Region Shocks Bama

Big time 2011 offensive lineman Spencer Region was considered an Alabama lock by most but he shocked the entire state today by committing to the Auburn Tigers. He is expected to be one of the top offensive linemen in the 2011 class and says he planned on committing to Alabama Friday night but made a switch Saturday. Region says Alabama's coaches took him for granted and Auburn's coaches never pressured him. Region says he may visit other schools but he will sign with Auburn.

2011 Recruits

ESPN.com has released their Watch List for the ESPNU 150 for 2011. The following are from the state of Alabama:

QB - Stephen Rivers - Athens, AL

QB - Brandon Wells - Calera, AL

RB - Alonzo Harris - Gadsden, AL

RB - Trai Ragland - Madison, AL

WR - Sammie Coates - Leroy, AL

WR - Daryl Collins - Gadsden, AL

WR - Pat Milliner - Millbrook, AL

WR - Marvin Shinn - Prichard, AL (Bama commit)

WR - Darien Thomas - Theodore, AL

DE - LaMichael Fanning - Auburn, AL

DE - Jabrian Niles - Mobile, AL

DE - Kameron Wood - Birmingham, AL

LB - Brent Calloway - Russellville, AL (Bama commit)

LB - Dre-Shon McGaster - Foley, AL

LB - Carl Robinson - Theodore, AL

LB - Devaunte Sigler - Mobile, AL

CB - Eric Dixon - Mobile, AL

CB - Jacquese Kirk - Jasper, AL

S - Enrique Florence - Valley, AL

ATH - Ryan Watson - Decatur, AL

Never Too Early

To look at 2011 recruiting. Here are six written offers that will be sent out September 1st, the first day written offers are allowed for 2011:

• Jeff Driskel - Big quarterback from the state of Florida. Big Auburn fan all his life. It is early and he wants to look around but Auburn seems to have a big lead. Driskel could be an early MLB draft pick...says he would enjoy playing baseball and football in college.
• LaMichael Fanning - Defensive end that could be the top player in the state of Alabama. Just moved to Auburn High School. Early UGA lean but with Auburn in his backyard, look for the Tigers to make a push.
• Enrique Florence - Another Auburn fan. Could also be the top player in the state of Alabama. Also has offers from Alabama and UAB. Safety could play linebacker with a little more weight on his body.
• Kiehl Frazier - Pronounced "Kyle". Top Arkansas quarterback put up great numbers as a sophomore. Very fond of Gus Malzahn and his offense. MVP of the State Championship game. Could be an Auburn and Arkansas battle.
• Denzel Perryman - Linebacker out of Florida could a top player in the entire south. Already has offers from any school you can think of in the South. I do not see Auburn landing him and he will likely stay in state at Miami.
• Gabriel Wright - Columbus, GA defensive end very high on Auburn and UGA. Has previously named Auburn as his leader but Georgia as his first love. Goes to Carver and Carver and Georgia currently have a strained relationship. Wright could very well end up as a Tiger.

A Few Offers Extended For 2011

These 2011 players have offers from Auburn (according to Rivals and Scout, all offers are verbal, written offers may be sent out beginning September 1):

• Brey Cook - OT - Springdale, AR - 6'6", 298 lbs. - has early offers from Auburn, Oklahoma and Tulsa - Cook impressed in early June at Oklahoma camp with his huge frame and ability to move his feet - called one of the best young lineman at Oklahoma's camp in quite some time - could become one of the best offensive lineman prospects for 2011 - attended Auburn's Junior Day - claims no favorites and is interested in whomever is interested in him
• Xzavier Dickson - DE - Griffin, GA - 6'4", 230 lbs. 4.8 40 yard dash - has early offers from Auburn and Alabama (also hearing from UGA, FSU, OU and Tenn) - has a unique blend of strength and speed around the corner - has attended camp at Auburn and Alabama - grew up a UGA fan and Georgia is his leader - he will be one of the hottest recruited players in the state of Georgia - also plays basketball - uses long arms well to rid himself of offensive linemen
• Enrique Florence - S - Valley, AL - 6'2", 181 lbs. 4.47 40 yard dash - has early offers from Auburn, UAB and Alabama (also hearing a lot from ND and UCLA) - has named Auburn his early favorite - grabbed 10 interceptions as a sophomore and can make the big hit - claims he could play linebacker if he put on some weight - camping at Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and UAB this summer - "I just like to hit"
• Kiehl Frazier - QB - Springdale, AR - 6'2", 191 lbs. 4.5 40 yard dash - has early offers from Auburn, Tulsa and Western Michigan (also hearing from UA, UF, Tenn and UT) - named MVP of State Championship Game as a sophomore - was 96-151 for 1,434 yards and 17 TDS - ranked number two of ArkansasVarsity's Hot 11 for 2011 - Gus Malzahn is the former head coach of Shiloh Christian, Frazier's current school - called the possibility of playing for Malzahn "a dream" - Auburn is "definitely" toward the top of his list - will camp at Arkansas, Oklahoma State and Texas this summer
• A.J. Johnson - MLB - Gainesville, GA - 6'2", 212 lbs. 4.6 40 yard dash - has early offers from Auburn, Clemson, Ole Miss, NC State and Tennessee - 165 tackles, 9 for a loss, 6 hurries, 4 sacks and one interception as a sophomore - named All-American - has a strict work ethic - says he may end up at end if he keeps putting on weight but wants to stay at linebacker - whole family is UGA fans - has visited AU, UGA, Tenn and Clem - calls Tennessee the early favorite
• James Vaughters - MLB - Tucker, GA - 6'2", 215 lbs. 4.6 40 yard dash - name the school, he likely has an offer - one of the most coveted prospects of 2011 thus far - will consider everything when making the decision, including academics - says he will give UGA a hard look because he is from Georgia - carries a 4.0 GPA - plans to visit USC, UCLA, UGA and UF this summer
• Gabriel Wright - DE - Columbus, GA - 6'2", 260 lbs. - has early offers from Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Arkansas, South Carolina and Maryland - very high on Auburn and Georgia - wants to major in criminal justice and wants a good FCA program to be involved in - says UGA is his first love but has previously listed Auburn as his favorite - was head and shoulders above all other defensive ends at UGA camp - moves very well and takes instructions quickly - looks to be another top recruit out of the state of Georgia

