Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Could be a fun week ahead
Auburn ended the month of May on fire. They landed three commitments in one day, flipped their top QB target two days later and beat out a number of top schools to secure the pledge of one of the nastiest interior offensive lineman in the 2021 class. In early June, Auburn flipped one of their top tight end targets from the instate Longhorns. On top of that news, momentum was building that Auburn had surged ahead for two of their top wide receiver targets.
4-star WR Christian Leary surprised everyone by committing to Alabama out of the blue. 48 hours before his actual announcement, it leaked that 3-star WR Adonai Mitchell would be flipping to UGA not AU. 4-star S Kamren Kinchens elected to stay home instead of playing on the Plains. Top OL targets 5-star OT Tommy Brockermeyer and 4-star C James Brockermeyer committed to the Tide. 4-star BUCK Jeremiah Williams was supposedly going to announce a commitment before deciding to postpone. News then came out that the Gators had actually pushed ahead in that race and it took a surge from the Tigers to keep that recruitment alive.
Then the calendar turned to August.
On the first day of the new month, Auburn snagged two important commitments along the defensive line. First, 3-star DE Tobechi Okoli surprised quite a few folks with his decision to commit to Auburn. Late that evening, 4-star DT Marquis Robinson decided to go ahead and jump on board as well.
All of a sudden, Uncle Mo had paid a visit to the Plains. Turns out, he might not have left either.
Tomorrow, a long time top WR target for the Tigers, 4-star Malcolm Johnson Jr, is expected to announce his college of choice.
I will be Committing
— Malcolm Johnson Jr ⁵ (@TTG_Malcolm) August 13, 2020
-Friday 14th
-10 am
Auburn has always been in the race for Johnson but it always felt like they were running 3rd at best. At one point in time, most believed that Maryland or Oklahoma would land the speedster with the deciding factor possibly being who snagged 5-star QB Caleb Williams. But both teams have since been dropped from the list and Johnson has instead focused in on the top 5 teams in the SEC.
Alabama reportedly had momentum earlier this summer and were hoping to pair two of the fastest players in this class at wideout in Johnson and Leary. UGA also loomed large with some even believing the Dawgs had the edge just a few weeks ago.
But with a decision set to come in under 24 hours, Crystal Ball picks and RivalsCasts are pouring in for the good guys. Johnson took a road trip to visit all the top programs on his list sans Florida. Seeing Auburn’s campus in person appears to have been the final piece the Tigers needed to secure one of the fastest players in the country.
Nothing is certain in recruiting so you have to still consider Alabama and Georgia as legitimate threats to steal the Virginia native away but all signs point to the Tigers landing a massive boom tomorrow morning.
Next week likely won’t be quiet either for the Tigers. On Friday, August 21st, 4-star S Ahmari Harvey plans to announce his decision.
I’ll be announcing my commitment on August 21st . #LLG #LL32 #LLN
— A3☔️ (@Ahmari_saucy) August 12, 2020
Harvey had been penciled in as a lock to Florida State’s class for sometime now with only the instate Gators believed to be a real threat. But Wesley McGriff hasn’t relented and Auburn quietly emerged as one of his top teams a couple months ago. With a decision on the horizon, it’s now believed they have surged to #1.
This would be a huge pickup for the Tigers after missing on 4-star S Kamren Kinchens last month. Harvey is an extremely versatile athlete who could play a multitude of positions on the back-end of Auburn’s defense though his future is likely at free safety.
He might not be the only DB addition next week either. One of Auburn’s top instate targets, 3-star CB Kamari Lassiter is also expected to go public with a commitment. The state’s 11th ranked player per 247 Composite sports one of the strongest offer lists you will see this cycle. Auburn, Alabama, Clemson, Georgia and LSU are all involved in this race. At this time, it’s believed to be mostly a Tigers-Dawgs fight with possibly Clemson lurking as a threat.
While his rating might not necessarily blow you away, understand this would be a massive win on the trail for the Tigers. It would mean beating out Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney for a kid they would absolutely take if he wanted on board.
It’s also not out of the question a surprise boom could emerge before months end as well. There are whispers 5-star CB Ga’Quincy McKinstry is closing in on a decision and Auburn might have emerged as the team to beat. 5-star LB Smael Mondon could commit at anytime though getting an understanding of who sits where on his board is difficult. Still, consensus appears to be Auburn holds a slight edge over the Dawgs. 4-star CB Nyland Green has hinted at an early commitment though it’s believed UGA, LSU and Tennessee are surging in that race. There are also flip targets 3-star WR Hal Presley (Baylor) and 3-star WR Roc Taylor (Tennessee) that Auburn continues to work on. Plus, if 3-star OT Rod Orr or 3-star OL Rayvon Crum land offers they will likely jump on board immediately.
All that to say, expect things to get much busier on the trail for the Tigers to finish off this month. There’s so much uncertainty surrounding college football right now that it would be nice to have some good news to talk about. Chances are good we will get quite a few opportunties to do so before month’s end.
War Eagle!
from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2020/8/13/21366483/auburn-football-recruiting-booms-coming-soon-malcolm-johnson-ahmari-harvey-kamari-lassiter
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