National Signing Day Chat

• Link to live stream of Lattimore announcement here.
• 2011 offensive lineman Spencer Region set to announce this Friday at 10 a.m. I think he is leaning toward Alabama.
• Marcus Lattimore picks USC over Auburn.
• Corey Lemonier will announce between Auburn and FSU around 11 am CT tomorrow. He will notify the coaches of his decision tonight according to Phillip Marshall.
• Byran Jones' teammate Alan Turner was offered by Arkansas a while back and that could be enough to seal the deal of Jones to Arky even though Turner is not likely to qualify.
• I am still going to predict Coleman will sign with Auburn. He will announce at 9 a.m. CT along with his teammate Damien Robinson.
• Many think D.J. Howard will end up at Kentucky.
• Markeith Ambles will announce at 10 a.m. CT and Rivals lists Auburn, Tennessee, UNC and USCw as his finalists.

NSD

Hey guys. I will be putting a chat up tonight for the Marcus Lattimore announcement and will leave it up throughout National Signing Day while putting updates under it...as of now I am expecting Lattimore to USC. Also, keep an eye on a new name: Ryan Smith.

My Updated Predictions

• All reports point to Auburn and South Carolina being even for Marcus Lattimore. I no longer have a great feeling regarding Marcus. I will put it at 55-45 Auburn right now because I am not near as confident as I used to be.
• All indications are that Shon Coleman has not contacted anyone at Auburn to tell them he was considering switching commitments to Alabama. At any rate, I will say there is a 60% chance he signs with Auburn.
• I still predict Jeffrey Whitaker to Auburn.
• I am going to predict Byran Jones to Arkansas because I have heard he is leaning there heavily.
• I am predicting Corey Lemonier to Auburn still.
• Markeith Ambles may visit Auburn after NSD but it looks doubtful. I think he will end up at Southern Cal or UNC.
• I think D.J. Howard ends up at Clemson.
• We may see some new names pop up in the next couple of days. Dimitri Orr, a defensive tackle Auburn previously recruited, could be one of those but I have heard he has academic issues. Another is UAB commitment Maurice Hayes and Stockbridge, GA defensive tackle Brandon King.

Lattimore Update

Gene Chizik and Gus Malzahn visited Marcus Lattimore in home last night for around 45 minutes. Steve Spurrier is expected to visit Lattimore today. Marcus will announce between Auburn and South Carolina Tuesday night at 6 PM at his church. For more information on his announcement click here.

Updates

• Shon Coleman did indeed show up in Tuscaloosa for his official visit to Alabama. Coleman will also visit Miami this weekend. He has been quiet about his recruitment lately but some are starting to think he is Alabama's to lose.
• Also visiting Miami this weekend is Jeffrey Whitaker. He will announce his decision on Monday. It is likely that Whitaker is deciding between Auburn and Georgia. I still think Whitaker signs with the Tigers.
• Jonathan Mincy will not take any visits this weekend. He originally planned on visiting South Carolina but has decided against it.
• All signs point to Arkansas having a slight lead for Byran Jones. Jones could make an announcement tomorrow.
• Vic Beasley is still considering a visit to Auburn.
• No word yet on if Markeith Ambles will visit Auburn this weekend. I believe he will and I would keep an eye on him. Auburn could definitely steal Ambles.
• Gene Chizik will make an in-home visit to Marcus Lattimore tomorrow. South Carolina will visit him Saturday.
• Auburn Undercover says that Lane Kiffin and Southern Cal made a late push for Joel Bonomolo but got nowhere.
• Right now it appears D.J. Howard will not sign with Auburn but rather Kentucky or Clemson. He may visit Kentucky this weekend.

