Jayln Crawford – Syndication Server

Auburn announces changes to football staff

One longtime Auburn coach’s departure makes way for an Auburn alum to return home.

The first major shakeup of the 2023 offseason has officially taken place.

Before Auburn’s TransPerfect Music City Bowl loss to Maryland on Saturday, it was announced that former Colorado defensive coordinator and Auburn alum [autotag]Charles Kelly[/autotag] would join the staff as a co-defensive coordinator.

Sunday, it was reported by TexAgs that Auburn secondary coach [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag] is expected to take on a defensive role on Mike Elko’s staff at Texas A&M, thus paving the way for Kelly to replace him.

Kelly joins Auburn’s staff after building a successful track record at Alabama. Tennessee, Florida State, and Georgia Tech. Before joining Deion Sanders’ initial staff at Colorado in 2023, Kelly served as the assistant defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Alabama for four seasons. During that time, Kelly worked with several great athletes such as DeMarcco Hellams, Brian Branch, Jordan Battle, and Xavier McKinney. He was also a part of the 2020 staff that led Alabama to a College Football Playoff National Championship in 2020.

Kelly is also known as an avid recruiter. According to 247Sports, Kelly was responsible for being the head recruiter for nine five-star recruits during his coaching career. Several recruits he has worked with in the past include Caleb Downs, Will Anderson, Isaiah Bond, and Aaron Beasley.

McGriff departs Auburn after completing his third stint as a defensive assistant coach. He was responsible for being the secondary recruiter for recent Auburn signees such as [autotag]Amon Lane-Ganus[/autotag], [autotag]Kensley Faustin[/autotag], [autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag], and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag].

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Jalyn Crawford becomes latest 2024 commit to shut down recruitment

The four-star cornerback is “locked in” with Auburn.

[autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag]’s commitment to Auburn in July was a turning point for the program.

Crawford became Auburn’s 11th commitment on July 15. At the time, Auburn had the nation’s No. 37 class for the 2024 cycle and was ranked near the bottom of the SEC. Since then, the Tigers have earned four commitments and have climbed to No. 14 in the 247Sports rankings.

Crawford appears to be all-in with his commitment. In a recent interview with Christian Clemente of Auburn Undercover, he says he is “100 percent locked in with Auburn”, thus shutting down his recruitment.

Crawford joins a growing list of 2024 commits in shutting down their recruitment. He follows [autotag]Walker White[/autotag], [autotag]A’Mon Lane[/autotag], [autotag]J’Marion Burnette[/autotag], and [autotag]Joseph Phillips[/autotag] in publically announcing their shut down.

Crawford is the No. 15 cornerback for the 2024 class and is the No. 20 overall prospect from the state of Georgia. He is one of eight commitments from the 2024 cycle that is rated four-stars or higher by 247Sports.

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Auburn football cracked the top five of this recruiting category over the weekend

Auburn has put together a stellar 2024 recruiting class up to this point, and it may be better than most think.

Auburn football fans have had plenty to cheer about over the last month, as their favorite program has continued to rise in the 2024 recruiting rankings.

After securing eight commitments since July 4, the Tigers have climbed into the top 25 in recruiting after spending several weeks in the mid-40s. The biggest jump has taken place over the last three weeks. Since landing four-star cornerback [autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag] on July 15, Auburn has climbed from No. 37 to No. 16. That rise in stock is due mostly to the commitments of two-five star players and the recent pledge from four-star athlete [autotag]Jalewis Solomon[/autotag].

Auburn is No. 16 in 247Sports’ rankings and No. 14 in On3’s, but that does not tell the full story. The industry rankings combine overall talent, plus the number of commits. The Tigers are ranked lower than expected due to only having 15 commitments through August 5, which same number as Kentucky, Texas, South Carolina, and Alabama, However, only Missouri has fewer commitments.

When it comes to the “quality over quantity” factor, Auburn has one of the best classes in the nation, as every commitment averages a grade of 90.75. Auburn has seven commits with a grade of 90 or higher, with the remaining eight being on the cusp of earning a 90 grade.

How does that compare to the country’s top programs? Here is a look at the current 2024 recruiting rankings based on average commit grade:

Auburn named a ‘recruiting winner’ for the month of July

The month of July was an exciting one as far as recruiting goes.

There were few teams across the country that had a more enjoyable month in the world of recruiting than the Auburn Tigers had in the month of July.

Hugh Freeze landed six talented pieces from the 2024 cycle to his recruiting class, which was headlined by flips by five-stars [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag] and [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag]. Because of the Tigers’ success on the recruiting trail in July, On3 placed them in a group filled with July recruiting “winners.”

Auburn joins several big-name programs such as Ohio State, Georgia, and Tennessee as winners for the month. On3’s Keegan Pope acknowledges that Hugh Freeze is doing what he does best.

Among the biggest reasons for bringing Hugh Freeze to Auburn was his ability to stockpile talent. He has done so through the transfer portal this offseason, but what he’s done on the recruiting trail has been even more impressive. In the span of just a few days, Freeze flipped not one, but two five-stars committed to Georgia and Alabama. He started last week by beating out Nick Saban to flip UGA linebacker commit Demarcus Riddick and beat Saban again a few days later by flipping wideout Perry Thompson.

