Not anything too major happening, but a few things you ought to be aware of:
Steven Clarks your socks off. New punter commitment Steven Clark‘s decision to commit just ahead of the Tennessee game meant it’s taken me a few days to look over the guru reviews, but turns out it’s worth the wait:
ESPN’s Craig Haubert said of the news, “Auburn will likely not finish No. 1 or even ahead of Alabama in the class rankings (OH NOES–ed.), but the Tigers could claim the special teams recruiting title. They already have Under Armour All-American place kicker Cody Parkey on board, the No. 1 overall kicker in this class, and now they added talented punter Steven Clark … He is a punter with great size and a big leg … (Clark) plays tight end and defensive end in high school and looks the part, but has exciting upside as a punter.”
“It may not be easy to get excited about a kicking prospect, but Tigers fans should realize they landed a very talented punter with nice upside and the tools to be a draftable punter.”
ESPN assigns Clark a borderline four-star grade of 79, but you know what I really am excited about? Getting one of those awesome SportsCenter highlights where our 6-4, 225-pound TE-in-disguise punter jacks someone up, that’s what I’m excited about.
Of course, I’d be even more excited if I could watch video of Clark punting, but punters don’t get Internet highlight films …
or do they?
OK, now I’m excited. And in all seriousness: no, a punting commitment isn’t the biggest deal in the world. But it has to be a good sign that when Auburn decided they needed a punter, they went out and got one of the very best ones available. Other titles might be even better, but that doesn’t mean I’m turning down a “special teams recruiting title,” that’s for sure.
Reed. As huge a pull as it would be for Auburn to land receiver superprospect Trovon Reed, I’ve never been too bullish on Auburn’s chances–snatching a recruit of Reed’s quality out of Louisiana from under LSU’s noses isn’t the sort of thing that happens all that often, and LSU’s allegedly (allegedly) improving chances with Reed best-buddy Lache Seastrunk don’t help.
But the whispers I’ve seen suggest Auburn fans are getting a little more confident with Reed, and lo and behold they’re not the only ones expecting Reed to choose Auburn when all is said and done:
Wide receiver Trovon Reed (Thibodeaux, La./Thibodeaux) will sign with Auburn. The word in Louisiana on Reed is that it’s a battle of Tigers between Auburn and LSU and that the fans that yell “War Eagle” will be happier than the fans that yell “Geaux Tigers” on national signing day. It’s not like Louisiana isn’t loaded with receivers in the next recruiting cycle (Jarvis Landry comes to mind), so LSU will be fine. It could be a huge pickup for Auburn, though, given the need for playmakers in the passing game.
That’s one of ESPN guru J.C. Shurbutt’s “Twelve predictions for ESPNU 150 prospects,” and if it’s hardly binding, that the battle is even close enough for a high-profile recruitnik like Shurbutt to believe Auburn could come out on top is encouraging.
Beasley. Clemson commitment Vic Beasley visited Auburn recently and now, ta da, he’s “leaning” towards Auburn. Beasley’s an Auburn legacy and a strong prospect who wowed a lot of folks in summer camps and workouts, so not only does Auburn appear to have a shot here, but it would be another big addition to the class. That said: Beasley’s gone through a lot of phases in his recruitment–he was supposedly an Alabama lock at one time before committing to Clemson–and I think we’re still a long way from seeing what ultimately happens with Beasley. Still, hey, better news than having him not interested, that’s for sure.
Etc. Remember Khairi Fortt, who made a cameo at Big Cat Weekend? He committed to Penn St. over Georgia after–get this–the players hosting him in Athens walked off and left him by himself at a party. Good work there, fellas.
Wait, Clark is 6’4″ 225 and he’s a punter? As awesome as that is why isn’t he playing a defender/fullback position in the EPL? Is he slow? Also, he doesn’t seem to get the full extension/follow through like Durst, Shoemaker and Duval do…
The big punter must be a trend. Thomasville’s Jay Williams committed to ‘Bama earlier this year. He’s listed at 6’4″ and 205. And, you guessed it, plays tight end. No more jokes about the wimpy punter being the last guy to beat I guess.
How can you not be continually impressed with Chiznigma and Co.’s recruiting efforts. I can only remember Tubs making a serious effort at a relative handful of big-time recruits over his tenure. Especially in the later years, it seemed he just didn’t want to have to battle for them. Thank goodness for young blood on the plains.
Any thoughts on OL recruits? Weren’t we expecting that to be a big priority? Where are they?
Shon Coleman (3 star from Olive Branch, MS) is supposably having a much better year than co-lineman Damien Robinson (4 star). Although Coleman is supposably a “soft” commitment, it would be nice to land both he and Robinson. It would be nice to start up an Olive Branch connection since they seem to have a few big guys every year.
I think (hope) we also land Eric Mack and Ed Christian as well. Anyone heard anything about those guys?
Also, did anyone hear that Trevon Reed was injured (knee) recently?
Chris, yes, Reed had a minor ligament injury. He’s missing 2-4 weeks. Nothing too serious, although I’d be a little worried it’ll linger into his All-American game trip.
I’ll take either one of the Olive Branch guys, but I’ll be really surprised if we land both–the Tide fans think Robinson will accept a commitable offer if he gets one. But yes, getting a connection at Olive Branch would be a good diea–the Olive Branch guy we’ve already got has worked out pretty damn well, I’d say.
I think Mack really likes Auburn, but his personal situation makes it so difficult for him to leave the state. I’m not planning on him coming to Auburn, but it would obviously be awful nice.