Mack Commits!

Four star offensive guard (ranked the second best in the country by ESPN.com) Eric Mack has committed to Auburn today following his de-commitment from South Carolina. Mack is Auburn's 28th commitment for 2010. While the SEC limit is set at 28, Auburn is able to take 5 more players for 2010 since 5 early signees rolled back to 2009. Mack is considered the 10th best player in the state of South Carolina on Rivals and the 6th best guard. He chose Auburn over offers from USC, Alabama, Clemson, FSU, Miami, Oklahoma, West Virginia and many more.

BREAKING NEWS

Eric Mack has de-committed from South Carolina! He will now decide between Auburn and Florida. More to come!

One More Month

It is just one month until National Signing Day of 2010 and Auburn is sitting pretty with recruiting. New SEC rules cap the total amount of signees for 2010 at 28 but Auburn can technically bring in 33, counting 5 early signees toward the 2009 class (Curry, Newton, Sanders, Gayden and B. Mosley). So, with Auburn currently at 27 total (22 counting toward 2010), how will NSD look for the Tigers? Let's take a look:

Current Commitments Who May Be Wavering:

• **** Shon Coleman - OT - looking around at schools such as Ole Miss, Miami (FL), Tennessee and Arkansas. He also has set an official visit to Auburn. I say Auburn holds onto Coleman but he is a very soft verbal.
• *** D.J. Howard - S - looking at Clemson and Kentucky. Auburn is recruiting him as a safety but he wants to play running back in college, which is more likely at Clemson. I say it is 50-50 between AU and Clemson right now.

Top Uncommitted Targets:

• ***** Marcus Lattimore - RB - Auburn appears to be in great shape for the number 2 running back in the nation according to Rivals. If I had to guess right now, I would say Lattimore picks Auburn over his home state Gamecocks but with three official visits still planned (Oregon, Georgia and USC) anything could happen. EDIT: Lattimore has eliminated UGA since I posted this.
• ***** Lache Seastrunk - RB - Due to Dyer's commitment and Lattimore's interest in AU, Seastrunk appears to not be Auburn bound. Lache has been very quiet lately regarding recruiting but appeared to enjoy his Oregon visit and the Ducks could be the team to beat, as well as the Southern Cal Trojans.
• **** Eric Mack - OG - the current South Carolina commitment was spotted wearing an Auburn hat at the Under Armour All American game (link here, pic courtesy of Auburn Eagle). It has long been speculated Mack would change to the Tigers and I see that happening.
• **** James Stone - OT - considering a January visit to Auburn but it is not likely Auburn lands the Nashville tackle. His top four are Auburn, Stanford, Alabama and Tennessee and I see him either playing for Saban or Kiffin next season.
• **** Jeffrey Whitaker - DT - All American is likely to sign with Auburn. I don't want to use the word "lock" but I would be very surprised if he went elsewhere.
• **** Mike Thornton - DT - many think Auburn is the leader here but I am skeptical. He has Auburn, UGA, Penn State, Florida and Miami at the top of his list. My prediction is UGA or Penn State for Thornton.
• **** Byran Jones - DT - I think Auburn swoops in and steals another top Arkansas player. The second best player in the state seems to be leaning toward Auburn and if the Tigers indeed do not land Thornton then I would not be surprised to see Auburn land this four star.
• **** Corey Lemonier - DE - this Florida d-end appears to be Auburn bound. He will decide on NSD between Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Miami, LSU and Tennessee. The All American seems to enjoy the family atmosphere at Auburn and I see him in orange and navy next season.
• *** Ken Adams - DE - JUCO defensive end originally signed with Tuberville's staff out of high school. He is deciding between Auburn, LSU and UNC. I see Auburn as his leader and would look for him to sign soon.
• *** Vic Beasley - LB - Clemson commitment is open and if there is room I see Auburn in Beasley's future. The Auburn legacy would wrap up an amazing linebacker class for the Tigers.

