Auburn's 2014 Pre-Spring Practice Depth chart prediction for the 2014 season.
Obviously there are some major changes that can/will happen and some unheralded guys could step up, hopefully, and shake things up a bit. These are just the predictions I've got for now.
QB
Nick Marshall
Jeremy Johnson
RB-
Peyton Barber (both CAP and Mason called him the best back on campus)
Cameron Artis-Payne
Roc Thomas
Corey Grant
WR
Dhaquille Williams
Sammie Coates
Ricardo Louis
Marcus Davis
Tony Stevens
Jaylon Denson
Melvin Ray
Stanton Truitt (my sleeper in the 2015 class)
TE-
CJ Uzomah
Brandon Fulse
H-Back/FB
Ricky Parks
Jakell Mitchell
OL
1.Shon Coleman-Alex Kozan- Reese Dismukes - Chad Slade - Avery Young
2. Patrick Miller -Jordan Diamond -Xavier Dampeer -Deon Mix -Braden Smith
DL
Carl Lawson - Gabe Wright - Montravius Adams - Elijiah Daniel
Ladarius Owens - Angelo Blackson - Ben Bradley - Davonte Lambert
also in rotation: Jeffrey Whitaker, Keymiya Harrell
possibly contributing: Justin Thornton (if heavy enough), Andrew Williams and Dontavius Russell
LB
Kris Frost - Cass McKinzy
Tre Williams - Anthony Swain
Cameron Toney - Justin Garrett (if not playing Star)
CB
Jonathon Mincy
Nick Ruffin
Joseph Turner (JUCO guy)
Jonathan Jones
Kalvarez Bessent (likely to RS, IMO, unless he adds 20 lbs before fall camp, but he's a May enrollee so that could help)
STAR
Robenson Therezie
Derrick Moncrief
Justin Garrett
Mackenro Alexander
Safety
Jermaine Whitehead
Joshua Holsey (could move back to corner, if needed)
Khari Harding
Brandon King
Stephen Roberts
With Auburn this year, it is very clear that our strength is on the OL
and DL, but that we will also be greatly improved at the skill
positions. If Nick Marshall can improve his passing acumen as he did
moving along the year and take it up another notch next season, then
Dhaquille Williams and Coates will be a nightmare for defenses to cover
in addition to Marshall running the read option. Our offense should be
ridiculous this year.
On Defense we return almost everyone (except Dee Ford and Chris Davis)
and are adding a very talented recruiting class for depth. I think we
will be greatly improved next year. Our DL will be great again, but I
think our LB play will be the biggest improvement overall if Frost and
McKinzy can just play like they did against FSU all year. The secondary
is the biggest question mark on the entire team. Can we improve there
with the big infusion of talent we signed in the '14 class? If so, we
could have a top 5 scoring defense in the SEC again, and dramatically
improve the ypg numbers we gave up last season
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Post NSD 2014 class grades for Auburn:
For Auburn, I'd go with an overall grade of an A or A-. Only reason we
didn't get an A+ is because we whiffed on our biggest NSD target that
projected as an impact player in a few years (Evans).
QB- A.
I think Sean White has the potential to allow Gus to run a balanced attack, and maybe run an O more similar to his Tulsa days under Paul Smith. White is a gamer, has a strong enough arm, and is possibly the most accurate QB in the class.
RB- A+
Pettway is the #1 fullback in the class (acc'd to Rivals) but he is a thumper at RB with the size to play right away. I think he's an H-back in the future. But the prize was Roc Thomas. He's a slower Percy Harvin ($1 to Neihbur). Doesn't have the top end speed that Harvin has, but he definitely has elite burst and shiftiness, combined with a Caddy Williams kind of leg drive to break tackles. Perfect for Malzahn. I think he plays at 210 or so at Auburn, since he's about 202 lbs right now.
TE- B-.
Chris Laye is a solid player, but more of an in-line blocker and developmental guy. Jakell Mitchell had offers from everyone before he tore his ACL. He's ahead of schedule in rehab and has a great skillset at TE/HBack. Still think Mitchell takes a few years behind Uzomah and Ricky Parks.
WR- A-.
Auburn landed possibly the best overall player in the class in Dhaquille Williams. He is the reason this position is given an A- grade, without him, it's a B or B-. He has a Dez Bryant skillset and is ferocious when the ball is in the air. Auburn needed to improve the passing game, and a player like DQ opposite an improved (hopefully) Sammie Coates will be hell on DBs in the SEC, IMO. The most underrated player in Auburn's class, to me, is a WR as well in Stanton Truitt. This kid is freakin' electric in space and was a TD machine playing QB in HS. Myron Burton was a camp standout and a favorite of Coach D Craig.
OL- B+.
