Tag: Kayin Lee

Zac Etheridge among top recruiters for 2023 cycle

Auburn signed 18 high school prospects during its’ early signing period window on Wednesday. Etheridge had a hand in at least half of those.

Outside of his amazing recruiting efforts in a short amount of time, Hugh Freeze has made two great decisions since being named Auburn’s head football coach on Nov. 28… retaining both [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] from the previous staff.

Both Williams and Etheridge have developed key relationships with high school recruits, which was instrumental in keeping the 2023 class together for the most part, and even helped in flipping talent who had previously committed elsewhere. Because of this, the latter is deemed one of the best recruiters in the country.

Auburn managed to sway several players away from other programs such as four-star EDGE [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag] (Florida State), four-star safety [autotag]Sylvester Smith[/autotag] (Tennessee), and four-star cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] (Ohio State) thanks to the efforts of Etheridge. Once the dust settled from the opening day of the early signing period on Wednesday, Etheridge found himself ranked No. 12 among the top recruiters for the 2023 cycle according to 247Sports.

Out of Auburn’s 18 high school signees, Etheridge had a hand in eight of them. He also was the primary recruiter of four-star running back [autotag]Jeremiah Cobb[/autotag], who will sign with Auburn in February. His efforts played a part in Auburn signing the No. 20 recruiting class according to 247Sports.

Etheridge joins the likes of Alabama assistants Freddie Roach and Robert Gillespie, Ohio State’s Brian Hartline, and Clemson‘s Nick Eason as assistant coaches who rank in the top 15 of college football’s best recruiters.

Here’s a look at the 2023 signees that were recruited by Zac Etheridge.

Auburn Football reels in top 20 class during early signing period

A program scraping the bottom of the SEC barrel just one month ago now sports a top-20 class.

One of the biggest surprises of the early signing period’s first day was the Auburn Tigers.

A program scraping the bottom of the SEC barrel just one month ago now sports a top-20 class thanks to the efforts of [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag], [autotag]Cadillac Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag], and the new-look staff that has been constructed over the last three weeks.

Auburn nailed down several of their most loyal commits on Wednesday, including OL [autotag]Bradyn Joiner[/autotag] and CB [autotag]J.C. Hart[/autotag]. The Tigers also received a couple of surprises in the form of CB [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] and EDGE [autotag]Keldric Faulk[/autotag], who flipped from Ohio State and Florida State on signing day respectively.

After the dust settled, Freeze said that he felt recruiting was “considerably behind” Auburn’s standard, and called the last two weeks of recruiting “wild.”

“It’s been a remarkable job by our on-the-field coaches who were actively out getting after it, but also the people who serve this program here in the building and made the families that came on the visits feel like there’s something special occurring here.I thought we really did well with the DB room and made some dents in our needs in the offensive line room. Edge guys I thought we did really well with on defense; we still have some work to do on the interior and on O-line. We’re really not through anywhere. We still have some big targets out there that hopefully we can close on now or in January.”

Out of the 18 signees that Auburn secured on Wednesday, seven of those are rated as four stars according to 247Sports, ranking them 20th overall according to the outlet’s recruiting rankings. Auburn’s signing class impressed the experts at On3, as they have the Tigers ranked No. 16 overall.

The early signing period continues through Friday, with national signing day taking place on Feb. 1, 2023.

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Thoughts on Ohio State’s disappointing early signing period results

It might have seemed like this was a bad day, but it wasn’t all bad #GoBucks

We all know how yesterday went, in the short term the Buckeyes looked very much like one of the losers of the day. Not only did they not get a verbal from either of the two 5-star prospects they were finalists for, [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei [/autotag] or [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag], they lost [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] as he flipped to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

To make matters worse, defensive back commit [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag] is still in the air, having tweeted he signed but no indication with who, [autotag]Miami (FL)[/autotag] being the other potential choice. Oh and transfer tackle [autotag]Ajani Cornelius[/autotag] chose Oregon over the Buckeyes as well.

It might have seemed like the sky was falling, but that’s not all that we can take away from the start to the early signing period. Find out what I thought about this disappointment and direction of [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] Football.

