Auburn Football Recruiting: More Targets Nearing Decisions

August is going to be a very busy month for recruiting. Unfortunately, I am not so sure Auburn is going to end up on the positive side of many of these decisions. Here’s who is expected to commit in the coming weeks

• 3* LB Rosendo Louis - August 16th
• 4* DE Azeez Ojulari - August 17th
• 3* CB Jamari Brown - August 17th (247 is having some glitches which is why he shows up as 2*)
• 4* WR Kearis Jackson - August 19th
• 4* RB Asa Martin - August 24th

I feel pretty confident in saying that Auburn is probably not the pick for any of those guys. Louis is trending to Florida State right now, though I am not 100% sure if he would be take for the Tigers as of this moment. I could be wrong and that could obviously change. Ojulari is a top AU target but that seems to be shaping into a Dawgs/Gators battle with UGA looking like the team to beat. Brown landed an Auburn offer recently but it sounds like he might not be a take just yet as the Tigers are being patient at cornerback. Kentucky looks like it will be the pick. It would be the shock of the year so far if Kearis Jackson didn’t pick UGA. That means the only prospect that looks like Auburn has a legitimate shot to get would be Asa Martin but there seem to be a whole lot of confidence coming out of the Alabama side which never bodes well for Auburn.

Then there’s the news that’s already happened. 3* DB Juanyeh Thomas chose the Yellow Jackets earlier this week but that isn’t a huge surprise as AU has filled up at safety recently. Auburn’s other top RB target, 4* Dameon Pierce, surprised everyone by committing to Florida. It was thought to be an AU/UF battle but many thought the decision wouldn’t come until after the season. However, the Gators are on a tear right now on the trail and stayed hot by getting Pierce on board. Add in 4* DT Coynis Miller now pushing his decision back after visiting Florida, along with some buzz that 3* DE Andres Fox might be trending LSU and it just seems like the big August dreamed up earlier this summer isn’t going to happen....

Fun article so far right? Well don’t worry it’s not all bad. I do think there are two guys Auburn could get on board before kickoff. They are two familiar names that have been on commit watch for sometime now but it seems like they might finally be narrowing in on a decision: 4* WR Matthew Hill and 4* Buck Richard Jibunor.

Yes I know, I have been hyping Hill committing to AU since basically I started covering recruiting for this site but he has said recently a decision is likely to come in the next two to three weeks. It appears the battle is down to Auburn, Alabama and South Carolina. Make no mistake, the Tide would love to have Hill but I get the impression they are running #3 right now. The main challenger is South Carolina who seem to have sold Hill hard on the opportunity to play early. However, it still looks like the Tigers are the team to beat and should hopefully get some good news in the near future.

Jibunor on the other hand, might not commit in August but he could in early September. He’s made it known he wants to take a few more visits before making the final call, most notably to Florida who is becoming increasingly annoying to deal with on the recruiting trail. He’s made it clear though that one school continues to stick out to him and it sounds like many think that school is Auburn. For Auburn, landing Hill and Jibunor before kickoff against Georgia Southern would be a great way to head into the 2017 season. A season that has the opportunity to be special which in turn could help this 2018 recruiting class turn into something special as well.

2019 Ranking Updates

Yes you read that right. I am about to talk some about prospects that won’t see a collegiate football field for two years. But recruiting starts early people!

Rivals released their first rankings for the 2019 season this past week. Auburn’s only commit, 4* WR George Pickens, debuted at #131 making him the 22nd ranked wide receiver and 6th ranked player in the state of Alabama. That’s pretty darn good for a guy that has seen limited varsity snaps in his career. A strong junior year should see the AU commit rise even higher in future rankings.

Here are ten names to file away for next year’s recruiting class that made it into Rivals first 2019 rankings:

• #4 - 5* WR Jadon Haselwood (UGA Commit) - He’s currently committed to the Dawgs but has said in the past he still plans on taking his visits. If Auburn can both land Justin Fields and demonstrate a renewed passing game, that recruitment could get interesting.
• #8 - 5* C Clay Webb - You don’t often seen centers given five stars and ranked in the top 10 but Webb is not your usual center prospect. The Oxford, AL native has been dominant in camps this summer and has been on Auburn’s radar since he was an 8th grader. Unfortunately, Alabama seems to be trending in his recruitment.
• #19 - 4* LB Owen Pappoe - There’s no doubt who is #1 on Travis Williams’s want list for 2019. Pappoe was the first ever rising sophomore to participate in The Opening Finals and hold scholarship offers from pretty much everywhere.
• #41 - 4* QB Bo Nix - That last name should be familiar to AU fans. Patrick Nix’s son is expected to be one of the top QB targets in the 2019 class. I think he has a shot to end up a 5* prospect in next year’s class.
• #76 - 4* LB King Mwikuta - Mwikuta has been very honest about the fact that Alabama is his leader. But he’s also made it clear that AU has a real shot to land him considering he plans to visit for almost every home game he can get to this fall. A big year on the field could help the Tigers land the Troup County stud.
• #78 - 4* OT Amari Kight - The state of Alabama is loaded at OL in 2019. Kight joins Alabama commit Pierce Quick and Clay Webb in the top 100. Just like Webb, Alabama appears to be the favorite right now to land the 6’6” 300 lb monster out of Maylene, AL.
• #125 - 4* ATH Mark Antony-Richards - Miami is the apparent favorite for Richards as his older brother, Ahmmon Richards, signed with the Hurricanes over the Tigers in 2016. However, Antony-Richards had a lot of positive things to say about the Tigers on a recent visit and might not be a lock to follow his brother.
• #144 - 4* RB John Emery - Every year there is a RB that jumps to the top of my want list. Devan Barrett was that guy two years ago and this year it was Ohio State commit Master Teague. Emery is my guy in 2019. The Louisiana native is one of the smoothest runners I have ever seen coming out of high school and will be a top RB target for plenty of big time schools. LSU looks to be the early favorite.
• #188 - 4* WR Ramel Keyton - You might not find a WR prospect with better hands than Keyton. The 6’2” 180 lb wideout from Marietta, GA is already garnering plenty of interest from SEC schools, including Auburn.
• #221 - 4* DE Mohamoud Diabete - Here we go again. Seems like every year there is a player local to Auburn that the Tigers are battling the Tide to keep home, a battle AU often loses. Can Auburn change that trend in 2019 with Auburn High School’s Diabete?

War Eagle!