Fair warning this is going to be a long post. Most major programs a week out from early signing period have the majority of their class in place and are looking to close on a few high profile targets. But given the absolute bananas coaching carousel this off-season and Bryan Harsin’s more methodical, patient recruiting process, Auburn heads into next week with a lot still up in the air.
It honestly feels like a more old school National Signing Day when you’d take off work or skip school to watch the theatrics of major college programs attempting to predict the mind’s of teenage athletes. Or was that just me….
Auburn currently has the 34th ranked class in the country and the 13th ranked class in the SEC per 247 Composite. Those are very un-Auburn like numbers and there is a noticeable portion of the fanbase on edge about where things might be going. Given the fact we just witnessed one of the most epic collapses by an Auburn football team that I can remember this past November, I understand their reservations.
But it would rival giving up 40 unanswered in Jordan-Hare to a Mike Leach offense or failing to complete one of the biggest Iron Bowl upsets in history despite having a 99.9% win projection with less than 2 minutes to go for the Tigers to finish ranked 2nd to last in the conference this recruiting cycle. The real question is how high is the ceiling in 2022? To be honest, I didn’t think it would be very high a couple of months ago. However, all the coaching change craziness and the absolutely insane Iron Bowl atmosphere along with Auburn’s relentless pursuit of some big time prospects, the Tigers are in position to have one of the strongest closes in college football.
Finishing is not something Harsin’s program did well on the field to end the season. It’s something he HAS to do on the trail over the coming days.
Let’s take a look.
Quarterback (1-2)
Auburn’s three year starting QB and AU legacy has yet to confirm he’s coming back next season because that’s just how things are these days on the Plains. The Tigers have flirted with the idea of taking a 2nd quarterback all cycle but obviously if Bo bolts for the NFL or shockingly enters the transfer portal then I would expect Bryan Harsin to look for a replacement via the portal.
Commits
- 4-star Holden Geriner – Geriner wasted no time taking to social media to reaffirm his commitment following Mike Bobo’s ouster. Auburn’s longest tenured commit has been one of the leaders of this class and is completely bought into what Bryan Harsin is selling as his vision of the program. Geriner is also putting together a monster senior season and will play for a state title this Friday. I don’t think he’s ready to be a day 1 starter on the Plains but he’s the prototype for what Harsin wants running this offense in the future.
Targets
- 4-star Tanner Bailey – Following the news that Mario Cristobal was headed to Miami, long time Ducks commit Tanner Bailey announced he was stepping back from his pledge. The Gordo High School standout is an Auburn legacy and would jump at the opportunity to play for the Tigers. The big question is whether Auburn will make a move. We will likely know this weekend if he shows up for an official visit. Something I am keeping a close eye on in the coming days.
- 3-star Bennett Meredith – When it looked like Zak Hill would be Auburn’s new offensive coordinator this was a name I was going to keep a close eye on. Meredith had an excellent senior year with Hoover and was previously committed to Northwestern. However, he recently decommitted from the Wildcats with the Sun Devils having made a major move. If Hill was coming to the Plains, it would not have surprised me to see Auburn make a late offer. Now, I am not so sure but he’s still a name I am tracking.
Running Back (2)
It seems certain at this point that Auburn will take two running backs. If Tank were to enter the portal Auburn would likely look for a third via transfer but I refuse to consider that reality just yet so we will stick with two for now. That final running back spot appears down to two names.
Commits
- 4-star Damari Alston – One of Auburn’s most vocal recruiters, Alston is completely locked in with the Tigers despite the OC change. He continues to work hard behind the scenes trying to recruit other big name players to join him on the Plains. I am not sure there’s ever been a player as active as a recruiter as Alston. Oh and he’s a pretty durn good back too.
Targets
- 4-star Tre’Vonte Citizen – Following an in home visit from Carnell Williams last Sunday, Citizen chose to back off his LSU pledge. The nation’s #9 back is unquestionably Auburn’s top target at running back and they are throwing everything into completing this flip. But this recruitment is still very much up in the air including whether or not he signs next week. Florida, now lead by Billy Napier who has built lots of strong Louisiana connections, is attempting to make a late push and might be getting him on campus for an official visit this weekend. It remains to be seen what new LSU head coach Brian Kelly decides to do but you would have to think he’d make getting Citizen back into the class a top priority. Whole lot of turns left in this race.