Xavier Dampeer fills an immediate need at backup center behind Dismukes and could be the incumbent when Dismukes leaves after 2014, now that Tunde Fariyuke has decided not to continue football. The big prize came in Braden Smith. AU got on him late but immediately when it became clear that Greg Robinson was gone. This was huge because it alleviated the dire need for a massive class in 2015 of offensive tackles. I think Smith has elite NFL potential at tackle if he can improve his agility, which is Auburn S&C coach's (Ryan Russell) big thing with big men. Smith has long arms, he's 6'5 (some list him 6'6) and only 290 lbs but there is video of him benching 515 lbs THREE times on YouTube. Kid is a monster
DL- A
For the second year in a row, Auburn has added four DL rated 4* or better to the unit. We like to rotate 10 or more DL in games to keep them fresh so this is critical to continue to sign great DL classes. We didn't land any 5* like last year but Davonte Lambert is an immediate impact guy that gives some great flexibility on the DL, similar to Elijiah Daniel.
LB- B+
Tre Williams was the staff's top ILB target and ended up ranked that way at the end of the year. Will possibly get PT right away behind Frost, Cass McKinzy and Swain and sets himself up to take over as the incumbent behind one of them. Deshaun Davis' film, to me, is actually better than Tre Williams. Now, he's only about 5'11, 205 lbs, so he'll need to add weight and a lot of strength, but Davis is a player and has great, great film.
DB- A
AU has had major secondary issues for probably the last 5 years, and I think talent is a major reason for that. We've struggled to recruit great DBs. This class was loaded with talented players. Nick Ruffin is the best of the group, IMO. 6' or 6'1 with freakishly long arms and very sound fundamentals. Bessent (if he isn't kicked out of the class due to issues) provides a guy that could develop into a great player with added weight. Stephen Roberts projects best at safety to me and did great there in the Under Armour practices. Derrick Moncrief was the #1 JUCO Safety and is huge at 6'3, 225. He'll provide immediate help back there with Ryan Smith gone.
QB- A.
I think Sean White has the potential to allow Gus to run a balanced attack, and maybe run an O more similar to his Tulsa days under Paul Smith. White is a gamer, has a strong enough arm, and is possibly the most accurate QB in the class.
RB- A+
Pettway is the #1 fullback in the class (acc'd to Rivals) but he is a thumper at RB with the size to play right away. I think he's an H-back in the future. But the prize was Roc Thomas. He's a slower Percy Harvin ($1 to Neihbur). Doesn't have the top end speed that Harvin has, but he definitely has elite burst and shiftiness, combined with a Caddy Williams kind of leg drive to break tackles. Perfect for Malzahn. I think he plays at 210 or so at Auburn, since he's about 202 lbs right now.
TE- B-.
Chris Laye is a solid player, but more of an in-line blocker and developmental guy. Jakell Mitchell had offers from everyone before he tore his ACL. He's ahead of schedule in rehab and has a great skillset at TE/HBack. Still think Mitchell takes a few years behind Uzomah and Ricky Parks.
WR- A-.
Auburn landed possibly the best overall player in the class in Dhaquille Williams. He is the reason this position is given an A- grade, without him, it's a B or B-. He has a Dez Bryant skillset and is ferocious when the ball is in the air. Auburn needed to improve the passing game, and a player like DQ opposite an improved (hopefully) Sammie Coates will be hell on DBs in the SEC, IMO. The most underrated player in Auburn's class, to me, is a WR as well in Stanton Truitt. This kid is freakin' electric in space and was a TD machine playing QB in HS. Myron Burton was a camp standout and a favorite of Coach D Craig.
OL- B+.
Xavier Dampeer fills an immediate need at backup center behind Dismukes and could be the incumbent when Dismukes leaves after 2014, now that Tunde Fariyuke has decided not to continue football. The big prize came in Braden Smith. AU got on him late but immediately when it became clear that Greg Robinson was gone. This was huge because it alleviated the dire need for a massive class in 2015 of offensive tackles. I think Smith has elite NFL potential at tackle if he can improve his agility, which is Auburn S&C coach's (Ryan Russell) big thing with big men. Smith has long arms, he's 6'5 (some list him 6'6) and only 290 lbs but there is video of him benching 515 lbs THREE times on YouTube. Kid is a monster
DL- A
For the second year in a row, Auburn has added four DL rated 4* or better to the unit. We like to rotate 10 or more DL in games to keep them fresh so this is critical to continue to sign great DL classes. We didn't land any 5* like last year but Davonte Lambert is an immediate impact guy that gives some great flexibility on the DL, similar to Elijiah Daniel.
LB- B+
Tre Williams was the staff's top ILB target and ended up ranked that way at the end of the year. Will possibly get PT right away behind Frost, Cass McKinzy and Swain and sets himself up to take over as the incumbent behind one of them. Deshaun Davis' film, to me, is actually better than Tre Williams. Now, he's only about 5'11, 205 lbs, so he'll need to add weight and a lot of strength, but Davis is a player and has great, great film.
DB- A
AU has had major secondary issues for probably the last 5 years, and I think talent is a major reason for that. We've struggled to recruit great DBs. This class was loaded with talented players. Nick Ruffin is the best of the group, IMO. 6' or 6'1 with freakishly long arms and very sound fundamentals. Bessent (if he isn't kicked out of the class due to issues) provides a guy that could develop into a great player with added weight. Stephen Roberts projects best at safety to me and did great there in the Under Armour practices. Derrick Moncrief was the #1 JUCO Safety and is huge at 6'3, 225. He'll provide immediate help back there with Ryan Smith gone.
