Tag: auburn football recruiting

UAB head coach Trent Dilfer aims to out recruit Auburn

Dilfer stated his goal of making UAB “the next best option” for in-state recruits outside of Alabama.

Newly named UAB head football coach Trent Dilfer has an accomplished career in the sport.

He played 13 NFL seasons where he threw for 113 touchdowns, and led the Baltimore Ravens to a championship in Super Bowl XXXV. He now takes on a new role, leading a college football program.

He, like Hugh Freeze, had three weeks to maintain UAB’s 2023 class following the departure of Bryant Vincent, who served as interim head coach for the Blazers following the sudden retirement of Bill Clark in June.

The Blazers reeled in the No. 98 recruiting class of the 2023 cycle after the early signing period ended, signing five players from the state of Alabama. The Blazers’ class was the third-best from Alabama, trailing Alabama and Auburn, and beating Troy, South Alabama and Jacksonville State.

Following the end of the early signing period, Dilfer stated he wants UAB to be a strong candidate for in-state talent. He even stated his goal of out-recruiting in-state programs, such as Auburn.

“We’re looking for the best players in Alabama,” Dilfer said following the early signing period. “If they go to the University of Alabama, that’s awesome. But we’re going to be the next best option.”

If [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] were still the head coach at Auburn, I could definitely see this goal being realistic. After all, Harsin missed on the opportunity to land Quinshon Judkins, the Pike Road running back who rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman at Ole Miss in 2022.

Harsin also did not give four-star safety [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] the time of day. He failed to close the deal on four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag]. Luckily, [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and staff worked hard over a three-week span to keep those top prospects from Alabama within the borders.

Dilfer will work hard to make that dream a reality. But if Freeze and company continue to recruit in-state talent at a high level, it will be quite a climb. It will be a battle to keep an eye on.

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Auburn not completely out of the running for Keldric Faulk

The four-star Florida State commit visited Auburn Sunday. Could this mean good news for Hugh Freeze and staff?

Sunday was a busy, yet exciting day for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and Auburn football.

Ahead of the early signing period that begins Wednesday, the Tigers secured two flips: Tennessee pledge four-star safety Sylvester Smith and former Arkansas commit Stephen Johnson, a three-star defensive lineman. The addition of Smith and Johnson to the class runs the flip total to five since Freeze took over in late November, and he appears to have one more flip in mind.

[autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag], a four-star defensive lineman from Highland Home, reportedly paid a visit to campus on Sunday afternoon according to Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports. Faulk, a Florida State commit, visited Tallahassee on Saturday, but gave Auburn one last chance to sway him to stay in the state.

Faulk chose Florida State over Auburn on July 5 and said “something dramatic” will need to happen for him to abandon his commitment to Mike Norvell’s program. However, he has developed a relationship with defensive assistant [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] and has gotten to know defensive line coach [autotag]Jeremy Garrett[/autotag] during the last several weeks.

“He’s a really great dude,” Faulk said of Garrett. “We talk on the phone for more than hour. He just wants to get to know me better in this short amount of time.”

Faulk is the No. 8 player in Alabama and the No. 8 defensive lineman nationally in the 2023 cycle. He chose Florida State over Auburn and Clemson in July.

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Four-star safety decommits from Tennessee following visit to Auburn

It appears that “flip season” on the Plains is far from over.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] appears dissatisfied with the number of flips he has produced since taking the head coaching job at Auburn in late November.

After Freeze successfully flipped three-star cornerback [autotag]Colton Hood[/autotag] from Michigan State and three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Tyler Johnson[/autotag] from Texas Tech, another talented prospect could be on his way to The Plains after decommitting from an SEC rival.

[autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag], a four-star safety from Munford who has been a Tennessee pledge since April 26, surprisingly backed off his commitment to the Volunteers late Saturday after paying a visit to Auburn.

He announced his change of heart on Instagram. In his post, he thanked Tennessee for giving him an opportunity to continue his career as a student-athlete, but that Knoxville was not the place for him.

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One could infer that his decommitment from Tennessee while on a visit to Auburn means good things for the Tigers. But, to confirm the smoke, Auburn received crystal balls on Saturday from Ryan Callahan of GoVols247, Jason Caldwell and Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover and 247Sports Director of Football Recruiting, Steve Wiltfong.

