rating from 247Sports, On3, or Rivals.

The rising sophomore is a big part of Newnan’s defensive secondary.

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Four-star LB Joseph Phillips commits to Auburn over Georgia, Tennessee

The Tuskegee product has elected to stay close to home by committing to Auburn.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] was not messing around when he said recruiting would be his top priority after taking over the Auburn football program in December.

Just days after Auburn landed the commitments of Kensley Faustin and Bryce Cain, the Tigers picked up the commitment of [autotag]Joseph Phillips[/autotag], a four-star linebacker from the state of Alabama.

According to 247Sports, Phillips has a composite rating of 0.9427. He is the No. 125 player overall, the No. 10 linebacker nationally and the No. 8 player in the state of Alabama.

The Tuskegee, Alabama, native attends Booker T. Washington High School where he recorded 75 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, nine sacks, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown in 2022. Additionally, he caught 29 passes for 336 yards and six touchdowns.

Phillips chose Auburn over Clemson, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M.

Phillips is the eighth player and the first linebacker to join Auburn’s 2024 recruiting class, which is ranked No. 24 nationally according to 247Sports.

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Four star OL Casey Poe lists Auburn in top eight

Auburn is in the running to land a 6-5, 280-pound interior lineman from Texas.

[autotag]Casey Poe[/autotag], a four-star interior offensive lineman in the class of 2024 listed his top choices in a tweet on his personal Twitter account yesterday.

Auburn made the list that included many top programs such as Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, LSU, Oklahoma, Baylor, and Texas Tech.

The Lindale, Texas native has a composite rating of 0.9356 according to the 247Sports Composite. Poe is also the No. 149 player in the class of 2024 as well as the No. 10 interior offensive lineman and the No. 27 player in the state of Texas. He also provides a big presence with a 6-5, 280-pound frame.

Ramping up recruiting efforts has been one of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag]’s top priorities since being hired as the program’s head coach in December.

Improving the offensive line has been the top focus in doing that and landing Poe would go a long way toward helping the new coach and his staff achieve that goal.

Poe has received one prediction to commit to Oklahoma from 247Sports, but it was only made with level six confidence. Additionally, there is still a lot of time in his recruitment so Auburn has not been ruled out as a candidate.

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4-star LB Joseph Phillips names his top schools

Class of 2024 linebacker recruit Joseph Phillips has named his top five schools

The Georgia Bulldogs are among the top five schools for elite linebacker recruit Joseph Phillips.

Phillips’ top schools are Georgia, Auburn, Clemson, Texas A&M and Tennessee. Auburn is considered the favorite, per 247Sports, to land a commitment from the talented class of 2024 linebacker prospect.

Georgia is one of the top schools in the country at recruiting linebacker talent and should not be counted out. UGA inside linebackers coach Glenn Schumann helped the Dawgs secure the nation’s best haul at the linebacker position in the class of 2023. The Bulldogs do an excellent job of developing linebackers and producing NFL draft picks.

Phillips is a four-star recruit. He plays high school football and basketball for Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee, Alabama. Phillips is ranked as the No. 197 recruit in the junior class. The four-star linebacker is considered the No. 17 edge in the country and the No. 14 recruit in Alabama.

The 6-foot-3, 225-pound linebacker has scholarship offers from great college football programs like Tennessee, Texas A&M, Alabama, Penn State, and Auburn.

The Booker T. Washington standout can dunk a basketball and has excellent athleticism. Joseph Phillips has great speed and is not afraid to make a big special teams play. The four-star prospect also plays receiver and tight end. He shows his basketball skills as a receiver and has some incredible jump ball catches in his highlights.

Kirby Smart and Georgia football have 12 commitments in the class of 2024. The Bulldogs have a commitment from five-star linebacker Demarcus Riddick, who is the No. 3 linebacker in the class of 2024. So far, Georgia has the nation’s best class of 2024.