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
NSD primer for the Auburn '13 class
Well, here we are. Back to NSD. Last year was, for the most part, a let down for AU fans. We lost out on Eddie Goldman, Ronald Darby and Justin Shanks to FSU (the Goldman/Shanks deal was a crusher). Avery Young was probably the one recruit that stopped AU fans from complete meltdown on that day.
One year later we're actually, somehow, in a better spot than last year. This, following a 3-9 season where Auburn finished 0-8 in the SEC and had a complete staffing overhaul. Most AU fans will tell you that this is 100% for the better of Auburn and, on top of there being change needed, Auburn actually made substantial upgrades at nearly every coaching position across the board. And somehow upgraded the recruiting prowess by adding 6 assistants who were, at some point, recruiting coordinators at D1 programs.
All of this being said here is how I feel (on Tuesday, Jan. 29th, one week before NSD, and subject to change) that Auburn wraps up the signing class of 2013.
*using 247 composite rankings
QB- Jeremy Johnson 4*
QB- Nick Marshall 3* (JUCO)
RB- Cameron Artis-Payne 3* (JUCO)
RB- Tarean Folston 4*
RB- Johnathan Ford 4*
WR- Jason Smith 4*
WR- Earnest Robinson 4*
WR- Tony Stevens 4*
WR- Dominic Walker 3*
WR- Christian Cumberlander 3* (PREP)
OL- Devonte Danzey 3* (JUCO)
DE- Carl Lawson 5*
DE- Tashawn Bower 4*
DE- Elijah Daniel 4*
DT- Ben Bradley 4* (JUCO)
DT- Toby Johnson 4* ((JUCO)longshot here is Montravius Adams, who would replace Johnson)
LB- Reuben Foster 5*
LB- Cameron Toney 3*
LB- Kenny Flowers 3* (JUCO)
LB- Jonathan Walton 3*
Star- Brandon King 3* (JUCO)
S- Khari Harding 3*
CB- Kamryn Melton 3*
CB- Mackenzie Alexander 5*
ATH- Marcus Davis- 3*
K- Daniel Carlson 3*
P- Jimmy Hutchinson 3*
That would be 27 total commits, 3 of which can count back to the 2012 class with Danzey, Payne and Bradley enrolling early.
Here is the star breakdown:
5*- 3
4*-10
3*- 14
That, my AU friends, is an exceptional class and possibly a top 6-8 finish. Nothing short of amazing. I stuck my neck out on a few of these and it's certainly possible we don't land Alexander, Daniels, Toby Johnson, Adams, or Folston, but I feel very confident on the rest.
War Damn Eagle!
One year later we're actually, somehow, in a better spot than last year. This, following a 3-9 season where Auburn finished 0-8 in the SEC and had a complete staffing overhaul. Most AU fans will tell you that this is 100% for the better of Auburn and, on top of there being change needed, Auburn actually made substantial upgrades at nearly every coaching position across the board. And somehow upgraded the recruiting prowess by adding 6 assistants who were, at some point, recruiting coordinators at D1 programs.
All of this being said here is how I feel (on Tuesday, Jan. 29th, one week before NSD, and subject to change) that Auburn wraps up the signing class of 2013.
*using 247 composite rankings
QB- Jeremy Johnson 4*
QB- Nick Marshall 3* (JUCO)
RB- Cameron Artis-Payne 3* (JUCO)
RB- Tarean Folston 4*
RB- Johnathan Ford 4*
WR- Jason Smith 4*
WR- Earnest Robinson 4*
WR- Tony Stevens 4*
WR- Dominic Walker 3*
WR- Christian Cumberlander 3* (PREP)
OL- Devonte Danzey 3* (JUCO)
DE- Carl Lawson 5*
DE- Tashawn Bower 4*
DE- Elijah Daniel 4*
DT- Ben Bradley 4* (JUCO)
DT- Toby Johnson 4* ((JUCO)longshot here is Montravius Adams, who would replace Johnson)
LB- Reuben Foster 5*
LB- Cameron Toney 3*
LB- Kenny Flowers 3* (JUCO)
LB- Jonathan Walton 3*
Star- Brandon King 3* (JUCO)
S- Khari Harding 3*
CB- Kamryn Melton 3*
CB- Mackenzie Alexander 5*
ATH- Marcus Davis- 3*
K- Daniel Carlson 3*
P- Jimmy Hutchinson 3*
That would be 27 total commits, 3 of which can count back to the 2012 class with Danzey, Payne and Bradley enrolling early.
Here is the star breakdown:
5*- 3
4*-10
3*- 14
That, my AU friends, is an exceptional class and possibly a top 6-8 finish. Nothing short of amazing. I stuck my neck out on a few of these and it's certainly possible we don't land Alexander, Daniels, Toby Johnson, Adams, or Folston, but I feel very confident on the rest.
