Belated 32 Days to Kickoff! - Montae Pitts

http://footballsaturday.blogspot.com/2006/07/montae-pitts-transfer-to-jacksonville.html

As we continue our march to kickoff, we take a look at the top 100 recruits to sign with Auburn of all-time*. The rankings are based on 247’s composite recruit rankings, which unfortunately only date back to 2000.

THE RECRUIT

One of the top recruits in the state of Alabama in 2002, and playing high school ball in Lee County and Lochapoka, Pitts was a must-sign for Tommy Tuberville’s Tigers. The Tigers did end up signing the two-way star, who was the second highest rated player in the signing class behind Ben Obomanu.

THE PLAYER

Pitts enrolled early in 2002, but before his football career even started, he left the team that spring to pursue his rap career. This was short-lived, though, as he returned to the team soon after. Please, for the love of god, somebody tell me that they have his music. TWER maybe?

Due to his brief absence, Pitts redshirted his freshman year as a wide receiver. Pitts would switch to corner in 2003, where he would spend the rest of his career. He was buried in the depth chart during the 2003 season, but by 2004 he was expected to start at corner, now a redshirt sophomore.

Pitts missed the season opener against ULM in 2004 due to a violation of team rules, though I’m not sure the story ever came out what it was about. I’m sure the Bunker had plenty of stories, but as a 9-year-old at the time, I’ll admit to being pretty oblivious to what a “Montae Pitts” even was. Pitts would start every game the rest of the season, though, having his most productive game in the Iron Bowl (8 tackles, 1 TFL).

Unfortunately for Pitts, he would lose his starting role after the Georgia Tech debacle in 2005, and the combination of David Irons and Jonathan Wilhite would start the rest of the season. Pitts remained the top backup, however, and added 43 tackles and an interception to his stat sheet.

In June of 2006, going into his fifth and final season, Pitts was charged with a DUI when he blew a 0.14. Pitts was “decided to transfer”, according to Tubs, and played his final year of eligibility at Jacksonville State.

Pitts seemed to be at the center of drama throughout his Auburn tenure, but he can’t be seen as a total bust in the way several other guys on this list have been. He was a starter on one of, if not THE, best defenses Auburn has ever fielded, and tacked on a second season of quality depth to go with it.

And again, if you have Pitts’s music, you can DM me on twitter. That’s @ryanssterritt.

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