Joseph Phillips announced his top schools via Twitter:

 

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Four-star LB Joseph Phillips includes Auburn in top five

Auburn is currently the overwhelming favorite to land the Tuskegee product’s signature.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff are looking to ride the momentum earned from the commitment of three-star tight end Martavious Collins by reeling in a local four-star linebacker for the 2024 recruiting cycle.

[autotag]Joseph Phillips[/autotag], a four-star linebacker from nearby Tuskegee, recently announced his top five college choices, and Auburn made the list. Phillips included Auburn in a list that features three other SEC programs in Georgia, Tennessee, and Texas A&M, with Clemson bringing up the rear.

Auburn is an overwhelming favorite to land Phillips, as the Tigers have one crystal ball prediction from 247Sports, and On3’s Recruiting Prediction Machine gives Auburn a 97.7% chance to earn his commitment. The coaching staff’s persistence has been vital in the Tigers becoming the favorite.

“I’d say (Auburn is) pushing pretty hard,” Phillips said in a recent interview with Auburn Undercover. “Any chance they get they want me to come up here, which is a good thing. I want to feel wanted, I say it all the time, it’s like having a girlfriend.”

Phillips is a four-star linebacker from Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee. According to 247Sports, Phillips is the No. 18 prospect from the state of Alabama for the 2024 class. The 6-3, 225-pound product recorded 75 tackles last season, with 19 being for loss.

According to Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, Phillips will announce his commitment this summer after he takes his five unofficial visits.

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Auburn interested in bringing new faces in during second transfer portal window

No position is off-limits for Auburn and Hugh Freeze when the transfer portal opens on April 15.

Spring ball is over for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers and the staff is is the roster evaluation stage. It is no secret that there are areas of the team that could use some improvement and Freeze has been vocal about his intentions to find the best possible fit for each position.

The quarterback position has been one of the biggest areas of concern for the roster. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag], [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] and [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] are the three options currently on the roster and each leaves something to be desired.

“I feel better than I did 15 practices ago,” Freeze said after A-Day. “I think from this point, now until the end of fall camp, there’s so much that needs to happen for somebody to solidify being ‘the guy.’ I think all have improved. I think all are still inconsistent with some things.”

An article from Auburn Undercover written by Christian Clemente lists some candidates that Auburn pursued in the winter. These include Greyson McCall from Coastal Carolina and Devin Leary from N.C. State. Neither option worked out for the Tigers, but Freeze is still trying to make not only the quarterback position but the roster as a whole, as deep as he possibly can.

Other positions of interest include offensive line, wide receiver, defensive line, and linebacker.

The transfer portal opens again on April 15th. In just a few days, Freeze and company will be able to go back to trying to put together the roster that will get Auburn back on track.

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Keldric Faulk listed among 2023’s most exciting signees

Faulk is already turning heads in the short time that he has been on campus.

The 2023 cycle, although with late momentum, was a great one for the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn ended the cycle by having the 18th-best class which included 10 four-star signees.  Many of Auburn’s signees were once committed to other programs before making the decision to sign with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Tigers.

After signing day, Rick Suter of USA TODAY High School Sports reached out to editors of all 24 College Wire sites to get their take on which signee would be the most exciting to watch over the next few seasons. When it comes to Auburn, Auburn Wire editor Taylor Jones selected Jack linebacker [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag].

Faulk, who was once committed to Florida State, became Auburn’s top signee as a four-star DL and the No. 9 overall prospect from the state of Alabama. He competed in spring practice with Auburn as an early enrollee, and has already received a compliment from Auburn defensive coordinator, [autotag]Ron Roberts[/autotag], who called him “a tremendous football player.”

Here’s what Jones has to say about Faulk ahead of the 2023 season.

Faulk is a four-star defensive end that flipped from Florida State to Auburn before signing day and became the top signee of the 2023 class. He won the AHSAA Class 2A lineman of the year award after recording 84 tackles for Highland Home High School. He is expected to play a hybrid role between Jack linebacker and defensive line, depending on the game situation.

For a look at other true freshmen to watch this college football season, check out this post from USA TODAY High School Sports.

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