War Damn Eagle!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Auburn '13 QB Target, Ryan Buchanan
The Skinny
Ryan Buchanan
Jackson Prep HS (Jackson, MS)
6'3, 205 lbs.
4.82 forty
1,600 yds passing for 16 TDs. (very run heavy offense)
YouTube Highlights video 1
YouTube Highlights video 2
Amateur Analysis
Really, really good feet with an absolutely ideal build. Has a great knack for fitting balls into tight windows. Particularly like how you can tell he knows that offense like the back of his hand. Every throw he makes tends to be in rhythm with his drops and this is directly attributed to his full knowledge of the playbook. Little bit of a 3/4 release but if he's 6'3 that won't be too big of an issue. Seems to be fairly accurate on the deep ball, but is very very accurate on the intermediate throws. With his 3/4 delivery it does tend to make the ball not necessarily sizzle out of his hand and it tends to come out wobbly when he has to rush the throws, and he doesn't step into his throws as much under duress. This should get better working with a good, college QB coach that can refine his mechanics.
Overall, I feel comfortable at this point in saying that Buchanan is the most underrated QB in the '13 class when looking at his rankings on the more popular recruiting sites out there. In, what I feel is, one of the best years for QBs I've seen in the 5 or so years I've really been following recruiting, I'd have no qualms about seeing Buchanan in the top 5-7 range for QBs. The level of competition Ryan faces is pretty sub-par, so this might be a kid who has to do some camping to truly prove to some that he's worthy or being called one of the top passers in the country.
Recruiting
Buchanan, relative to the fast paced recruitment we've all become used to, has remained under the radar for quite some time. Most of the top 10 or so QBs in this class have been well known players for the past year or 2 in recruiting circles. But, now that coaches have gotten a hold of his film, most of them seem to like what they see and what to get him on campus ASAP to evaluate in person. Recently colleges such as Auburn, Florida and Arkansas have all picked up interest, with Auburn offering on his visit this past weekend. I feel that if Auburn wants him, at this point, Auburn could get him. But, I don't feel Auburn is ready to settle on it's number one target for QB just yet, but it should happen soon. He plans a decision before his Sr. season and AU would like to have it's QB by then as well. Ole Miss will be tough to beat, as they always are in that area of Mississippi, and he has a sister that goes to Ole Miss. I've heard Loeffler is his favorite coach he's talked to, after his recent visit, but have also heard that Bobby Petrino was his favorite. Either way Loeffler wouldn't be too far behind if Auburn really wants him.
Prediction:
Ole Miss
Ryan Buchanan
Jackson Prep HS (Jackson, MS)
6'3, 205 lbs.
4.82 forty
1,600 yds passing for 16 TDs. (very run heavy offense)
YouTube Highlights video 1
YouTube Highlights video 2
Amateur Analysis
Really, really good feet with an absolutely ideal build. Has a great knack for fitting balls into tight windows. Particularly like how you can tell he knows that offense like the back of his hand. Every throw he makes tends to be in rhythm with his drops and this is directly attributed to his full knowledge of the playbook. Little bit of a 3/4 release but if he's 6'3 that won't be too big of an issue. Seems to be fairly accurate on the deep ball, but is very very accurate on the intermediate throws. With his 3/4 delivery it does tend to make the ball not necessarily sizzle out of his hand and it tends to come out wobbly when he has to rush the throws, and he doesn't step into his throws as much under duress. This should get better working with a good, college QB coach that can refine his mechanics.
Overall, I feel comfortable at this point in saying that Buchanan is the most underrated QB in the '13 class when looking at his rankings on the more popular recruiting sites out there. In, what I feel is, one of the best years for QBs I've seen in the 5 or so years I've really been following recruiting, I'd have no qualms about seeing Buchanan in the top 5-7 range for QBs. The level of competition Ryan faces is pretty sub-par, so this might be a kid who has to do some camping to truly prove to some that he's worthy or being called one of the top passers in the country.
Recruiting
Buchanan, relative to the fast paced recruitment we've all become used to, has remained under the radar for quite some time. Most of the top 10 or so QBs in this class have been well known players for the past year or 2 in recruiting circles. But, now that coaches have gotten a hold of his film, most of them seem to like what they see and what to get him on campus ASAP to evaluate in person. Recently colleges such as Auburn, Florida and Arkansas have all picked up interest, with Auburn offering on his visit this past weekend. I feel that if Auburn wants him, at this point, Auburn could get him. But, I don't feel Auburn is ready to settle on it's number one target for QB just yet, but it should happen soon. He plans a decision before his Sr. season and AU would like to have it's QB by then as well. Ole Miss will be tough to beat, as they always are in that area of Mississippi, and he has a sister that goes to Ole Miss. I've heard Loeffler is his favorite coach he's talked to, after his recent visit, but have also heard that Bobby Petrino was his favorite. Either way Loeffler wouldn't be too far behind if Auburn really wants him.
Prediction:
Ole Miss
Auburn QB Targets in my top 10....