So there are my predictions for the rest of this class: Ken Adams, Corey Lemonier, Byran Jones, Jeffrey Whitaker, Marcus Lattimore, Eric Mack and Vic Beasley (obviously D.J. Howard would have to decommit to fit all of these seven in). With Auburn's class currently ranked THIRD on Rivals, it is safe to say this class would end up in the top five.

Recruiting Catch Up

I wanted to clarify for anyone what exactly is going on with the early signing period for JUCO and early graduates. Wednesday is signing day for January enrollees. Auburn is looking to sign five on Wednesday. They will all roll back to the 2009 signing class.

Jessel Curry and Craig Sanders are likely to sign on Wednesday along with current Tennessee commitment and former Auburn signee Ken Adams. Adams will make an announcement tomorrow as to whether he will stay with the Vols or switch to Auburn, which is very likely. Also, Roszell Gayden could also make a decision soon and could possibly sign with Auburn on Wednesday. Gayden is likely down to just Auburn and Cal.

Here is the latest on other top targets:

• OL - Eric Mack - Feel good about this South Carolina commitment. Auburn is in very good shape to steal him.
• OL - John Cullen - This JUCO lineman will probably not make a decision until close to signing day. Tennessee currently leads for Cullen but he plans to visit Auburn in January and teammate Joel Bonomolo could help pull Cullen to the Plains.
• OL - Brandon Mosley - Appears to be down to Auburn, Ole Miss and FSU. Ole Miss is leading but Mosley visited FSU this weekend and an announcement is expected this week. He will sign in December in enroll in January.
• OL - Laurence Gibson - Gibson committed to Clemson last night.
• RB - Marcus Lattimore - Five star running back still has Auburn and South Carolina on top. I feel great right now about signing Lattimore in February.
• RB - Lache Seastrunk - I am no longer expecting Auburn to have a serious chance with Seastrunk.
• DT - Byran Jones - Arkansas is the public leader for Jones right now but I have heard whispers that Jones could be an Auburn lean. He will take an official visit to Auburn in January and could wrap him up then.
• DT - Mike Thornton - Still an Auburn lean the last I heard but the Tigers have a lot of competition.
• DT - Jeffrey Whitaker - Auburn in awesome shape for this stud defensive tackle. I expect him to sign with the Tigers.
• DE - Corey Lemonier - Auburn has put themselves in good position with Corey. Right now it is a toss up between Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU and Miami.
• LB - Vic Beasley - Toss up between Auburn and his current commitment of Clemson. Says he will talk to his parents about visiting Auburn and if he makes it down, we could steal him.
• LB - C.J. Mosley - I would say there is a 85% chance Mosley ends up wearing crimson next season.
• DB - Ryan White - White will take an unofficial visit to Auburn next weekend and could commit then. He is probably Auburn's top uncommitted defensive back target. White also plans an official visit for the last weekend in January.
• DB - Rashad Knight - Visited Auburn this weekend but Auburn wants White over Knight. With Davis committing this weekend and Auburn in good shape with White, there may be no room for Knight.
• DB - Ahmad Dixon - It is questionable right now if Auburn would take Dixon right now. Dixon also has grade issues.
• DB - Bradley Roby - Auburn could make a move for this Vanderbilt commitment if he visits. He currently plans to take an official to the Plains on January 8th.

Recruiting Wrap Up

• Auburn impressed just about every recruit who visited this weekend. The game and the fans were huge.
• Bradley Roby was unable to make the trip this weekend. He says he is firm to Vanderbilt at the moment but plans to visit Auburn.
• Dquan Menzie also could not make it this weekend but plans to visit before the season is over.
• Auburn Undercover is reporting that Auburn is the leader for Eric Mack. Even though he is committed to USC, I could see that changing in the near future.
• Michael Dyer seems ready to publicly commit to Auburn. He says he will make an announcement before one of his games at his school in the next couple of weeks.
• Vic Beasley says his mom was very impressed by Auburn and their coaches. He describes himself as a very soft verbal to Clemson and will take an official visit to Auburn. Other schools he is still considering include Tennessee and Florida State.
• Not a ton of feedback from Trovon Reed but he seemed impressed by the passing offense. He said Auburn looked like Florida on offense. It will be an Auburn-LSU battle for the number 6 receiver in the nation and he plans to take an official visit for the Iron Bowl.
• No word yet coming out on Jeffrey Whitaker or Mike Thornton. When something does, I will post it.

