Seastrunk Picks Oregon

Lache Seastrunk has officially committed to Oregon. I hope this will kill the nonsense of him still possibly coming to Auburn. He has been off Auburn's radar for some time. I wish him the best of luck.

Where Do We Go From Here?

Auburn has five spots remaining for the 2010 class but may take only 2-4. Here are the recruits still on the board and what I predict:

***** - RB - Marcus Lattimore - I believe Auburn will land Lattimore over South Carolina and have for some time. The latest I have heard is Auburn has a slight lead.

***** - RB - Lache Seastrunk - I see Seastrunk as an Oregon Duck next season.

***** - WR - Markeith Ambles - Wide receiver has off the field issues. The staff has pulled his offer but he has a lot of interest in Auburn. If you watched the Army All-American game, you know this guy is a game changer. If Auburn has room and will risk offering him, I see him ending up at Auburn, however, I do not see an offer being extended. I see him either going back to UT or switching to UNC.

**** - OG - James Stone - Has said his finalists are Auburn and Alabama. He plans to visit Auburn this weekend. With Mack's commitment today our offensive line may be full. He has been rumored to be 'Bama bound anyways so I expect him on the Tide.

**** - OT - Damien Robinson - Again, I believe we are done recruiting offensive line but we were never a serious contender for Robinson I do not believe.

**** - DE - Corey Lemonier - Has made his decision and will announce on National Signing Day. He has narrowed his choices to Auburn, Miami and Florida State. Has visited Auburn and FSU officially and may take an unofficial to Miami. I say Auburn is the leader for Lemonier but he may want to stay closer to home. I will predict him to be a Tiger.

**** - DT - Jeffrey Whitaker - Whitaker is between Auburn, Miami and Georgia. He visited Auburn this past weekend and was blown away. He will visit Georgia this weekend and Miami the next. Barring an overwhelmingly impressive official in the next two weeks, I think he is an Auburn Tiger on NSD.

**** - DT - Mike Thornton - Thornton has eliminated Auburn. According to sources, there was an incident on the Auburn coaches' visit to the Thornton household in which Thornton's father would not allow the coaches in to talk to him. Apparently the coaches were the ones who backed off of him, not he who backed off of Auburn like he claims in a recent article. Either way, I have always projected him to UGA.

**** - DT - Byran Jones - Jones is down to Auburn and Arkansas. Jones had a great visit to Auburn this weekend and will officially visit Arkansas next weekend. Does not claim a favorite right now. Right now I will call this a toss up. He will make his decision after the Arkansas visit but will not announce until NSD.

**** - DB - Ahmad Dixon - Recently re-committed to Baylor. Has previously committed to Texas, Baylor and Tennessee. Dixon cannot make up his mind but I think he stays with Baylor.

*** - ATH - Vic Beasley - Clemson commit could play linebacker or safety in college. Right now I am not positive that Beasley has a committable offer from Auburn. He claims to be 90% to Clemson right now but plans to visit Auburn this weekend. I will say Clemson right now but will re-evaluate after this weekend.

Now if there is room, where else might the staff look? Here are some names:

CB - Akeem Cunningham - haven't heard much about him lately.

ATH - Eric Russell - if an offer is extended he would accept.

S - Patrick Swilling - if an offer is extended, he would consider.

Updates

• Mike Thornton has lost all interest in Auburn and will no longer visit Auburn this weekend. I called this a while back but now it appears Auburn's DT targets will only be Whitaker, Jones and possibly Calvin Smith.
• Markeith Ambles has de-committed from Tennessee and has strong interest in Auburn. He may unofficially visit Auburn this weekend and return for an official on the 29th. Ambles, who is possibly the best wide receiver in this year's class, does not currently has a firm offer from Auburn. The staff, along with many other schools, withdrew offers due to off the field issues. Markeith is a five star but is currently considered a "back up plan".
• Shon Coleman WILL be visiting this weekend and the staff will try and solidify his commitment up.
• Lache Seastrunk appears ready to commit to Oregon.
• Non-committed targets who are visiting this weekend are: Trent Fisher (future walk on), Byran Jones, Jeffrey Whitaker, Alan Turner; this according to AuburnUndercover and AuburnSports.com. Fisher is son of Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher.
• ESPNU's final 150 has been released. Here are where Auburn commitments and targets rank: Michael Dyer (5), Marcus Lattimore (19), Trovon Reed (39), Lache Seastrunk (40), Antonio Goodwin (47), Eric Mack (78), Shaun Kitchens (98), James Stone (100), LaDarius Owens (138).
• Jake Holland has picked up a well deserved fourth star on Rivals. His profile will likely be updated today.

Seastrunk's Options Narrow

According to Rivals recruiting expert Mike Farrell, both Auburn and LSU have backed off of five star Lache Seastrunk. Seastrunk now appears headed for the Pac-10 to either USC or Oregon.

U.S. Army All American Bowl

Here are the notable players in the Army All-American Bowl, to be played this Saturday in the Alamodome at Noon CT on NBC.