For the next week or so, I'm going to go through the top 5 or so QB targets that Auburn is targeting and do a write up and what I think of them, as well as where we stand with them in their recruitment.......
I'll do the first one today starting with Ryan Buchanan (a personal favorite of mine).....
I'll do the first one today starting with Ryan Buchanan (a personal favorite of mine).....
Monday, April 2, 2012
'13 Top 10 QBs:
Here are some of the 2013 QBs and how I feel they stack up against the rest of the country from watching the film out there on about 25-30 QBs so far this year. This is an incredible year for QB talent, so I'm happy that AU has a need and an incredible evaluator and teacher of QBs. I have no doubts that Scot Loeffler will land Auburn someone from the top 5-6 on this list.
Top 10
1. Ryan Burns
2. Kevin Olsen
3. Max Browne
4. Ryan Buchanan
5. Cooper Bateman
6. Hayden Rettig
7. Christian Hackenberg
8. Eddie Printz
9. Shane Morris
10. Brice Ramsey
Highest Ceiling
1. Ryan Burns
2. Max Browne
3. Tyrone Swoopes
Highest Floor
1. Ryan Burns
2. Kevin Olsen
3. Eddie Printz
Sleepers
1. Cord Sandberg
2. Jeremy Johnson
3. Austin Allen
Future #1 pick
1. Ryan Burns
2. Max Browne
3. Kevin Olsen
Top 10
1. Ryan Burns
2. Kevin Olsen
3. Max Browne
4. Ryan Buchanan
5. Cooper Bateman
6. Hayden Rettig
7. Christian Hackenberg
8. Eddie Printz
9. Shane Morris
10. Brice Ramsey
Highest Ceiling
1. Ryan Burns
2. Max Browne
3. Tyrone Swoopes
Highest Floor
1. Ryan Burns
2. Kevin Olsen
3. Eddie Printz
Sleepers
1. Cord Sandberg
2. Jeremy Johnson
3. Austin Allen
Future #1 pick
1. Ryan Burns
2. Max Browne
3. Kevin Olsen
Friday, March 16, 2012
Way too Early '13 Mock Class
2013 AU Mock Class.....
Let's try our first one here in March:
QB- Hayden Rettig
QB- Jeremy Johnson
RB- Tyshon Dye
FB- Josh Anderson
WR- Earnest Robinson
WR- Isaiah Jones
TE- OJ Howard (I think we flip him, going out on a limb mostly here)
TE- Standish Dobard
OL- Austin Golson (another potential flip...visited several times, quietly, already)
OG- Tyrone Crowder
DL- Dee Liner
DE- Carl Lawson
DT- Jay Ellison or Rod Crayton (if we offer)
DE- Jordan Sherit
DL- one more "best available" guy....hopefully Montravius Adams or Kenny Bigelow
LB- Trey Johnson
LB- Cameron Toney
CB- Kamryn Melton
CB- Noel Ellis
S- Vonn Bell
K- Harrison Butker
LS- Trevor Morgan
P- Jimmy Hutchinson
This would be a class of 23. I'm sure we'll have some EEs to count towards the '12 class. I can't see us bringing in more than 20 in the spring/summer though with the small graduating class that we have coming in.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Post-NSD Grades for Auburn's '12 class
I feel that Auburn did a fantastic job of meeting needs. When you look at our avg star ranking we had a pretty good year reeling in talented guys that could help fill our depth chart with more talent, since we return about 37 guys on our 2-deep.
The OL was probably our biggest need coming in, and we've filled that and then some with as of now about the 5th ranked OL class, or so. Adding Jordan Diamond, hopefully, later tonight would certainly put us right there behind Stanford as the #2 OL class, or close to it.
Next was adding some playmakers at WR, and keeping JaQuay Williams and Ricardo Louis is more than enough for me. I have felt that Louis is vastly underrated as a playmaker, he's just raw. Really like how we met this need. Adding Diggs would be some REALLY good icing on the cake, but not counting on it.
Next was TE. After Lutz is gone we only have Brandon Fulse at TE, so getting some immediate help there was crucial just in case one of those guys goes down. Ricky Parks is a physical specimen and should be able to contribute right away. Darrion Hutcherson is a 6'7, 250 lb athlete that could stay at TE or move to the DL/OL, but either way he needs to develop a little more of a meanstreak. However the biggest pickup we got for our TEs was getting fullback Jay Prosch as a Transfer from Illinois. This will allow the TE to play TE exclusively. Lutz has been underutilized because he was probably our best blocker last year but is such a great receiving TE too. Prosch will help big time.
Lastly, our last need would be considered getting a few quality LBs. I feel that getting a MLB was more important than OLB, and Cassanova McKinzy is, physically, ready to help out right away if need be. He is another kid that needs to learn to play with more effort consistently and get a little meaner on the field but he certainly has the size and talent to help. Mitchell is a project, plain and simple, but has tons of athleticism at 6'2, 200 lbs and runs in the 4.4s. I think he could move to safety if VanGorder chooses to go back to having bigger LBs.