Catch Up On All Targets and Wavering Commitments

Targets:

• Marcus Lattimore appears ready to remain silent until February 2nd. I still think he signs with Auburn.
• Lache Seastrunk will make an announcement tomorrow. Barring a surprise, Lache is expected to choose the Oregon Ducks.
• There were rumors that Markeith Ambles committed to Southern Cal this weekend but his father says that is not true. According to Auburn Undercover, the coaches will in-home visit Ambles tonight. He may visit Auburn this weekend. USC is the team to beat. Keep an eye on this.
• James Stone has cancelled his visit to Auburn and will decide between Alabama and Tennessee.
• I am expecting Damien Robinson to choose Mississippi State. I do not believe he has a committable offer from Auburn currently.
• Corey Lemonier has eliminated Miami according to AuburnSports.com. He has already made his decision but will announce between the Tigers and the FSU Seminoles on National Signing Day. I still think he picks Auburn.
• Jeffrey Whitaker visited Georgia this weekend but didn't strike me as blown away. I still see him picking Auburn.
• Mike Thornton told the AJC recently that he has not eliminated Auburn but I still believe Georgia is the team to beat for him. I do not believe he has a committable offer.
• Byran Jones visited Arkansas this weekend. As of now, he says the two teams are so even. Some moderators for Auburn sites project him to Auburn but I say it is way too close to call.
• Darius Robinson is a new name to watch for. The four star Clemson DB commitment is rumored to have visited Auburn this weekend. He played at the same high school as Cam Newton and contacted the staff when Newton signed. Auburn could steal Robinson if he is offered.

Commitments:

• Shon Coleman visited Arkansas and Ole Miss last weekend. He is reportedly 100% solid to Auburn according to AuburnUndercover.
• Trovon Reed visited LSU and appears solid to Auburn. He says LSU gave him something else to consider but I believe most of Reed's interest in LSU is made up by his high school football coach.
• Jonathan Mincy plans to visit South Carolina this weekend following the news of interest in Darius Robinson. If Auburn offers Robinson, Mincy could bolt for the Gamecocks.
• D.J. Howard visited Clemson this weekend. He may switch considering he is likely to get a chance to play running back at Clemson. The Auburn coaching staff did not find out about the visit until he was there and were disappointed. Rumors are swirling that the staff has pulled Howard's offer but those are unconfirmed and not likely.

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.

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.

Lattimore Talks Recruiting

In this Rivals AMP video, Lattimore appears to be leaning toward Auburn.

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.

Monday Wrap Up

• Michael Dyer has made up his mind and will make his announcement on November 6th, according to Scout.com. He has decided between Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Arkansas. I am expecting him to commit to Auburn. He will take all five official visits after his commitment. His game will be on ESPNU that night.
• AuburnUndercover tells us Dyer needed only 28 more yards coming into his game Friday to break the Arkansas career rushing record. He broke it on his fourth carry of the game with a 22 yard TD run.
• AUC also reports that Marcus Lattimore will take his official visit this weekend to Auburn.
• Just about every state media outlet has reported that the team and Gene Chizik are behind Chris Todd and Todd will start this weekend against Ole Miss.
• A reminder that this weekend's game is the "Navy Nightmare" so fans in attendance are asked to wear navy.

Lattimore Schedules Official

Marcus Lattimore has scheduled an official visit to Auburn for the Ole Miss game on Halloween. He also has added Florida State and Georgia to his favorite schools.

Lattimore's Game To Be On CSS Saturday

Marcus Lattimore (#21)'s Byrnes (SC) High School will take on Central Gwinnett High School on CSS on Saturday at 4 PM CT. This follows a replay of the 2005 Auburn-UGA game in which the Tigers were victorious, 31-30 in Athens. Other big names playing for Byrnes include Chas Dodd (#19), Brandon Willis (#88), Nick Jones (#5), Roland Johnson (#56), Jazz King (#24), Zach Miller (#1), Torian Richardson (#11) and Corey Miller (#80).