Smith is the No. 17 safety from the class of 2023, and the No. 16 overall prospect from the state of Alabama. According to 247Sports, Smith’s visit to Auburn was his first since taking an unofficial visit on Sept. 4, 2021.

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Three-star EDGE rusher decommits from Auburn

The 2023 prospect cites recent changes in the coaching staff as the reason for re-opening his recruitment.

Auburn has suffered another de-commitment this week from the 2023 recruiting class.

[autotag]Ashley Williams[/autotag], a three-star EDGE rusher from Zachary, Louisiana, announced Thursday that he is no longer committed to Auburn, and will re-open his recruitment. He cited that recent changes within the staff led to his decision.

“I would like to thank all the coaches and staff at Auburn that recruited me and believed in my talent,” Williams said in a tweet. “However, after recent staff changes and conversations with my family, I have decided to recommit from Auburn and reevaluate other opportunities.”

Williams flipped from Nebraska to Auburn in August after a heavy pursuit by Bryan Harsin.

“Auburn is one of the only schools that’s still talking to me after my commitment,” he said. “That means a lot. Auburn is still in my heart.”

Williams has not paid a visit to a college campus since taking his official visit to Auburn in September. This calendar year, Williams has visited Florida State, Nebraska, and Minnesota.

Both On3 and 247Sports feel that Auburn still has a great shot at landing Williams despite his recent change of heart. On3’s recruiting prediction machine gives Auburn a 79.8% chance to sign Williams, while four writers at 247Sports have forecasted Williams to sign with Auburn. At the time of this post, Auburn has three 2023 commits that play defensive line… [autotag]Darron Reed[/autotag], [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag], and [autotag]Brenton Williams[/autotag].

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ESPN analyst Tom Luginbill links transfer quarterback to Auburn

Luginbill says there is one transfer portal quarterback that would pair well with Hugh Freeze’s offense.

Newly named head football coach [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has hit the recruiting trail hard since being named head coach on Nov. 28.

Freeze said in his introductory press conference that he feels that he can get Auburn to a respectable level of competition fairly quickly thanks to the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal.

“Ten years ago, you didn’t have (NIL and the transfer portal), and so the turnaround is a little different. Kids couldn’t just leave a school and come to Auburn. They can now,” Freeze said. “I do think we’ve got to be careful to get the right kids that fit our culture, but at the same time, it’s much easier to add to your roster now than it was when I took over at Ole Miss and they hadn’t won an SEC game in two years.”

One area that needs a boost is the quarterback position. [autotag]Robby Ashford[/autotag] improved over the final four games of the season, especially in his run game. He is still a prime candidate to remain QB1 heading into 2023, but the position as a whole needs depth.

Zach Calzada has already entered the portal, and the status of [autotag]T.J. Finley[/autotag] is unknown for next season. If Finley leaves, Auburn will have three scholarship quarterbacks on its roster, including [autotag]Holden Geriner[/autotag] and 2023 commit [autotag]Keyone Jenkins[/autotag] in addition to Ashford.

It would not hurt to have an experienced quarterback on the roster, whether it be to provide a “shot in the arm” or for leadership purposes. Out of all the current quarterbacks occupying the transfer portal, there is one that is viewed as a perfect match for Freeze and Auburn.

ESPN College Football analyst Tom Luginbill joined The Next Round on Wednesday to discuss Auburn’s options in the transfer portal. He says that Auburn should pursue Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders as a transfer for a myriad of reasons, including from a momentum standpoint.

“When you marry Spencer Sanders and that skillset, and what we saw in the past from Hugh Freeze’s iterations with what we saw from Malik Willis, and even though it’s a one-and-done-type scenario, what if it helps you get off the mat, right,” Luginbill said on the show based out of Birmingham. “What if it helps you accelerate the improvement of the program, (and) generate momentum with the program? I like that marriage of the offensive identity and the skillset and a guy that’s played a lot of football, been highly successful.”

Sanders is seen as a prolific passer. In four seasons at Oklahoma State, Sanders threw for 9,953 yards and 67 touchdowns. This season, he passed for 2,642 yards and 17 touchdowns. If Freeze is looking for a one-year option to better develop his quarterback rook, Sanders may be a viable option.

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4-star DL Kavion Henderson changes top 5, sets commitment date

The Tigers will be battling Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia and Oklahoma for the defensive lineman.