Grades:
QB- B (Pike has huge boom or bust potential, but with Loeffler's QB coaching ability I think Pike should be thrilled)
RB- B+
TE- A+ (I think Parks and the TE from USC are the 2 best in the class)
WR- A
OL- A+
DL- C (wasn't a need, but missing on Goldman, Ward, Jenkins and Williams hurt....still like Nero and President's upside though)
LB- B
CB- B+
S- n/a
Overall I'd say Auburn had a B+ class. The meat of the class is on par with what we've had the past two classes, we just didn't have the two or three 5* guys that we've gotten recently to really anchor the top.
The OL was probably our biggest need coming in, and we've filled that and then some with as of now about the 5th ranked OL class, or so. Adding Jordan Diamond, hopefully, later tonight would certainly put us right there behind Stanford as the #2 OL class, or close to it.
Next was adding some playmakers at WR, and keeping JaQuay Williams and Ricardo Louis is more than enough for me. I have felt that Louis is vastly underrated as a playmaker, he's just raw. Really like how we met this need. Adding Diggs would be some REALLY good icing on the cake, but not counting on it.
Next was TE. After Lutz is gone we only have Brandon Fulse at TE, so getting some immediate help there was crucial just in case one of those guys goes down. Ricky Parks is a physical specimen and should be able to contribute right away. Darrion Hutcherson is a 6'7, 250 lb athlete that could stay at TE or move to the DL/OL, but either way he needs to develop a little more of a meanstreak. However the biggest pickup we got for our TEs was getting fullback Jay Prosch as a Transfer from Illinois. This will allow the TE to play TE exclusively. Lutz has been underutilized because he was probably our best blocker last year but is such a great receiving TE too. Prosch will help big time.
Lastly, our last need would be considered getting a few quality LBs. I feel that getting a MLB was more important than OLB, and Cassanova McKinzy is, physically, ready to help out right away if need be. He is another kid that needs to learn to play with more effort consistently and get a little meaner on the field but he certainly has the size and talent to help. Mitchell is a project, plain and simple, but has tons of athleticism at 6'2, 200 lbs and runs in the 4.4s. I think he could move to safety if VanGorder chooses to go back to having bigger LBs.
Grades:
QB- B (Pike has huge boom or bust potential, but with Loeffler's QB coaching ability I think Pike should be thrilled)
RB- B+
TE- A+ (I think Parks and the TE from USC are the 2 best in the class)
WR- A
OL- A+
DL- C (wasn't a need, but missing on Goldman, Ward, Jenkins and Williams hurt....still like Nero and President's upside though)
LB- B
CB- B+
S- n/a
Overall I'd say Auburn had a B+ class. The meat of the class is on par with what we've had the past two classes, we just didn't have the two or three 5* guys that we've gotten recently to really anchor the top.
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Statistical Analysis of Auburn's '12 Class by Max Mitchell
My long time buddy Max Mitchell ( @YaBoyMaxWeezy on twitter) emailed me this statistical analysis (because that's what this crazy dude does on our Recruiting class and threw in some work of his own on there and thought it'd be awesome to share with the AU fans out there:
The rating of individual players is subjective, so they obviously differ from site to site. Then, those player ratings are stuffed into a point calculation system that is unique to each site. Starting with different player ratings and then feeding those numbers into different calculation systems obviously produces different results on the different sites...sometimes drastically different.
Personally, I trust the guys at 247 to give the best recruit analysis. I'm not sure how their point system works, but since I trust the evaluations, I trust the outcome of the team rankings...even if it doesn't work out the best for Auburn this year.
However, there is something to how each site does it, so I thought I'd average them all out.
Since everyone uses different ranking/point systems, I took the number 1 team from each site and gave them a 1.00 point total. The #2 team was then a percentage of the #1 team. In other words, if the #1 team had 1000 points and the #5 team had 876 points, then the #1 team gets 1.00 and the #5 team gets .876. At 247, Alabama was #1 with a point total of 781. FSU was #2 with a point total of 773. 773 points is .989% of 781. So Alabama gets a 1.00 and FSU gets a .989.
I did that for all four sites, giving the top 25 teams on each site a % of the point total of the #1 team. The exception was ESPN, who doesn't show points. So I just subtracted .025 from each team counting down from #1. In other words, #1 was 1.00, #2 was .975, #3 was .950, #4 was .925, #5 was .900, and so on.
And here is the way they stacked up....