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.

A Couple Of Notes

• Auburn has offered 2011 OT Brey Cook. He currently holds offers from Auburn, Oklahoma and Tulsa. He is from Springdale, Arkansas.
• 2011 tackle Travis Bodenstein says he loves Auburn right now. Gus Malzahn coaches his older brother in high school. Auburn could be close to offering. He is also from Springdale, Arkansas.
• Curry says he is 100% to Auburn. Of course, he also was previously committed to West Virginia but I would still call him a solid commitment.

2011 QB Offered

Kiehl Frazier, who looks to be a top quarterback in 2011, picked up an offer from Auburn this weekend following his camp. Videos can be viewed on his website. He plays for Shiloh Christian which is where Gus Malzahn coached. Frazier called Malzahn "(every HS player in Arkansas)'s dream coach to play for". He likes everything about Auburn and would fit right into the offense because he runs it at his high school. He said he liked Auburn before they offered and now they are near the top of his list. His only other current offers are Tulsa and Western Michigan. Keep in mind, he just finished his SOPHOMORE year of high school. I am expecting him to be one of the higher recruited QBs for 2011.

A Few Notes

• Victor Beasley has named his top 5 as ECU. Auburn, Duke, Clemson and Alabama.
• Barry James will camp at Auburn on June 13-14.  He will also camp at Florida State, LSU and Alabama.
• Some other 2011 offers on the table include James Wilder and AJ Johnson.
• There were a few changes made to the way the USA Today Top 25 poll.  Click here for more details. 
• Travis Dickson says he plans on visiting Auburn, Mississippi State, LSU and Ole Miss this summer.
• In a Q&A session, head coach Gene Chizik stated that he wants to settle on one quarterback.  He made a point to say that he is not cancelling out the possibility that Auburn could use more than one quarterback.

Also

• We lead for a 2011 DT from Carver.  His name is Gabriel Wright and looks like a stud.  He says he has an offer from Auburn along with Arkansas, Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.  We lead along with Ole Miss, USC, Georgia and Tennessee.
  
• We offered two JUCO players recently.  Joel Bonomolo, who is a strongside defensive end from Fullerton, CA (same school as John Cullen) and Dquan Menzie, who is a cornerback from Copiah-Lincoln CC which is a school that Auburn often has ties to.  
• We have offered another 2011 prospect.  Tucker, GA star linebacker James Vaughters has picked up offers from just about every other southeastern school.  Check this kid out, should be one of the top 2011 players in the southeast:

Milliner Now Five Star, Climbs Rivals 100

After DeMarcus Milliner's impressive combine workout this weekend, he is now a Rivals five star.  The updated Rivals 100 came out today with a few changes.  Milliner is now the number nine player in the nation, up from 30.  Auburn running back target Roy Finch cracked the Rivals 100 for the first time coming in at number 77.  It has been a weak class for quarterbacks so far with the top qb, Alabama commitment Phillip Sims, coming in at number 58.  

• Also, as I previously reported, Auburn only has one offer out for the 2011 class.  Enrique Florence, a star safety and likely the top prospect from Alabama next season, has already named Auburn as his leader.  He ran a 4.47 40 at this weekend's combine in Vestavia.  He also has offers from Alabama and UAB.
• ESPNU 150 Watch List offensive guard Ashton Duhe named Auburn in his top five.  Others on the list include LSU, Alabama, Louisiana Tech and Clemson.  He currently only holds offers from Louisiana Tech, SMU and Louisiana Lafayette.  He says LSU is his dream school. 

First 2011 Offer

Auburn has offered its first 2011 football scholarship.  Enrique Florence, out of Valley High School in Valley, AL, currently has offers from Auburn, Alabama and UAB.  Good news for Auburn is that he was quoted as saying he grew up an Auburn fan and that he was a huge David Irons fan.  Florence is a fast rising safety who looks to be one of the top players in the state of Alabama for the class of 2011.  He has visited Alabama once and Auburn many times.  He is also hearing a lot from Notre Dame and UCLA.  As a sophomore he was ASWA First Team All State.