After landing three commitments in the past five days Auburn has regained momentum on the recruiting trail. More good news could be on the way as four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Kavion Henderson[/autotag] included the Tigers in his updated top five list.

Henderson, a member of the 2024 recruiting class, now has Auburn, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Georgia and Alabama as his top schools. The Crimson Tide have replaced Cincinnatti who made his original top five.

Despite the shakeup of his list, he is still planning to announce his decision on Nov. 6 at 3 p.m.

Henderson is ranked as the No. 193 overall player and No. 17 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking. The Leeds, Alabama native is also the No. 9 player from Alabama.

Auburn currently has two commits in the 2024 cycle, four-star quarterback Adrian Posse and four-star cornerback A’Mon Lane.

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3-star offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson commits to Auburn

Three-star offensive lineman Gernorris Wilson is Auburn’s second commit in two days and their second along the offensive line.

Auburn is starting to pick up momentum on the recruiting trail.

After landing a commitment from three-star defensive linrman [autotag]Jamarrion Harkless[/autotag] on Sunday, the Tigers landed three-star offensive lineman [autotag]Gernorris Wilson[/autotag] on Monday.

Wilson helps address Auburn’s major need along the offensive line and the staff believes he could play tackle or guard. This makes his commitment even bigger since Auburn needs help at both spots and could mean earlier playing time for the 6-foot-5, 285-pound Wilson.

The Lakeland, Florida native is ranked as the No. 1,145 overall player and No. 86 interior offensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the No. 162 player from Florida

He is the 10th member of Auburn’s recruiting class and second along the offensive line, joining four-star center Bradyn Joiner. He is the third member of Auburn’s recruiting class from Florida, four-star wide receiver Daquayvious Sorey and four-star edge Wilky Denaud are also from the Sunshine State.

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Auburn lands four-star wide receiver

Auburn may have lost wideout Karmello English, but it just picked up another four-star receiver:

After four-star wideout Karmello English de-committed from Auburn on Thursday, the Tigers and [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] have found his replacement.

Four-star wide receiver [autotag]Adam Hopkins[/autotag], the No. 1 wideout in Georgia, committed to the Auburn Tigers on Thursday. Hopkins becomes the Tigers’ highest-rated recruit of the 2023 class and serves as a bit of a softener after English de-committed just a day earlier.

Hopkins was at Jordan-Hare for Auburn’s victory over San Jose State, and his commitment boosts Auburn’s recruiting ranking from No. 69 in the nation to No. 61 in the nation. With English de-committing, Hopkins now joins Daquyvious Sorey as the two wideout commits for Auburn’s class of 2023.

Hopkins has a lot of versatility as a receiver and his larger stature allows him to play just about anywhere in the receiving corps. Hopkins found success at his high school playing defensive back, too, but it’s very unlikely that Auburn uses him in that capacity once he joins the team.

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Auburn offers top 10 RB in 2024 recruiting class

Auburn has entered the mix for four-star running back Jordan Marshall.

Auburn has their running back in the 2023 recruiting class in four-star [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag]. The Tigers can now turn their attention to the 2024 recruiting class and [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] is going after one of the best in the nation.

On Friday the Tigers extended a scholarship offer to four-star running back [autotag]Jordan Marshall[/autotag]. He is ranked as the No. 186 overall player and No. 10 running back in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 5 player in the state of Ohio.

The 5-foot-11, 195-pound Marshall is from Cincinnati, Ohio, and already has over 20 scholarship offers ahead of his junior season at Archbishop Moeller High School.

The Tigers already have two commits in their 2024 recruiting class in four-star quarterback Adrian Posse and four-star cornerback A’Mon Lane.

While Williams has done a great job landing running backs he prioritizes, it may be tough to pull Marshall away from Ohio State, who already offered Marshall.

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2023 Auburn Tigers football recruiting tracker

The running list of 2023 prospects who have committed to the Auburn Tigers’ current recruiting class.

During the first year of the [autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] era, the new head coach secured a top-20 class for 2022. The Auburn Tigers finished No. 19 overall and No. 7 in the SEC. Looking at the 2023 cycle, the head coach needs an even better class.

It wasn’t a roaring start to the recruiting cycle as Auburn had just one commit over the first three months of the year. They would pick up safety Terrance Love in April but added three more in the month of July.

This list will be updated as more prospects commit to playing for Auburn and head coach Bryan Harsin.