It was only two days I wrote that Auburn should get a commitment from Georgia linebacker Justin Garrett “sooner rather than later.” As it turned out, the answer was indeed “sooner,” as Garrett told Chizik and Co. he’d sign with Auburn last night.
Film ahoy:
I’m not going to repeat what I said the other day in its entirety, so here’s the quickie edition: Garrett’s got too many impressive offers (seven from the SEC including the Tide and Dawgs, plus FSU and Clemson) not to be a productive player under Roof, with whom (like a few Georgia players) he already seems to have a connection. I hadn’t already mentioned, though, that Garrett also plays for talent factory Tucker High, the same school that’s sending fellow linebacker and top-150 recruit James Vaughters to Stanford. Like a lot of Auburn’s linebacking recruits over the years, Garrett might not end up a superstar, but the chances of him being a bust seem barely above nil.
Between last year’s haul at linebacker, Garrett, earlier MLB commit Chris Landrum, linebacker/safety commit Anthony Swain–looking more and more like a future LB as Auburn continues to pursue defensive backs–and a conspicuous lack of must-have recruits at the position, the feeling is that Auburn is done at linebacker. I’d projected 2 in the class, and we’re at 2.5 already, with high-profile athlete and alleged Auburn lean Kris Frost officially being recruited as a wideout but a possibility at OLB as well.
Being finished at linebacker might be just the beginning of a huge month for Auburn recruiting, however. AuburnUndercover‘s Bryan Matthews leaked on his Twitter feed that as many as five commitments could be “on tap.” Garrett’s one. Taking a stab at the other four …
1. Jonathan Rose, CB. And those of you who follow recruiting all said: Duh. Rose announces August 1 and has given zero indication he’s even seriously considering anyone else. Would be a shock of Spencer Region-type proportions for him to go elsewhere at this point.
2. Marcus Roberson, CB. Has declared Auburn his leader and is rumored to be making a public decision soon.
3. C.J. Uzomah, ATH. Deciding between LSU and Auburn, supposedly in the next week or two, with LSU wanting him at quarterback and Auburn as a TE/Wildcat/whatever athlete. Good Tigers have geographic advantage and seemed to jump on Uzomah much earlier, but this is much less of a sure thing than the above two.
4. Robenson Therezie, RB/S. Surely the guy nicknamed “Cadillac” has to end up at Auburn, right? Auburn allegedly recruiting him as a running back, though Rivals lists him as a safety and other teams also going to DB route. Positive buzz has been building around Therezie, but again, we’ll see.
No guarantees there, but here’s a dollar that says Auburn lands three of the four by the end of August. (And for anyone disappointed by the sleeper trio of Denson, Gaulden, and Coates, that’s two top-five corners according to Rivals, a four-star safety, and an athlete with offers from Alabama, LSU, and Georgia. Hope that’s enough.)
Other links of interest:
— Jaylon Denson’s been busy, hanging out with Kiehl Frazier and talking to AuburnEagle.
— Justin Hokanson writes that the 2011 Auburn class looks a lot like the 2010 class did at this stage. Still not sure it’s going to end up with as quite as much absolute top-shelf talent, but it should be a little more of a consistent class, top-to-bottom.
— Yet another free Rivals link as they take an early look at the possible Alabama vs. Mississippi All-Star lineups. Several Auburn targets and commitments feature prominently.
— I don’t talk about 2012 recruits on general principle, but I’m not not going to pass on good news.
Welcome to the Plains Justin. That kid has some impressive film. Maybe the recruit that’s going to Stanford may have something to do with it as well as talent level of the team but…. wow he looked like he was moving faster than everyone else out there.
Well you’re 2 for 4 already. I want Roberson now!