WVU Unofficial Visitors UPDATED 11:43 AM (A Bunch At The Bottom)

This list will continually be updated and moved back to the top every time I update it. NOTE: I am only going to list uncommitted prospects. Many commitments will also be on the Plains.

• Jeffrey Whitaker **** DT
• Michael Thornton **** DT
• Trovon Reed **** WR
• Michael Dyer ***** RB
• Dakota Mosley *** OL
• Victor Beasley *** LB (Clem Commit) (no longer an official visit)
• Eric Mack **** OL (USC Commit) (official visit)
• Steven Clark ** P (official visit)
• Dequan Menzie **** CB
• Willis Wright *** WR
• Tristan Hardin *** OL
• Spencer Region OL (2011)
• Jeremy Nicholson *** WR
• Bradley Roby *** WR (Vandy Commit)
• Gabe Wright DE (2011)
• Rodney Thomas (NR) DT
• Reese Dismukes OL (2011)
• Ken Adams *** DE
• Tevin Pullum (NR) ILB
• Catlin Alford *** OG (GT Commit)
• Dareon Mays *** ILB
• Jake Smith (NR) OG
• Jamaal Woodyard *** ATH

Still In It For Mack

Auburn appears to still be in it for big time offensive lineman Eric Mack. The South Carolina commitment says he is planning an official visit to Auburn for the West Virginia game. I have heard rumblings that West Virginia weekend could feature many big time prospects. It is the only other visit Mack currently has planned.

Mack To USC

Auburn lost another offensive line recruit today. Eric Mack has committed to USC.

Mack Article From "The State"

Eric Mack seems to be getting sick of recruiting like a lot of recruits nowadays. It appears this South Carolina star could turn into an Alabama state battle. The two official visits he says he will take for sure are Auburn and Alabama. He has previously named Auburn as his leader but seems to have backed off of that a bit. Auburn, Alabama, South Carolina and Clemson appear to be his top choices. Also, an interesting note I learned from this article is he has a one year old daughter...this kid must be incredibly stressed.

Mack has previously said he will hold off until Signing Day to commit. His mother says she does not want him to decommit so she wants him to think this process out and know that where he commits is where he wants to be. His coach wants him to make the decision before the season begins so he can focus on winning. It's late I'm exhausted, sorry if this didn't make sense. I'm going to bed. Read the whole article here.

Big Cat Wrap Up

This weekend was one of the most unique unofficial recruiting tactics in recent memory.  Here is the details that have come out:

• Eric Mack, one of the top offensive tackles in the nation has said that Auburn is now his leader.  He is planning two separate trips to Auburn before signing day, one unofficial for the West Virginia game and the other an official in January.
• Lache Seastrunk said the trip actually topped his first trip to Auburn that he called the best experience he has had.  He will wait to commit anywhere until the Army All-American Game.  He said he will likely visit for the Iron Bowl.
• Marcus Lattimore said the trip was great and that Auburn is still his number one.   Later he said he did not have a leader but trimmed his list to Auburn, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Clemson, Penn State, Florida State and Maryland.
• Trovon Reed said he does not have a list but if he did Auburn would be high on it.
• Rumors had swirled that Shon Coleman may be wavering on his commitment but after this weekend he says he is "locked in" on Auburn.
• Khairi Fortt said Auburn definitely moved up his list.
• LaDarius Owens said he still doesn't have a leader but Auburn seriously helped themselves this weekend.
• Jessel Curry says he is still committed to West Virginia but that Auburn is now in his top two.
• Auburn will review possibly secondary recruiting violations from this weekend.  More here.
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Update

Not a lot has been going on.  Nasty rainy day here in the 'Burn.  