(Edit: as of 8:32 a.m. it has been reported by multiple outlets that Bonsu has officially signed with Ohio State)

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Another 5-star defensive end spurns Ohio State, picks Georgia

It hasn’t been an easy early signing period for Buckeye Nation #GoBucks

This was not how the Buckeyes wanted to finish the early signing period.

Yes, they signed defensive end [autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag], but they watched five-star California defensive end [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag] pick [autotag]Oregon[/autotag]. About an hour later, they learned [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] flipped from the Buckeyes to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag].

There was still another big fish left for [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag], Florida defensive end [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag]. Unfortunately, Wilson selected the Buckeyes’ [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag] opponent, Georgia.

This day has clearly been rough on Ohio State for numerous reasons. At one point, this class was a no-doubt top five group, but after a very poor closing, it’s barely hanging on to top 10 status.

After this disastrous finish, [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] has to go back to the drawing board and figure out how to stop this from happening in the future. On the bright side, there are still plenty of talented signees in the class that should have very successful Ohio State careers.

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Auburn flips four-star CB Kayin Lee

He is Auburn’s second flip of the day.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] has flipped yet another prospect.

The latest is four-star cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] who was previously committed to Ohio State before flipping to Auburn on Wednesday. Auburn missed out on Lee when he committed to Ohio State in June but [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag] kept working on the Peach State product and it paid off Wednesday.

Lee ranks as the No. 21 corner and No. 206 overall player in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is Auburn’s fourth highest-ranked commit.

The Ellenwood, Georgia native is Auburn’s 19th commit and their seventh flip. Auburn’s class now ranks 20th in the 247Sports’ rankings after landing Lee and flipping Kaldrik Faulk from FSU to start the early signing period.

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Breaking: Ohio State loses 2023 cornerback as he flips to Auburn

Not the best day for the Buckeyes #GoBucks

The Buckeyes program took another hit as this early signing period has been very rough on [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] and his coaching staff.

They added one player on Wednesday, Indiana defensive end [autotag]Joshua Mickens[/autotag], but missed on five-star DE [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag].

Now, Georgia cornerback commit [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag] has flipped his commitment to [autotag]Auburn[/autotag] and will sign with the Tigers. This one shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Lee was wearing Auburn gear during his state championship game, but this is still a big blow to the [autotag]Ohio State[/autotag] 2023 recruiting class.

Anytime you lose a commitment in a signing period it’s difficult, but when it’s a position of need and one that has seen so much turnover during the last few years, it’s stings even more.

The timing of this is unfortunate and puts the Buckeyes in a difficult position. Expect Day to hit the portal hard and look to who hasn’t signed in this early period to finish this class on the first Wednesday of February.

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Where each 2023 Ohio State football recruit landed on 247Sports updated rankings

It’s no surprise that this class is ranked as one of the best in the country. #GoBucks

When you assemble one of the top-rated recruiting classes in the country, you are bound to have plenty of players who are among the highest-rated in the nation. That is exactly the case for Ryan Day and his Ohio State Buckeyes football program.

The evidence is here, as 247Sports has updated their Top 247 recruits and it is littered with Buckeye commitments. In total there were twelve future OSU stars that made the list with room to add a few more before the early signing period and the traditional signing day in February. Find out below where each of those 12 verbal commits landed in the updated rankings.

(Note: This list has now been updated from 12 to 13 players with the verbal commitment from quarterback [autotag]Lincoln Kienholz[/autotag] on Wednesday, December 14th.)

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Auburn, Hugh Freeze working to flip Ohio State pledge

Auburn Football has had success flipping commitments so far, and they are nowhere close to being finished.

[autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] and his staff at Auburn football succeeded in flipping two Power Five commits last weekend, and it appears they are not finished.

Auburn has reportedly joined the sweepstakes for four-star cornerback [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag]. Lee, who is the No. 16 player for the 2023 class from the state of Georgia, is committed to Ohio State.

Lee has been on Auburn’s radar since his 10th-grade year, but the intensity has risen since the hiring of Hugh Freeze. Lee had not visited the Plains since receiving an offer from Auburn in August of 2020, but he took an official visit to campus on Dec. 2.

He told Chad Simmons of On3 that despite his commitment to the Buckeyes, Auburn still has a chance to earn his commitment.

