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.

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.

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.

Under Armour All American Game

The day after the Outback Bowl, in St. Petersburg (a 30 minute drive from Tampa), the Under Armour All American game will be played at 11 a.m ET. For those Auburn fans who want to see the future of Auburn football but cannot attend, the game will be televised on ESPN. Here are some players to watch:

Commitments:

• Michael Dyer - White Team #5 - RB
• Antonio Goodwin - White Team #7 - WR
• Dakota Mosley - White Team #81 - TE/LS
• LaDarius Owens - Black Team #15 - LB
• Cody Parkey - Black Team #18 - K
• Jake Holland - Black Team #50 - LB

Targets:

• Corey Lemonier - White Team #55 - DE
• James Stone - White Team #64 - OG
• Mike Thornton - White Team #73 - DT

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.

Phillips Leaves and Other Notes

Sorry I have not been updating very often lately.

• Rivals is reporting that offensive lineman Aubrey Phillips has left the team and Auburn. He suffered a heat related illness.
• They are also reporting that Philip Pierre-Louis could see action at receiver this weekend.
• Auburn worked indoors today due to large amounts of rainfall.
• Auburn seems to be preparing for Randall Cobb to contribute greatly for Kentucky this weekend. He started the last four games at quarterback of the season last year.
• There are still tickets available for Saturday night's game.
• Auburn Undercover is reporting that visitors this weekend include Ed Christian (official), Michael Thornton, C.J. Mosley and 2011 defensive end LaMichael Fanning. Numerous current commitments will also be visiting.

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

Recruiting Update

• C.J. Mosley is planning an official visit to Auburn for the Iron Bowl. Other official visits he is planning are at Alabama, LSU, Stanford and either UGA or Tennessee. He has not yet decided when he will announce. It likely will not be until after his senior season. Mosley is still considered by most as an Alabama lean. He is quoted as saying, "Right now I feel pretty good about Alabama."
• Mike Thornton says he speaks to either Coach Thigpen or Coach Rocker once or twice a week. He says he is still trying to get together his list of top schools but Auburn will definitely make the cut. The schools he seems to like the most, apart from Auburn, are UGA, Georgia Tech, Penn State and Michigan.
• Dakota Mosley and Michael Dyer visited Ole Miss this weekend. It was Mosley's third visit to Oxford. Mosley and Dyer said the visit went very well and they look forward to Little Rock Christian's opening game on September 1. Dyer says Auburn is still at the top but Ole Miss is not far behind. Mosley is still lacking an Ole Miss offer.
• LaDarius Owens had six tackles for loss including four sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a 27-0 win in his first jamboree. Perhaps the most impressive part is that he only played the first quarter. He then visited the Alabama scrimmage yesterday. He only has one official visit planned for sure and that is to Florida State on September 7th. Owens is still considered a strong Auburn lean.

Recruiting Round Up

• LaDarius Owens seems to be torn between Auburn and Alabama. He called the schools even. He seems to really like coach James (Benedict) Willis but could be turned off by the Alabama depth at linebacker. This could end up being the biggest in-state battle of 2010. All these new articles about Owens remind me of Oku Watch...not again!
• D.J. Howard says he would prefer to play running back in college but would be fine playing safety. He could be near a decision. His top two seem to be Auburn and Clemson.
• Michael Thornton's top three are Auburn, Ole Miss and Miami. His top three previously included South Carolina instead of Ole Miss.
• I've heard Corey Grant could visit this weekend.
• Also, anyone who posts or lurks on the Auburn Football Message Board on Yuku, we lost a great guy and great Auburn fan, Andrew Frederick, who went by the username theplainstruth. Prayers are requested for his family...

Playing Catch Up

Sorry it has been so long since the last update.

• Tyrone Cornileus was recently interviewed by AuburnSports.com.  He has 13 offers and he listed many plusses for Auburn.  Among those are the fact that they are in the SEC and he wants to major in engineering. 
• Anthony Wilson says he could see himself making an impact for Auburn.  He will take his time and weigh his options.
• Antonio Goodwin told UGASports.com that Auburn stands out so far.
• I'm hearing rumors that Brian Vogler was in attendance of Nick Saban's speech in Columbus on Monday.
• Philip Lutzenkirchen arrives in Auburn today.  
• Right now, it looks like a battle between Alabama and Florida for Solomon Patton.
• Purdue and West Virginia offered Barry Brunetti recently.
• Michael Thornton has named his favorites as Auburn, Miami and South Carolina.
• Under Armour All-American TE Travis Dickson says it would be "great to be a football player" at Auburn.  He has visited and has an offer from Auburn along with Ole Miss, LSU and Mississippi State, among others.
• Yesterday, Coach Gene Chizik told Mike Herndon that he may not name a quarterback until late August.  He pointed out that the young guys (Moseley and Rollison) will come in and compete.
• 2009 signee Anthony Gulley helped Brantly HS win the 1A baseball championship.