It’s all been a bit anticlimactic, but anticlimactic in that awesome up 35-7 late in the third quarter sense. Also, awesome in the “yep, Michael Dyer did indeed just commit to Auburn” sense.
UPDATE: If you’d like to see Mr. Dyer in action, you’ll have a chance tonight–Little Rock Christian takes on Arkansas’s Pulaski Academy tonight on ESPNU at 8 Eastern.
Notes:
— Dyer is the highest-ranked commitment of Chizik’s tenure, and it’s not even all that close–he’s five stars, the No. 3 RB, No. 17 overall at Rivals; five stars, the No. 1 RB, No. 7 overall at ESPN; and five stars, the No. 3 RB to Scout. He’s as can’t-miss as prospects get.
— Dyer is arguably the highest-ranked Auburn recruit since there were such a thing as ranked recruits. He’s Auburn’s third (non-JUCO) Rivals five-star since they started the star business in 2002, following Ben Obamanu in 2002 (ranked No. 32 nationally) and Tray Blackmon (No. 17 nationally), the highest-ranked recruit of the Tubby era. (Not counting guys like Cadillac or Jason Campbell, who would have been that highly ranked if they’d been ranked at all.)
— Apparently Tennessee came in No. 2 on Dyer’s list. Dyer has of course stated that he’ll take his allotted official visits and I’m sure the Vols will make a play for him. Auburn’s been in the lead for so long with Dyer and his commitment is so public (press conference and all, I mean) that it’s hard for me to see him making the switch, but Kiffin and Co. will have to have an eye kept on them. Auburn couldn’t be in better position–he’s committed–but still, his recruitment won’t be over-over until Signing Day.
— No other way to say it: this is another massive get for Chizik and Co. Dyer might not take over the Tate role from Day 1, but he’ll be in the mix, and it’s awfully hard to see how a player of his talents won’t be making his mark sooner rather than later. There’s too many similarities to the way we’ve seen Tate run this year and the way we’ve seen Dyer run on film to not dream of the same kind of seasons in Dyer’s future. He’s the kind of recruit SEC-championship caliber programs are built on, and though Auburn will need more of them, I don’t think I’m going overboard in saying that.
— Big picture, maybe you can quibble with the Auburn 2010 class-to-date’s depth along either line, but there’s still plenty of time to remedy that … and otherwise, you can’t ask for more from a recruiting haul. If Trovon Reed chooses Auburn next week as expected, Chizik and Co. will–I think– all but sew up one of the top-10 classes in the nation.
Chizik and Co. will still have to prove that they can translate their recruiting successes into on-field results. But it’s a thousand times easier to do that than translate recruiting failures into on-field results. And there’s no way to spin commitments from recruits like Dyer as anything but smashing, colossal successes.
It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger.
I can think of another Auburn running back that Dyer reminds me of more than Tate…Rudi Johnson. I think it’s the whole “disappearing in the middle of a bunch of opposing jerseys only to pop out and run for a 60 yard touchdown” thing he has going for him. Excellent pickup for Auburn! WDE!
word
Great news. Welcome Mr. Dyer to Running Back U. Reed wil be next. Then Reed can recruit Seastrunk. When was the last time Auburn went head to head with USC for a player?
I heard from one commenter at the Gold Mine (take that for what it’s worth) that TE/DE Dakota Mosley was in the press conf. with Dyer. Any truth to that and, if so, did he pick a school?
Congrats on Dyer, guys, and likewise for the win over Ole Miss last week.
Best of luck this weekend.