1. .985 - Alabama
2. .969 - Texas
3. .913 - Ohio State
4. .905 - Florida
5. .872 - Michigan
6. .854 - Florida State
7. .824 - Stanford
8. .815 - Miami
9. .796 - Georgia
10 .789 - Oklahoma
11 .772 - USC
12 .739 - Clemson
12 .739 - LSU
14 .715 - Auburn
15 .710 - UCLA
16 .703 - South Carolina
16 .703 - Texas A&M
18 .696 - Oregon
19 .636 - Tennessee
20 .615 - Washington
NOTES:
It was interesting to see certain teams all over the place in the rankings on each site. Here are some that had a wide range:
LSU -
#7 high on Scout
#17 low on Rivals
Georgia -
#5 high on ESPN
#13 low on Scout
Clemson -
#9 high on ESPN
#22 low on 247 Sports
South Carolina -
#12 high in Scout
#19 low on Rivals
USC -
#7 high in Rivals
#20 low on Scout
FSU -
#2 high on 247 Sports and ESPN
#10 low on Scout
Notre Dame -
#10 high on ESPN
#22 low on Rivals
Auburn's high and low was #12 on Rivals and #17 on 247 Sports and ESPN. And before anyone says "of course ESPN has us low", remember that they had us #3 and #4 the last two years...the highest two year average of any of the sites.
The truth is, recruiting rankings matter. They are an indication of the overall talent and depth you acquire each year. But the subjective nature of evaluating the players that make up the classes that make up the rankings means that the rankings should, as the very least, be viewed in groups. Is #7 really that much better than #12 on any given site? Especially since those two teams might be ranked #10 and #14 on another site?
In my opinion, I would group the top 20 teams by percentages related to the top team. Maybe the .900 teams, the .800 teams, the .700 teams, etc, as teams ranked that closely over the range of four different sites are essentially a subjective toss-up.
So for this year:
Group 1 consists of Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, and .Florida Group 2 consists of Michigan, Florida St, Stanford, and Miami.
Group 3 consists of Georgia, Oklahoma, USC, Clemson, LSU, Auburn, UCLA, South Carolina, and Texas A&M.
Group 4 consists of Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington.
In this case, I would only say there are eight classes that are CLEARLY ahead of Auburn's class. And that Auburn's class is on par, or in the same general ball park, as that of Georgia, Clemson, A&M, LSU, etc. After all, two sites had Auburn at #12 and #13, while two sites also had Georgia at #11 and #13. So even though Georgia averages out on the four sites at #9 and AU averages at #14, who's to say which ranking for each team are actually right. If you look at the two examples I just gave for each team, you'd think they were dead even.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
BREAKING: Ricardo Louis decommits from FSU
Ricardo Louis has decided to open his rescind on his commitment to Florida State, after a recent visit from Scot Loeffler (new Auburn OC), Trooper Taylor and Gene Chizik. It appears that Auburn is absolutely in the driver's seat for this one. Jimbo Fisher will have an in house visit with Louis on friday to try to sway him back, but I believe that his relationship with Trooper Taylor will get Louis to recommit to Auburn and sign on NSD with Auburn.
He might be announcing his commitment on ESPN on Wednesday, NSD.
He might be announcing his commitment on ESPN on Wednesday, NSD.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Countdown to Signing Day (1/20)
Well well well, here we are again. Another signing day and another potentially huge close the Chizik and Co..... but there's more! This could also be the first time that this staff has essentially fallen on their faces on NSD and get "left at the altar" so to speak.
Never, since I've followed recruiting for 5-6 years, have I seen Auburn have this many big fish left on the board AND the space available to take them all! That is a fun, yet dangerous, game to play. We'll get to the list of guys at the end.
The Hurdles
Now, we've had our share of tough breaks on the recruiting trail this year that has hindered Auburn at least a little bit from taking advantage of the proverbial "National Championship bump". It's my personal theory that the enhanced social media cycle actually has advanced so far that the National Championships actually now pay off THAT year (2011 class) as opposed to the next year like it used to. Most kids have completely forgotten that Auburn had won the title because a year ago might as well be 10 years ago to an 18 year old. Anyways, that's my theory on the bump.
In addition to my theory, we also lost both our offensive and defensive coordinators. In my opinion we've done a fantastic job of keeping everyone on board that was actually planning to come to Auburn (Yeldon was always going to Bama), other than the recent decommitment of Ricardo Louis (which I'll address as well). Those relationships that the coordinators formed with the recruits and the uncertainty it causes makes it tough on the long-time commits to Auburn, but we've kept most of them and had a VERY good start to recruiting this year, which was different than usual.
We didn't have an OC for 40 days, but it's better to make the right hire than make the wrong and easy hire to save a recruit or two. Ricardo Louis was just a casualty of Auburn and Chizik being unwilling to settle on a decent hire and swing for the fences, in my opinion. As a result of making a successful hire, it appears that Auburn has a better than average chance of getting Louis BACK on board with the 2012 Auburn signing class. Multiple places have confirmed there's at least a chance.
Finally the NCAA stuff gave other staffs more ammo to negatively recruit against Auburn while it was out there. Thank God that the NCAA decided to publicly exonerate Auburn of any wrongdoing so we could get out from under that shadow!
The Potential positive
Now, Auburn did a phenomenal job with the hiring of Coach Brian VanGorder, former DC of the Atlanta Falcons and former Broyles Award winner as the DC at UGA. He is as brilliant of a defensive mind as you'll find, and yes that includes Saban, and will make the transition to a more balanced pro-spread offense that much easier. This was huge because many of the guys left on our board are defensive guys, and it's pretty obvious we could use a great talent infusion into our defensive roster.
