Tiger Tracker: August 23rd-25th

Every Auburn commit sans Colby Wooden was in action this weekend. It was a huge weekend for Auburn’s wide receiver commits while the Tigers’ newest DB commit impressed as well. A few more Ws in the columns this week too for these future Tigers.

I will do my best to update this post with any stats or highlights I see come out in the next day or so.

Auburn Commits

• 5* LB Owen Pappoe (Grayson, 1-0) - After dealing with a week of negative press following some drama around an alleged practice walkout last week, you could tell this Grayson squad was ready to prove to everybody that they are far from “soft”. The Rams destroyed the Tucker Tiger 48-7 on national television Saturday. Pappoe had a 1 yard rushing touchdown to go along with a strong showing from his linebacker position. He’s gonna be a lot of fun to watch in an Auburn uniform next season.

Next Week: Bergen Catholic (0-0)

• 4* WR George Pickens (Hoover, 1-0) - Hoover was absolutely dominant Saturday against the 2017 Alabama 6A state champs. No one was more dominant than George Pickens. Auburn’s stud wide receiver showed why ESPN continuously referring to him as the “13th ranked WR” is comical catching 8 passes for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns on the way to a 52-14 beatdown of the Indians. He flashed all the traits that make him special: great size, quickness, freak athleticism, strength and attitude. Despite what ESPN announcers might have implied during the game, Pickens is still solidly committed to Auburn. He told AuburnUndercover’s Keith Niebuhr his commitment to the Tigers is “really strong”. He will no doubt use all of his official visits but I still see him signing with the Tigers in February. Next week, the Bucs take on power house program out of Washington DC in St. John’s.

Next Week: St. Johns (1-0)

• 4* QB Bo Nix (Pinson Valley, 0-1) - On the other sideline, life was not so much fun for Auburn’s quarterback of the future. It became clear quickly that his group, while very talented, are nowhere near the same level across the board as the Hoover Bucs. In their defense, not many programs in the country are. Nix struggled out the gate, opening 0-5 but settled in after that and had a strong performance finishing 20-38 for 205 yards and a touchdown. Drops made his stat line look a lot worse than his actual performance but what really jumped out from this game was his maturity. Despite a bad start, drops from teammates and the general fact that his team stood no chance, Nix kept competing. His body language never changed and he even lead a late touchdown drive in the 3rd quarter. Pretty soon he will get the pleasure of tossing the ball to George Pickens which can do wonders for your stat line, just ask Robby Ashford (who was tremendous in his own right).

Next Week: Ramsey (1-0)

• 4* CB Zion Puckett (Spalding, 1-1) - Down 26-8 at halftime against #4 ranked Carver in 5A in the state of Georgia, the Jaguars put together an incredible comeback ending in a 36-33 victory. Puckett did a little of everything including two carries for ten yards, two receptions for 17 yards, five tackles and two long kick returns. Check out his highlights below.

Next Week: Oconee County (1-1)

• 4* DL Jaren Handy (Hattiesburg, 2-0) - In the 97th edition of the “Little Brown Jug” game, Handy’s Hattiesburg team defeated Laurel 41-20. The Tigers’ defense was a big reason thanks in large part to Jaren Handy. Handy had 7 tackles, three going for a loss and forced a fumble. Through two games it’s pretty easy to see why the big man was one of Rodney Garner’s top targets in the 2019 class.

Next Week: Moss Point (1-1)

• 4* OG Keiondre Jones (Callaway, 1-0) - Give the Opelika Bulldogs credit, they had the Cavaliers on the ropes for much of the game but a strong 2nd half surge was too much for them to withstand. Jones and his Callaway squad secured a well fought 35-21 victory. Jones helped pave the way for stud 2020 ATH and Auburn target 4* Tank Bigsby to rush for over 200 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Next Week: LaGrange (0-1)

• 4* ATH Jashawn Sheffield (Frederica Academy, 0-2) - It’s been a frustrating start for Frederica Academy. This week, Sheffield’s squad fell 7-6 in OT against Valwood, the same program that knocked them out of the playoffs last year. Shaffield, however, had a much stronger performance this week including a nice punt return.

Next Week: Lanier County (0-2)

• 4* DB Cam’Ron Kelly (Oscar Smith, 1-0) - Auburn’s newest commit does it all for his Oscar Smith team but his biggest impact is on the offensive side of the ball at quarterback. Kelly totaled 186 total yards off offense and found the endzone twice in an impressive 41-26 victory over West Forsyth. On the other side of the ball, the Titans didn’t even attempt a pass to Kelly’s side of the field. Here’s Kelly’s thoughts after the big win.

