Tag: Wilky Denaud

Freshman defensive lineman Wilky Denaud enters the transfer portal

Wilky Denaud is the ninth Tiger to enter the transfer portal and the third along the defensive line.

After spending just one season on the Plains, defensive lineman [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag] has decided to enter the transfer portal. He did not play as a true freshman.

Denaud was a four-star prospect coming out of Fort Pierce, Florida, and is the first member of Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class to enter the portal. He was the No. 417 overall player and No. 49 defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite ranking.

He is the ninth Tiger to enter the transfer portal since the end of the regular season and the third along the defensive line, joining fellow reserves [autotag]Stephen Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Enyce Sledge[/autotag]. You can keep up with all of Auburn’s outgoing transfers HERE.

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Auburn Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 40 Wilky Denaud

He is looking to turn an impressive spring into early playing time.

Going into the 2023 football season, Auburn Wire will be looking at each scholarship player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for [autotag]Hugh Freeze[/autotag] in his first season on the Plains.

Up next is freshman defensive lineman [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag]. The true freshman was an early enrollee who impressed during the spring.

Preseason Player Profile

Hometown: Stuart, Florida

Height: 6-3

Weight: 276

Class in 2023: True Freshman

247Sports Composite Ranking

Four-Star / No. 77 in Florida / No. 49 DL

Depth Chart Overview

Denaud looks like he is ready to contribute due to his great frame and has some slight experience due to enrolling early. While this could lead to some early playing time, it is extremely tough for freshmen defensive linemen to have a significant role in the SEC.

Regardless of his role this season, he has the potential to be an impact player moving forward and is certainly a player to monitor.

Wilky Denaud’s Photo Gallery

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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Defensive tackle Jamarrion Harkless sets official visit to Auburn

Defensive tackle target Jamarrion Harkless will visit Auburn for their game against San Jose State.

Auburn is ramping up its pursuit of three-star defensive tackle [autotag]Jamarrion Harkless[/autotag] and it appears to be paying off.

Harkless, a former Illinois commit, has scheduled an official visit to Auburn. He will be visiting Auburn on Sept. 10 for the Tigers game against San Jose State.

Harkless is from Lexington, Kentucky, and backed off his commitment to Illinois earlier in August. Auburn is not the only SEC school in pursuit of the 6-foot-4, 290-pound Harkless. He will be taking an official visit to Ole Miss on Sept. 2.

Harkless is ranked as the No. 782 overall player and No. 86 defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also ranked as the No. 9 player from Kentucky.

Auburn currently has commits from two four-star edge rushers in [autotag]Ashley Willians[/autotag] and [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag] but is still looking for their first commitment from a defensive lineman.

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Auburn flips 4-star edge Ashley Williams from Nebraska

This is the first of several flips Auburn is looking to pull off.

[autotag]Bryan Harsin[/autotag] has preached that Auburn will not give up on recruits when they commit elsewhere and that as the Tigers win games he envisions Auburn pulling off several flips.

Well, they pulled off their first flip on Wednesday, landing four-star edge [autotag]Ashley Williams[/autotag] who was originally committed to Nebraska.

The Zachary, Louisiana native is the latest top recruit that the Tigers have been able to land out of Louisiana. He is ranked as the No. 350 overall player and No. 37 edge rusher in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is the No. 18 player from Louisiana.

Williams is Auburn’s second edge rusher in the 2023 class, joining four-star [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag], who committed to the Tigers on Saturday. The Tigers now have six commits, with all of them being four-star proepects.

Williams attended Auburn’s Big Cat event this past weekend and made it clear that Auburn was a major factor in his recruitment despite his commitment to Nebraska.

“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.”

With both Denaud and Williams in the class, Auburn has two edge rushers that will have a chance to compete for playing time as true freshmen next season. Derick Hall and Marcus Bragg will be gone after this season and Eku Leota likely will as well. Expect Auburn to try to add at least one more edge in the class but they can now afford to go after some of the top edge rushers in the class.

The 6-foot-5, 225-pound Williams is coming off a dominant junior season for Zachary high school. He made 89 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 14.0 sacks, and forced two fumbles as he helped lead them to a 5A state championship.

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Four-star DL Wilky Denaud commits to Auburn

Big Cat weekend hasn’t started and Auburn is already getting good news.

Auburn once again has momentum on the recruiting trail.

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Milky Denaud[/autotag] committed to the Tigers on Wednesday.

Denaud is the Tigers first commit along the defensive line and is expected to play the edge position when he gets to Auburn. He is ranked as he No. 362 overall recruit and No. 48 defensive lineman in the 247Sports Composite ranking. He is also the 66th best prospects from Florida.

The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Denaud is from Fort Pierce, Florida. While he is being recruited as an edge player by Auburn’s staff, he has the strength and size to also play inside to take advantage of mismatches.

He is the Tigers fifth commit of the 2023 recruiting class, joining four-star wide receiver Karmello English, four-star running back Jeremiah Cobb, four-star safety Terrance Love, and four-star interior offensive lineman Bradyn Joiner.

In addition to football, Denaud plays track and basketball at John Carrol High school. He made 55 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks in 10 games as a junior.

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Four-star DL Wilky Denaud to announce commitment Wednesday

This would be a great start to the Big Cat weekend for Auburn.

An important Auburn target has moved up his commitment date and it looks to be good news for the Tigers.

Four-star defensive lineman [autotag]Wilky Denaud[/autotag] will now announce his commitment Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. on the 247Sports YouTube channel.

The Fort Pierce, Florida native will be deciding between Auburn, FSU, Indiana, and Tennessee.

While listed as a defensive lineman, Auburn is recruiting him as an edge rusher, a role the 6-foot-4, 245-pound Denaud could thrive in. He has plenty of strength to get past opposing lineman and is also capable of playing on the inside to take advantage of matchups.

He is ranked as the No. 337 overall player and No. 47 defensive lineman in the 247Sports composite ranking. He is also the No. 65 player from Florida.

While he is not expected to attend the Big Cat event this weekend he visited Auburn in June and will officially visit for the Penn State game.

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Tigers listed in top four for 2023 edge rusher

2023 three-star edge rusher Wilky Denaud has put Auburn in his top four.

On3’s Keegan Pope reported that 2023 edge rusher Wilky Denaud was down to four schools on Friday. The schools listed were Auburn, Florida State, Indiana, and Tennessee.

Denaud is regarded as a three-star according to 247Sports’ recruiting rankings. He is listed at 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds. The native of Fort Pierce, Florida, also plays for his school’s basketball team and is also on the  track and field. Last season, on the football field, Denaud totaled 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one interception.

After releasing his top four schools, he scheduled four official visits. His first official visit will be to the Plains for the Tigers’ showdown with Penn State on September 16th. Then, he will follow that up with a visit to Rocky Top the next weekend on September 23rd. He will visit Indiana on October 7th before taking his final official visit to Florida State on October 14th.

Here is what On3 national recruiting analyst Gerry Hamilton said after a strong performance that Denaud had at an Under Armour Camp in Miami:

“[He] flashed some tremendous first and second step movement, and an impressive long arm for a young prospect, [Under Armour All-America Game and camps, college and NFL defensive line instructor] Nathan O’Neal was effusive in his praise of Denaud.”

The Tigers are profusely recruiting defensive linemen in the 2023 class. Mainly because the Tigers will likely lose numerous key contributors along the line after the season’s end. It will be interesting to see how the class comes together and how many defensive linemen the coaching staff can get committed. Moreover, it will be interesting to see if Denaud elects for the Plains.

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