• John Cullen has picked up a few more offers.  Auburn is still his favorite but he will wait until Signing Day to commit.
• Tyrone Cornileus says all schools are even right now for him.
• Eric Mack says he is "wide open" right now and will not even cut his list down until December after some visits.
• Steven Atwater, son of NFL great Steve Atwater, says he hopes to receive an offer from Auburn.  Atwater, Sr. played at Arkansas.
• Khairi Fortt says he wants to visit Auburn.  Fortt says he is very interested in Auburn and that the coaches weren't really recruiting him and he sent them his tapes.  He is a four star linebacker from Connecticut.
• I'm hearing Marcus Lattimore may visit next weekend.  Nothing concrete yet.
• Jawara White is planning on visiting next weekend.

Mack Names Leader, New Rivals 250 Revealed, Dyer and Coleman

• Rivals 250 four star offensive lineman Eric Mack has named his top 4.  They are Auburn, South Carolina, Clemson and Georgia Tech.  He made a point to say Auburn was special because it reminds him of where he is from.  Auburn and Clemson are recruiting him as a tackle while the others are recruiting him as a guard.
  
• The new Rivals 250 has been released.  No major changes that affect Auburn commitments or targets.
• Auburn commitment Shon Coleman will reportedly visit and camp at Tennessee this summer.
• Gus Malzahn visited Michael Dyer's high school on Monday.  Although contact is not allowed between coaches and players right now, Dyer says he was happy Malzahn was there.  

Early Monday Notes

• More articles have been written regarding Marcus Lattimore's visit.  Lattimore told SCVarsity.com that not only is Auburn number one, but they also have a "big lead".
• Offensive tackle recruit Eric Mack was in Tuscaloosa for Alabama's spring game this weekend.  He did say he has Auburn "very high" and wants to return to the Plains very soon.
• LaDarius Owens was also in Tuscaloosa.  He now lists his top three as Auburn, Alabama and LSU.  He still has not decided if he will commit in the spring or hold out.
• Jonathan Mincy has listed his top three now as Tennessee, Auburn and Georgia.  He brought his mom for a visit to Auburn last week.  He was in Tennessee this weekend.
• Four star defensive end Anthony Williams took in Georgia Tech's spring game this weekend.  Williams has named Auburn and Tech as his top two.  He will attend the NIKE Camp this weekend.
• Commitment Jake Holland was at the Scout.com Southeast Elite Camp Sunday in Tuscaloosa.  
• I've seen our new commitment's name spelled Shon, Shun and Shalon so I am trying to sort out which he goes by right now. 
• The coaching staff gave interviews Sunday.  Nothing surprising came out of those.  Chizik said he needs more than 15 practices to decide his starting quarterback but he does not want it to eat too far into fall practice.  Ted Roof named Craig Stevens as the top defender for the spring.  

Non-Practice Notes

Just a few things:

• Craig Sanders, a top defensive end, visited Auburn this weekend. Sanders has not eliminated anyone but has said his top teams are probably Auburn, Alabama and Florida.
• I am hearing that five star Lache Seastrunk, the top running back for the 2010 class, will be visiting practice this Easter weekend. I find it to be a pretty big deal that the number 2 overall player in the nation will travel across half the country for a practice.
• Eric Mack remained in Auburn all day today and I believe he attended practice. Practice notes will come soon.

Quick Recruiting Note

Rivals is reporting that top offensive lineman Eric Mack visited Auburn for the first time today. The Palmetto State star is now considering Auburn after previously knowing little about the Plains. Mack said he felt at home and especially liked the coaching staff. One aspect that could figure greatly into his decision is early playing time and that is very likely at Auburn. Mack even feels he could beat out most current linemen and the staff told him he could possibly start as a true freshman. More to come.