Commitments:

• Shon Coleman - East Team - #72 - OT
• Trovon Teed - West Team - #1 - WR

Targets:

• Marcus Lattimore - East Team - #28 - RB
• Jeffrey Whitaker - East Team - #55 - DT
• Damien Robinson - East Team - #79 - OT
• Lache Seastrunk - West Team - #15 - RB
• Ahmad Dixon - West Team - #26 - S (Baylor commit)
• C.J. Mosley - West Team - #32 - LB

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.

Tuesday News and Notes

• The Auburn team has had Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off of practice.
• Practice will begin for the Iron Bowl tomorrow.
• Jon Solomon of the Birmingham News has confirmed recent rumors regarding the Eric Smith case. Two other football players were involved in the incident but were not named. The plaintiff contends that two unnamed players began the altercation by punching his friend.
• Right now bowl projections have Auburn going to the Liberty Bowl vs. Houston, Outback Bowl vs. Wisconsin, Music City Bowl vs. UNC, Chick-fil-A vs. Clemson and Cotton vs. Oklahoma State.
• Eltoro Freeman's injury has been stated as either a concussion or a tweaked ankle. No word yet as to if he will return for the Iron Bowl and the way Chizik handles injuries, it is unlikely we will know before kickoff.
• According to the Austin-American Statesman, USC could now be the team to beat for Lache Seastrunk but he still appears to be wide open. According to Rivals, he is NO LONGER visiting for the Iron Bowl. He will be spending time with his family for Thanksgiving.
• New offensive line prospect Adrian Hubbard appears to be gone just as quick as he came onto Auburn's radar. He has narrowed his choices to FSU, South Carolina and Alabama.
• According to Auburn Undercover, Jay Hughes will take an official visit to Auburn in January.

Seastrunk An Army All American

Lache Seastrunk has been named an Army All American. He was also nominated for the Ken Hall trophy which honors the U.S. Army Player of the Year.

Johnson De-Commits From LSU

In a turn that could affect Lache Seastrunk, Storm Johnson has de-committed from LSU. When Johnson committed many thought that would severely hurt LSU's chances of signing Seastrunk. Now it comes out that LSU was trying to keep everything as quiet as possible regarding Johnson. When Johnson committed he was asked not to make it public now it appears he does not have a committable offer from LSU. Even though Seastrunk has previously said that competition does not affect him, this could help LSU.

Seastrunk Talks Recruiting

We have not heard from top running back Lache Seastrunk in a while. Rivals gives us this free video interview. Talks Auburn, Texas, LSU and Tennessee.

Wednesday Notes

• Corey Crawford has committed to Clemson.
• ESPN's southeast recruiting blogger JC Shurburtt questions (better?) if Lache Seastrunk could be LSU's next commitment.
• The SEC is releasing an iTunes type website. It is set to release August 27.
• Evan Woodbery is releasing a book entitled "100 Things Auburn Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die". More here.

Rivals 100 Movers and Shakers

• Ladarius Owens picked up a four star ranking and is number 98 on the Rivals 100.
• Ronald Powell jumped up to number three. Seastrunk stayed at 2.
• Michael Dyer dropped to 15th.
• Trovon Reed is at 39. James Stone at 91.

Who's Coming and Who Isn't (AS OF 5 PM CT)

• Four star defensive end Corey Lemonier will be in Auburn this weekend.
• Dakota Mosley will be in Auburn on Sunday on his way to Florida. He says Michael Dyer will probably be with him.
• At THIS MOMENT it appears Ahmad Dixon will be in Auburn this weekend while Lache Seastrunk will not.
• LaDarius Owens, C.J. Mosley, Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker are some defensive stars you will see in Auburn this weekend.

Seastrunk, Dixon Not Attending

Lache Seastrunk and Ahmad Dixon are no longer planning on visiting this weekend. More to come.

A Few Names To Look For Next Weekend

Next weekend looks to be a big weekend for Auburn. They are hosting their one day senior mini-camp as well as many unofficial visitors. Here are some faces you could see: Lache Seastrunk, Evan Washington, C.J. Mosley, Jeffrey Whitaker, Antonio Goodwin, Anthony Williams, Demetruce McNeal, Tres Houston and possibly Michael Dyer (he is planning a trip to Auburn but we do not yet know if it will be this weekend). Those are a few but they are not set in stone. Also, look for many more names. More names and details will come out as the weekend approaches.