- 4-star Justin Wiliams – Williams’s patience was finally rewarded at the Iron Bowl when Auburn extended an offer. Williams, despite being committed to West Virginia for much of the fall, was a regular attendee to games at Jordan-Hare. He’s someone Auburn RB coach Carnell Williams loves. But Auburn won’t give him the green light until they have gotten a firm red one from Citizen so the dance continues. Meanwhile, Tennessee is looking to capitalize on the delay and will be hosting Williams for an official visit this weekend. He took one to the Plains last weekend and announced on social media these are his final 2 teams. How Auburn handles this final RB spot in the class will be fascinating to watch over this next week.
Wide Receiver (4-5)
Auburn has already lost one player to the portal and I expect more defections before the 2022 season. This was a glaring weakness for the Tigers this past fall and I think the staff would be completely fine overturning this room over the off-season. There are some critical battles down the stretch that could turn this from a pretty good group to one of the strengths of the class. Oh and the Tigers are swinging for the fences in the portal as well.
Commits
- 4-star Omari Kelly – Despite the WR and OC coaching changes, Kelly appears to be solid to the Tigers. The Hewitt-Trussville star could feasibly play all 3 wide receiver spots in Auburn’s offense and has a chance to be an early impact player for the Tigers.
- 3-star Jay Fair – Fair is criminally underrated by most recruiting services. The speedy wideout remains solidly committed to the Tigers despite the coaching changes. He’s someone that Auburn targeted fairly early on as a must get and he’ll have an opportunity to see the field early in 2022.
Targets
- 4-star WR Darrius Clemons – This has been a wild ride of a recruitment and we aren’t close to done. Clemons was the very first recruit Bryan Harsin offered after taking the Auburn job and has been near, if not at the top of the recruiting board the whole cycle. The Tigers felt great about where they stood heading into the season and then the Ducks WR class fell apart. Following 2 decommits, Oregon made it clear the big man could stay close to home and it appeared that Auburn was done. But then Mario Cristobal took the Miami job and now things have swung dramatically back in the Tigers direction. Just a week ago Auburn was not planning on flying out to see Clemons but are now expected to be in Portland tomorrow in hopes of locking down the big WR. Michigan is working hard to get a late OV from the playmaker and USC under Lincoln Riley is also trying to get involved. As of today though the Tigers look to once again be the team to beat.
- 4-star Antonio Williams – Outside of his son, the recruit that was likely most impacted by Mike Bobo’s departure was Williams. Bobo was the lead recruiter for the South Carolina native who took an official visit for the Iron Bowl. He claims the Tigers remain a factor but this coaching change paired with a recent Clemson offer makes it unlikely the explosive WR chooses the Tigers.
- 3-star Marquarius White (Tennessee) – I’m a big fan of Vols commit Marquarius “Squirrel” White and it turns out so is AU WR coach Eric Kiesau. The Tigers started turn the heat up after the change at WR coach and are hoping to get him on campus for an official visit this weekend. UGA is also heavily involved. White plans to make a final decision next week.
- 3-star Camden Brown – Remember this name? Over the summer, Brown was set to take an official visit where he was likely going to leave the campus committed to the Tigers. But Auburn wasn’t ready to take him at the time and cancelled the visit. He eventually committed to Pittsburgh but following an impressive senior season is back on the market and looking at some big time programs including Auburn. He finally got to take that official visit last weekend and it doesn’t appear he’s holding any grudges against Auburn. However, UGA offered last week and are making a really strong late push. They’ll host him on an official visit this weekend. This has been a wild recruitment so it’s hard to see where it ends but my gut says Brown will be playing in the SEC next year.
- Theo Wease (Oklahoma) – It did not take long for Oklahoma players to hop into the portal following Lincoln Riley’s shocking bait and switch. One of those players is former 5-star Theo Wease who missed all of 2021 with an injury. However, he’s expected to be one of the top WRs in the portal and Auburn’s coaching staff has wasted little time getting involved. Kiesau is reportedly in constant contact and working to land an official visit. Wease doesn’t seem to be in a hurry so this recruitment is likely to last into 2022. Let’s see if the Tigers can land another former 5-star wideout from the portal.