Recruiting Updates

• Chase Hughes has named a new leader: Ole Miss. He says after a visit they slightly lead.
• The guys at Rivals seem to think Auburn has a shot at getting one of Kyle Prater's official visits even though he has cut Auburn from his top choices. Trooper Taylor is quietly working hard on Prater.
• LaDarius Owens says he will take a long look at each school before he pulls the trigger and that could be in late fall.
• Owens also says he has started to get a lot of attention from UCLA, Oklahoma and Miami but does not have an offer yet.
• Marcus Lattimore says he plans to take his official visits to Auburn, South Carolina, North Carolina, Penn State and Oregon.
• Some new offensive linemen Auburn is likely to begin looking at are Kyle Brown and Jake Smith.

Lattimore Cuts It To Five

While we have not heard much from Marcus Lattimore in a while and he seems to have lost interest, Auburn still made the cut for his top five while surprisingly, Florida State did not. His top five are Auburn, North Carolina, Penn State, South Carolina and Oregon. He will visit Penn State (Oct 10) and UNC (Oct 31) during the season and will visit the other three after.

Catch Up

• Hey guys...took the weekend off. I will usually try and post a couple of things a day but just didn't today.
• Jeffrey Whitaker plans to visit July 18th. I've heard rumors that the next big recruiting event could either come this weekend or that weekend (of the 18th). He has no top schools but Tracy Rocker is helping us stay high on his board.
• It appears that Tim Jackson will want to go to Auburn for one of his official visits.
• 2009 UNC signee and old Auburn target Johnnie Farms did not qualify and will go to Hargrave Military. This could end up as good news for Auburn. The new staff hardly got to recruit Farms and we were still one of his top teams. Maybe the staff can try and steal him.
• Marcus Lattimore says he has no favorite and he wants to take all five of his official visits.
• DeMarco Cobbs says he is leaning toward USC right now. He wants to trim his top 10 down to a top 5 soon.
• Arkansas dismissed second string linebacker Khiry Battle after a weekend of drunk driving. I cannot see this affecting us really but just thought I would add that.
• Roy Finch has committed to Oklahoma.
• Jay Tate says as far as he knows, Cameron Henderson and Philip Pierre-Louis are in good standing with the team.
• More a little later on.

Update

• Khairi Fortt says he will announce his final six at the end of the summer. After a visit to UNC this weekend, he says they will be one of them.
• The SEC Media Days will be July 22-24 at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, AL. Vandy, MSU, Arkansas and Kentucky will be the 22nd, Alabama, UGA, Ole Miss and Florida will be the 23rd and Auburn, South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU will be the 24th.
• Student-athletes representing Auburn at Media Days will be Tommy Trott and Antonio Coleman.
• Marcus Lattimore says he had a great visit to South Carolina. He says he cannot name a leader currently. He will cut his top 8 to a top 5 at the end of summer.
• Davis Dudchock committed to Vanderbilt. The Auburn legacy had an offer from Auburn.
• Kyle Prater would like to trim his list to five soon. Already in are Oklahoma, USC and Illinois.
• That's all for now. Getting some studying in...

Not A Ton Going On Today...

• Deion Belue committed to Alabama. He had previously named us his leader as recently as late May.
• Right now, I am watching the 2004 Auburn-LSU game on CSS. Anybody else?
• 2010 DB/WR DeMarco McNeal says he hopes to get an offer from Auburn soon. He seems very interested in Auburn.
• Anthony Williams recently said he could be making a decision soon but it appears now, after speaking with his parents, he will hold off a bit longer. He plans to visit Florida, LSU and Auburn in July and expects to have a decision after that. His favorites are Florida, LSU, Auburn, FSU and Georgia Tech, in no particular order.
• Wide receiver target Antonio Goodwin will now play in the Under Armour All-American Game. A lot of people like our chances with him.
• Marcus Lattimore says he will narrow his top 8 down to five at the end of July. He has recently visited Clemson and Georgia.
• Michael Dyer is planning a summer decision. He says he plans to go back on the road in mid-July. He said he "needs" to visit LSU, Notre Dame and Auburn again. He did not mention Arkansas at all...

Lattimore Writes An Article

Click here for a free article written by Marcus Lattimore regarding his recruiting.