Saturday Night Update

• Tyrone Cornileus was planning on announcing a decision between Miami and Georgia Tech today. He has now delayed a decision and does not know when he will commit. He will look at other schools.
• Wes Rea is on campus visiting today. That's all I have on that point right now.
• I will try to have a list of visitors for this weekend up early next week. Lache Seastrunk is one among many that will be on the Plains. Auburn is having their one day senior mini camp and also hosting multiple unofficial visitors. This is likely the "Stars and Stripes Weekend". Trovon Reed will not be attending due to a fundraiser his sister is holding for their late mother. More info here. (Before you think about contributing, I would consider possible NCAA violations. I do not know if that is against the rules but just putting the warning out there.)
• Seastrunk stood out in the recent 7-on-7 at Texas. He caught a 30 yard touchdown pass. I will say yes, Seastrunk was wearing a LSU shirt and USC sweatbands but says they do not indicate anything. Just dispelling rumors before they take flight.
• DeMarco Cobbs has eliminated Auburn from his list of leaders.
• I will hopefully be posting a conversation with LaDarius Owens and a projecting signing class soon. I would like to stress how early it is in the process so my projections should not be considered sure things. They are just players I have a good feeling about.

A Few More Things

• Storm Johnson has committed to LSU. Some believe Lache Seastrunk could come down to Auburn and LSU and having another big name back heading to the Bayou could help us out.
• Speaking of Seastrunk, he is laying low right now about recruiting. He says recruiting is very good but he will not do anymore interviews until his senior season begins. Article here.
• This is very premature but, just for your information, Rivals released an Arkansas top 11 for 2011. Kiehl Frazier was ranked number two behind Brandon Allen who is also a quarterback. Allen's father is an assistant for the Hogs so if Allen commits to Arkansas, Frazier could be more likely to go out of state.

Mondayyy

• I have heard multiple rumors that Tyrik Rollison is on campus but as of now I do not believe he has been cleared. I have contacted him and did not immediately get a response.
• Michael Dyer says that Notre Dame is now firmly in the mix for him. He did say Auburn is still his leader. He says his decision will probably come during the season. Sorry if everyone gets excited and expects an announcement soon...these kids keep changing their minds...I just report what I hear.
• Corey Grant will decide between Auburn, Alabama and Florida before the start of his senior season. Everyone thinks he is a Florida lock but I have heard rumors that Alabama has been making a big impression on him.
• Joel Bonomolo has named Auburn as his leader. He will visit Auburn at the end of the month and will then make his decision. I think a visit will lock him up for us. He is JUCO teammates with another Auburn target, John Cullen.
• Dimitri Orr is hoping for an offer from Auburn. He has Auburn and Arkansas as his top two and currently holds an offer from the Hogs and Vanderbilt. He came away from the Auburn senior camp with an MVP award. He wants to make his decision before his senior year begins.
• Bradley Roby named his top three as Auburn, Vanderbilt and Ohio State.
• I also read somewhere that Lache Seastrunk plans to have his decision made by July but may indeed hold off a public announcement until January.
• WEEI Radio in Boston is reporting that the Red Sox will follow Brandon Jacobs' wood bat tournament this summer and see if it would be worth signing him to a bonus.
• Scout.com has come out with their Alabama top 50 and surprisingly Jeremy Richardson is not even in the top ten or the best wide receiver. Solomon Patton is ranked ahead of him. The only Auburn commitment on this list is Jawara White who ranks tenth. LaDarius Owens is 9th and Corey Grant is 6th.
• I've been hearing that new Rivals evaluations could come out at the end of the month so a ton of prospects (L. Owens, J. Curry...etc.) will get stars or have their ratings improved.

Hello All

• First off I would like to welcome my new follower which brings my grand total of followers to 6, haha.
• If you have a Rivals subscription, you have read the War Room most likely. If not, it could be a good time to try a 7 day free trial. Bryan Matthews and Jeffrey Lee could just be blowing smoke but there was some positive information in there.
• I will respect their requests not to spread any of the information on there however. All I will relay is that a rumor has been confirmed to me. Lache Seastrunk appears very close to having a decision even though he wanted to hold off and announce at the Army All-American game. This early decision could be very good news for Auburn.
• I will also point out that Jonathan Mincy, LaDarius Owens and Michael Dyer could very easily all have decisions within the next month, but this has been known.
• Jay Tate also has an interesting "mock press conference" with Luper and Trooper on his blog. Check it out here.
• In 2012 or 2013, it appears Auburn will play Jacksonville State according to school officials.
• Great article here about what the university is going to do with money made from the SEC television deals.
• That is all for now. I'm driving to Atlanta for the weekend but I will keep updating the blog. Everybody have a good, safe weekend.

A Few Notes

• LaDarius Owens named his top five in order of favorites. They are: 1) Auburn, 2) LSU, 3) Alabama, 4) Tennessee, 5) Florida State
• Jonathan Mincy also named his top five. In no particular order: LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State and Tennessee. He said that Auburn is still up there and that he feels comfortable whenever he is on the Plains.
• Victor Beasley picked up an offer from Alabama this weekend and says he came close to committing to them. Not the best news.
• I'm hearing rumors that, after his Thursday visit, Corey Grant returned to Auburn on Friday to watch some of the passing camps. Looks like better news for us.
• Good news regarding Lache Seastrunk: He decided against showing up to the Texas camp this weekend like he was supposed to. Apparently he was not too interested in giving an interview to Texas' Rivals site either.
• Make sure you come back around 5:35 to see Jawara White's decision.