“That visit really opened my eyes,” Lee told Simmons following his recent visit to Auburn (subscription required). “I have a good relationship with coach [autotag]Zac Etheridge[/autotag]. That is big for me. I see a good chance to play early there and the people take care of each other there.”

Lee’s season ended in heartbreaking fashion as his team, Cedar Grove, lost to Sandy Creek in the GHSA AAA finals at Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta last Saturday. Before the game, he was seen wearing Auburn gloves and bands around his ankles.

The early signing period begins Wednesday, Dec. 21. Kayin Lee will be a prospect to keep a close eye on over the next week.

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Two Ohio State recruits reaffirm their commitment to the Buckeyes

After some speculation of a flip, Ohio State gets some good news! #GoBucks

In the new world of college football, a verbal pledge doesn’t necessarily mean a whole lot. With NIL money aplenty and sometimes just straight bags of cash, recruits can be swayed to renege on their word for what might seem like greener pastures.

Ohio State fans are understandably a bit gun-shy when it comes to early commitments. The Buckeyes have been left at the alter more than their fair share in recent years and even recent weeks.

Names like Ty Lockwood, Dijon Johnson, Brock Glenn, and Mark Fletcher had all pledged to OSU only to back out and commit elsewhere. The latter two leaving Ryan Day without a quarterback or running back in the 2023 recruiting class.

No hard feelings. Fans just need to learn not to get too attached until pen meets paper on signing day. Of course, now the transfer portal threatens to woo our favorite athletes away even after signing … but that’s for a different discussion.

Buckeye Nation was given a little scare earlier this week when Cincinnati Winton Woods product, Jermaine Mathews tweeted that an “Important announcement was coming later”. Immediately Buckeye fans went into a downward spiral speculating that Mathews was going to flip to the Miami Hurricanes who had been working hard on the defensive back and were rumored to be offering stacks of cash for his services.

However, a few hours later, Mathews sent the following tweet and put OSU fans at ease that he would be heading to Columbus early.

Shortly after Mathews’ announcement, Kayin Lee, another highly touted cornerback, allowed Buckeye fans to breathe when he too reaffirmed his pledge to Ohio State. The Georgia native also plans to graduate from high school early and enroll at OSU in January.

After some transfers and missing out on a few corners in the past couple of recruiting cycles it seems that cornerback is a must for the 2023 class. With Mathews and Lee as well as Calvin Simpson-Hunt, it seems like the Buckeyes have a nice trio coming in.

So for now, fans can breathe a sigh of relief… at least until the next cryptic tweet gets posted.

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ESPN names this 2023 Ohio State verbal as their key commit

Who do you believe is the most important commit in the ‘23 class for Ohio State? #GoBucks

With the early signing period just around the corner and the fact that many players opt to end their recruiting at this time, it is time to look at who will be linchpins for every class. ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren looked at the top 25 classes and selected one recruit from each as their key verbal (subscription may be required).

For Ohio State, it was defense end [autotag]Jason Moore[/autotag], ESPN’s 53rd overall ranked player. VanHaaren views Moore as “a player who has room to refine his game, can be important in the pass rush.” He also mentions the possibility of adding [autotag]Keon Keeley[/autotag] (don’t expect it) and [autotag]Damon Wilson[/autotag] to the defensive line haul. He fails to mention [autotag]Matayo Uiagalelei[/autotag], who I believe is much more likely to join the class than Keeley.

VanHaaren is correct about depth at the position, as the Buckeyes have three seniors ([autotag]Zach Harrison[/autotag], [autotag]Javontae Jean-Baptiste[/autotag], and [autotag]Tyler Friday[/autotag]) as the position. [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] will have to find some younger players to step up next year to play opposite [autotag]J.T. Tuimoloau[/autotag].

The improvements on the defense do warrant a defender to be selected, but in my eyes it’s a member of the secondary that needs to be highlighted. The defensive back commits of [autotag]Calvin Simpson-Hunt[/autotag], [autotag]Malik Hartford[/autotag], [autotag]Kayin Lee[/autotag], [autotag]Jayden Bonsu[/autotag], [autotag]Cedrick Hawkins[/autotag] or [autotag]Jermaine Matthews[/autotag] would be on the list, but they are ranked lower than Moore.

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