Friday Ramblings

Go ahead and look around the interwebz, there ain't a ton of fresh news. What does happen, we got you covered right here. The tidbits are few, but they are juicy. So, without further wasted space, let's get to them...

Recruiting....

How and why escapes me, but the media and fans don't get it yet. Auburn has a coaching staff that works very hard at recruiting, and they are very good at it. It's not a secret to anyone in the game.

Gene Chizik assembled a top notch core of recruiters in Jeff Grimes, Trooper Taylor, Tommy Thigpen, Jay Boulware, and Curtis Luper when he came to Auburn, and we all know that our chief competition had stepped up their game with the hiring of their new coach. Annually the month of June is where Chizik and company really start to shine. This month so far, is no exception.

The recent commitment of Jahmere Irvin-Sills was a steal. He will either be that diamond in the rough, and prove to be a fantastic sleeper, or move up the rankings, and become a solid 4 star on most of the recruiting sites. In an article on al.com we get this from his coach...

"He's fast, he's got great reaction skills and he's extremely aggressive,"

If you are into those sorts of things, then the next big name on the docket will make your weekend, if not your month. The nations #1 ranked offensive guard is in Auburn for the weekend to check everything out. He lists Auburn very high on his list of choices, and he happens to be very good friends with the above mentioned Jahmere Irvin-Sills.

Say what you want, this is great news. Yes we have a plethora of offensive linemen. Yes we had arguably the top two back to back recruiting classes along the offensive line. Getting a guy of this caliber, to come and visit Auburn from Maryland, is a big deal. The fact that he has a good friend already choosing the Tigers? Well, that don't hurt either.

Both of these young men also happen to be friends with Angelo Blackson who was recruited to Auburn from Bear, Delaware. Barring an injury, the world is going to find out just how good Angelo Blackson is this season.

Basketball....

We found out late last week that Auburn has drawn DePaul University as it's opponent in "The Big East/SEC Challenge" this upcoming season.

Coach Barbee is tasked with installing his style of play on a surprisingly high number of new players. Auburn basketball had a very high turnover since the past season ended. Joel Erickson writes...

Coming off of a 15-16 season, Auburn will have a completely revamped roster. Only five players — Rob Chubb, Frankie Sullivan, Allen Payne, Chris Denson and Noel Johnson — return from last year’s team, and Johnson has been suspended indefinitely.

Coach Barbee, who has had very good success at his former stops, has run into a storm while at Auburn. Let's hope that the waters smooth, and the sailing from here on out is smooth for Coach Barbee, and our beloved Auburn Tiger basketball team.

Cool runnings....

If any of you can remember the movie with John Candy about the Jamaican Bobsled Team, and their quest to become an Olympic qualifier. Those brave young men became heroes in their country.

Harry Adams is fast becoming a hero in the Auburn athletic department. Adams tried his hand at football. When he realized his calling was always to be a super star track and field athlete. It has worked out well for Adams, who set an Auburn record in the 100 meter sprint. His run of 9.96 seconds, came during the NCAA National Championships no less.

Adams had the top time on the day and recorded only the second wind legal sub-10 second mark in Auburn history, passing Coby Miller's previous school record of 9.98 seconds from 2000. The mark is the sixth-fastest in the world in 2012 and the top mark by a collegian. He is the only collegiate runner to record a wind-legal time below 10 seconds this year.

Read the entire story HERE. Way to go Harry, and WAR EAGLE!

Focus on the team....

Corey Lemonier came from humble beginnings. "The son of Henry and Francoise Lemonier, proud and hard-working Haitian immigrants, Corey Lemonier grew up in just west of Miami in Hialeah, a mostly low-income, high-crime city" writes Phillip Marshall of 247 sports. Marshall's story is of an unlikely trio of players who are also close friends.

Lemonier's story is of hard work, an ethic that he no doubt learned from his parents, and fits well with the Auburn family values. In the story by Marshall he ends with this...

Asked about the preseason honors that have come his way, Lemonier shakes his head and speaks for them all.

"That's all hype," he says. "I can't let it get in my head. I'm just focused on this team."

Snails pace....

Every summer, when the news of our Tiger football team slows to a snails pace, most Auburn beat writers, and blogs try to use their filler material to keep you interested in what they have to say. You will see a lot of "series" style posts that they have been working on, and some even take their summer vacation, or forced leave of absence. There are a couple of the series style posts that I look forward to every year. One is the post spring look at our upcoming opponents that our very own Acid Reign does such a fantastic job with.

The other one comes from our friends over at The War Eagle Reader. They take a look at the most recent recruiting class, and introduce us to each new Auburn Tiger. Aptly named Surveying the Recruits, this series is very well done, and worth your time to check it out.

My take....

Auburn is poised for a truly good football season. Many of the media are picking us fourth in the west, and around 7th to 9th overall in the conference. We will get into my predictions and how I think things will work out in another post. Suffice it to say, that many of the media are not looking at the total picture when evaluating this team, and Gene Chizik. My advice to them is to overlook us at your own peril.

We are a long way away from September 1st in the eyes of college athletes, and there is no way of knowing what the future holds. Still, this team is showing signs of maturity, even if the overall age is young by conference standards. Look for the positives once summer practices and 2-a-days start. You'll see what I mean. Until then, be safe, and have a great weekend.

WAR EAGLE!