Next Week: BYE

• 4* CB Jaylin Simpson (Frederica Academy, 0-2) - To compound things for the Knights, Simpson suffered a foot injury that could keep him sidelined for a few weeks according to AuburnUndercover’s Keith Niebuhr. Hopefully the young man can bounce back quickly. Before he left the game Simpson snagged an interception.

Next Week: Lanier County (0-2)

• 4* TE Tyler Fromm (Warner Robins, 2-0) - Tyler Fromm is still out with an injury but his brother and Mercer Bears QB commit Dylan Fromm continues to shred defenses. Warner Robins won a wild shootout over Locust Grove 50-40 with Dylan Fromm tossing four touchdown passes. Should be a lot of fun to see the brothers play together once Tyler can get back on the field. It’s clear this Warner Robins squad can put up some points in a hurry.

Next Week: Baldwin (0-2)

• 3* OT Justin Osborne (IMG, 1-0) - It was a much better week for IMG Academy as they traveled to Pennsylvania to take on the defending state champs Pine-Richland and left with a 42-0 victory. Because last week’s loss was in a scrimmage, IMG’s 38 game win streak remains in tact. Haven’t been able to find anything on how Justin Osborne performed.

Next Week: Norland (0-1)

• 3* TE Luke Deal (Emerald, 0-2) - It was another rough day for the Vikings as they fell to T.L. Hanna 47-7. The bit of good news is the one Emerald scoring drive occurred when Luke Deal took over as Wildcat QB and powered his way through the Hanna defense. You can see Auburn’s talented tight end in action below. He’s got a great chance of stepping into Chandler Cox’s 3-back spot next season.

Next Week: Abbeville (0-2)

• 3* DE Colby Wooden (Archer, 0-1) - No game this week for the Archer Tigers. Wooden’s squad will try and bounce back from a tough opening season loss next week against Spartanburg out of South Carolina.

Next Week: Spartanburg (1-1)

• 3* DL Jamond Gordon (Meridian, 1-1) - Meridian took down the Davidson Warriors out of Mobile, AL 21-13 to get their first W of the season. Haven’t found any details yet on how Gordon performed. The Wildcats face a very stiff test next week against the Central Red Devils. Keep an eye on Red Devils 2020 WR EJ Williams. He’s a top Auburn target that was close to committing before Clemson, Georgia and a slew of others jumped into the race.

Next Week: Central (1-0)

• 3* WR Ja’Varrius Johnson (Hewitt-Trussville, 1-0) - In a game featuring a ridiculous amount of Alabama commits (as the announcers kept reminding viewers) and the nation’s #1 ranked wide receiver Jadon Haselwood, the diminutive Ja’Varrius Johnson looked like he belonged. In fact, as the game went on Haselwood started covering Johnson as often as big time Alabama commit 2020 4* WR Dazalin Worsham. Johnson lead all receivers in the game with 11 catches for 154 yards. But it wasn’t enough as Cedar Grove pulled the upset 34-30.

Next Week: Cedar Grove (1-0)

• 3* C Jakai Clark (Grayson, 1-0) - Clark and his fellow big uglies up front helped pave the way for the Rams’ 255 rushing yards on the ground in victory over Tucker.

Next Week: Bergen Catholic (0-0)

• 2020 4* WR Kobe Hudson (Troup County, 1-0) - Troup County went on the road and whooped up on the Ridgeland Panthers 32-0 Friday night. Hudson is the Tigers QB this year and he has a strong showing accounting for three touchdowns on the evening including a 48 yard TD scamper. You can check out a general recap of the game below with a few of Hudson’s highlights.

Next Week: Columbus (1-0)

• 2020 4* DL Andy Boykin (Troup County, 1-0) - Boykin was a key piece of Troup County’s impressive defensive performance. Auburn continues to battle Georgia to hang onto the elite defensive line commit.

Next Week: Columbus (1-0)

• 2020 4* LB Demouy Kennedy (Theodore, 0-1) - It ain’t easy to win in Daphne as Kennedy’s Bobcat squad found the hard way in a 16-13 loss to the Trojans. Kennedy had a strong debut though as seen in highlights below. Travis Williams is going to continue to have a lot of talent to work with at linebacker.

Next Week: Baker

• 2020 4* Buck Quandarrius Robinson (Jackson-Olin) - The Mustangs opened the year with a bang knocking off Fairfield 24-14. Robinson helped this talented Jackson-Olin defense hold Fairfield’s offense to only 106 yards total on the day.

Next Week: Fairfield

• 2020 3* DT Damarjhe Lewis (Griffin, 1-1) - Griffin fell to 2019 Alabama 4* DT DJ Dale’s Clay-Chalkville team 35-20. Lewis was once again a disruptive force in the interior. If the big man can learn to finish more consistently he’s got a chance to be a special player at defensive tackle for the Auburn Tigers.

Next Week: Newnan (1-1)

War Eagle!