This weekend has been a prime example of the ups and downs of recruiting season.
The final Sunday before National Signing Day on Wednesday is usually an eventful one. A "quiet period" for recruiting began at midnight Saturday night. Meaning that face-to-face contact was only permitted on-campus. Sunday marked the final day before the "dead period" begins, meaning no more face-to-face contact between coaches and recruits. The final official visits are wrapped up, and un-committed recruits begin to narrow their choices. So, what kind of roller coaster did Auburn fans ride this weekend? There have been a few ups, downs, and even a couple of barrel rolls in the past few days ...
On Friday and Saturday, news began to trickle out that Georgia Tech offensive line commit Will Adams had decided to take a last minute official visit to Auburn. Adams is 6'7, 275, rated a 3-star by the recruiting services and just so happens to be the high school teammate of Auburn commit JaQuay Williams, who has worried Auburn fans the past week with his flirtation with Georgia. JaQuay made the trip to Auburn with Adams and by all reports, both had a good trip. Both elected not to give interviews on Sunday as they left. Will Adams switch his commitment to Auburn? A report on GT's Scout site stated that Adams had indeed switched his pledge. However, it has not been confirmed by Adams or anyone close to him. Did Auburn's coaching staff firm up the commitment of JaQuay? Williams tweeted that he will announce between Auburn and Georgia on February 1.
Top prospect Arik Armstead was scheduled to make his announcement Sunday afternoon. Auburn was a finalist and reports on Saturday indicated he had narrowed his list to three, including AU. Armstead is from California and in the end, the desire to stay on the West Coast was too much. Armstead committed to Oregon.
A report on Florida's Rivals site late Sunday afternoon stated that Leonard Williams had narrowed his list down to Florida and Southern Cal. Williams is a highly recruited defensive line prospect that had long been considered an Auburn lean. The elimination of Auburn from consideration came as a surprise to everyone who follows recruiting. Attempts to contact Leonard by representatives from Auburn's various recruiting sites were unsuccessful. However, they did speak to his coach who called the report "inaccurate" and that he still considered Auburn to be Williams' leader. The Florida site that made the initial report later posted a story quoting Williams via a Facebook chat the seemed to back up their initial claims. However, no one else has spoken with Williams to confirm the report. So, does Auburn still have a shot? If the Tigers were eliminated suddenly, what happened? We may not know until Wednesday.
Alex Kozan, an offensive line recruit out of Colorado, was thought to be announcing his choice on Sunday between Auburn, Iowa, and Michigan. As of 10 pm Sunday night, that decision had not been made. There were a few tweets late Sunday night from fans of Michigan and Iowa that Kozan had chosen Auburn, but no confirmation or reports from credible sources. Then, shortly before midnight it was reported by several recruiting sites that Kozan had made Iowa his choice.
The next couple of days leading up to signing day are likely to be much the same. There will be some reports of good news and some with bad news. Take it all with a grain of salt and remember that nothing is final until the ink is dry. Wednesday is likely to be another roller coaster ride, so buckle up and hold on. It's going to be a wild couple of days.