Outside of Riddick and Thompson, Auburn added wide receiver [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag], linebacker [autotag]D’Angelo Barber[/autotag], defensive lineman [autotag]Malik Blocton[/autotag], and cornerback [autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag] to his recruiting class during the month of July.

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The aftermath: 2024 SEC recruiting rankings following Big Cat Weekend

The Auburn Tigers are among the nation’s biggest movers following a successful weekend.

What a weekend it was on the Plains.

Big Cat Weekend has officially wrapped up, and it was one of the most successful events in recent memory. Auburn made a great impression on several recruits, as many have now placed the Tigers high on their radar.

In even better news, two talented wide receivers announced their commitment to Auburn. Five-star [autotag]Perry Thompson[/autotag] flipped his pledge from Alabama, and [autotag]Malcolm Simmons[/autotag] elected to stay close to home with his commitment.

Those two talented additions go hand-in-hand with five-star [autotag]Demarcus Riddick[/autotag], who flipped from Georgia to Auburn ahead of Big Cat Weekend.

How much has Auburn climbed in the recruiting rankings following their successful week? The answer is quite a lot. Two weeks ago following the commitment of four-star defensive back [autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag], the Tigers were No. 37 overall in 247Sports’ 2024 recruiting rankings. Now? The Tigers are in the top 25.

Here’s a look at the updated SEC recruiting rankings from 247Sports as the calendar flips to August.

Four-star CB Jayln Crawford commits to Auburn over Florida, LSU

Crawford is Auburn’s 11th commitment of the 2024 cycle, and its seventh four-star.

The Auburn Tigers have improved its 2024 recruiting haul by adding another four-star prospect to its list.

[autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag], a four-star cornerback from Lilburn, Georgia, announced Saturday that he will play college football for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and the Auburn Tigers. He chose Auburn over Florida and LSU.

Ahead of his commitment, Crawford told Steve Wiltfong of 247Sports that he is excited about the path that Freeze is laying for the program.

“It’s very close and once they offered me they started talking to me and there was a lot of communication. I can see the program going somewhere. With the new class, all the players, all the coaches, they’re saying this place is going somewhere with Hugh Freeze.”

Crawford began trending toward Auburn on Wednesday when Wiltfong submitted a crystal ball prediction to Auburn. Bryce Koon and Blake Alderman, who cover LSU and Florida respectively for 247Sports, also gave Auburn a crystal ball on Friday night. Auburn was given a 93.4% chance to land Crawford as of Friday night by On3.

Crawford is the seventh four-star prospect to commit to Auburn in the 2024 cycle and joins [autotag]Jayden Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]A’Mon Lane[/autotag] as cornerbacks who have committed to the class.

Crawford is a 6-0, 180-pound cornerback from Parkview High School in Lilburn, Georgia. He is the No. 15 cornerback for the 2024 class and is the No. 21 overall player from the state of Georgia.

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Four-star LSU target to announce commitment July 15

LSU is in the mix for the services of a four-star corner from Georgia.

A top 200 prospect is set to announce his commitment on Saturday, and LSU is among the finalists.

[autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag] of Parkview High School in the Atlanta area will decide between LSU, Auburn and Florida.

According to On3’s Prediction Machine, Auburn is the favorite to land Crawford. The 247 Crystal Ball has it split 50/50 with LSU and Auburn, but the Auburn prediction is much more recent.

LSU’s 2024 class is already in a good spot with secondary players but Crawford would strengthen the top of a class that lacks a high-volume of top 200 players.

Bout that time!!🫨@ParkviewFB @ChadSimmons_ @JeremyO_Johnson @RustyMansell_ @RyanWrightRNG @InsideHashes @BHoward_11 @FloridaGators @AuburnFootball @LSUfootball pic.twitter.com/ExVtCSscak

— jalyn crawford (@jalyn_crawford) July 10, 2023

It would also bolster Brian Kelly’s goal of getting young talent in the DB room so LSU isn’t forced to rely on the transfer portal like they have the last two years at cornerback.

Crawford’s highest ranking comes from Rivals, where he’s ranked as a top-10 corner in the class and a top-15 player in the talent-laden state of Georgia.

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Jayln Crawford includes in Auburn in top four, will announce commitment this summer

Auburn has been expedited to Crawford’s top four following a successful official visit.

The coaching staff at Auburn put together another successful official visit last weekend. It was so enjoyable, that one prospect has expedited Auburn into his top four choices.

[autotag]Jayln Crawford[/autotag], a 2024 four-star cornerback from Lilburn, Georgia, recently visited Auburn and says that it was an “enjoyable experience.”

Crawford tells Auburn Undercover that he got to spend time with [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and [autotag]Wesley McGriff[/autotag]. He even got the chance to catch up with true freshmen [autotag]Terrance Love[/autotag] and [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag], players that he has gotten to know over the years.

“They just talk to me about the atmosphere and what all goes around and how it really goes down at Auburn,” Crawford said of his conversation with Love and Lee. “They just said it’s a great place and you can’t go wrong. It’s very important because I get to see the inside and how they really do things and what it’s all about.”

Crawford has already visited Florida and will take official visits to LSU and North Carolina this month before announcing his commitment in July. Auburn and LSU each have a crystal ball prediction from 247Sports, with the most recent crystal ball coming from Steve Wiltfong, going to LSU.

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