The list of guys that our final 9 could potentially come from is:
5*WR- Stefon Diggs
5*WR- Cordarelle Patterson
4*WR- Ricardo Louis
4/5*OT- Avery Young
4/5*OT- Jordan Diamond
4* OT- Menelik Watson (JUCO)
5*DT- Eddie Goldman
4*DL- Leonard Williams
4*LB- Kwon Alexander
4/5*DB- Ronald Darby
4*DB- Deon Bush
3*DB- Jordan Moore
4/5*ATH- Arik Armstead
In case you didn't know, that's a TON of talent left on the board, but the issue is that we're not the only team(s) that feel good about these guys. Usually AU fans know more than likely who we're gonna get and who is a legitimate longshot. This year is different. We could absolutely close with NINE off of that list and it would propel us right up to the top 5 of every site out there and provide us with a HUGE influx of talent......BUT, we could also lose on all but 1-2 of those guys and be very, very disappointed with how we close. Then we have to be hopeful on our plan B guys......
But ya know what, lost in the potential meltdown of closing worse than we're accustomed to would be a very solid class based on all of the things I listed above. Even if we only get 2 off of that list we'll have 10-12 four star or better prospects in this class and will put us somewhere in the top 15. That's hardly reason to panic, and with better coaching on defense and maybe even offense, the future is bright no matter how we finish!
WDE!
Never, since I've followed recruiting for 5-6 years, have I seen Auburn have this many big fish left on the board AND the space available to take them all! That is a fun, yet dangerous, game to play. We'll get to the list of guys at the end.
The Hurdles
Now, we've had our share of tough breaks on the recruiting trail this year that has hindered Auburn at least a little bit from taking advantage of the proverbial "National Championship bump". It's my personal theory that the enhanced social media cycle actually has advanced so far that the National Championships actually now pay off THAT year (2011 class) as opposed to the next year like it used to. Most kids have completely forgotten that Auburn had won the title because a year ago might as well be 10 years ago to an 18 year old. Anyways, that's my theory on the bump.
In addition to my theory, we also lost both our offensive and defensive coordinators. In my opinion we've done a fantastic job of keeping everyone on board that was actually planning to come to Auburn (Yeldon was always going to Bama), other than the recent decommitment of Ricardo Louis (which I'll address as well). Those relationships that the coordinators formed with the recruits and the uncertainty it causes makes it tough on the long-time commits to Auburn, but we've kept most of them and had a VERY good start to recruiting this year, which was different than usual.
We didn't have an OC for 40 days, but it's better to make the right hire than make the wrong and easy hire to save a recruit or two. Ricardo Louis was just a casualty of Auburn and Chizik being unwilling to settle on a decent hire and swing for the fences, in my opinion. As a result of making a successful hire, it appears that Auburn has a better than average chance of getting Louis BACK on board with the 2012 Auburn signing class. Multiple places have confirmed there's at least a chance.
Finally the NCAA stuff gave other staffs more ammo to negatively recruit against Auburn while it was out there. Thank God that the NCAA decided to publicly exonerate Auburn of any wrongdoing so we could get out from under that shadow!
The Potential positive
Now, Auburn did a phenomenal job with the hiring of Coach Brian VanGorder, former DC of the Atlanta Falcons and former Broyles Award winner as the DC at UGA. He is as brilliant of a defensive mind as you'll find, and yes that includes Saban, and will make the transition to a more balanced pro-spread offense that much easier. This was huge because many of the guys left on our board are defensive guys, and it's pretty obvious we could use a great talent infusion into our defensive roster.
The list of guys that our final 9 could potentially come from is:
5*WR- Stefon Diggs
5*WR- Cordarelle Patterson
4*WR- Ricardo Louis
4/5*OT- Avery Young
4/5*OT- Jordan Diamond
4* OT- Menelik Watson (JUCO)
5*DT- Eddie Goldman
4*DL- Leonard Williams
4*LB- Kwon Alexander
4/5*DB- Ronald Darby
4*DB- Deon Bush
3*DB- Jordan Moore
4/5*ATH- Arik Armstead
In case you didn't know, that's a TON of talent left on the board, but the issue is that we're not the only team(s) that feel good about these guys. Usually AU fans know more than likely who we're gonna get and who is a legitimate longshot. This year is different. We could absolutely close with NINE off of that list and it would propel us right up to the top 5 of every site out there and provide us with a HUGE influx of talent......BUT, we could also lose on all but 1-2 of those guys and be very, very disappointed with how we close. Then we have to be hopeful on our plan B guys......
But ya know what, lost in the potential meltdown of closing worse than we're accustomed to would be a very solid class based on all of the things I listed above. Even if we only get 2 off of that list we'll have 10-12 four star or better prospects in this class and will put us somewhere in the top 15. That's hardly reason to panic, and with better coaching on defense and maybe even offense, the future is bright no matter how we finish!
WDE!
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
2012 SEC Schedule has been released.......
Auburn's SEC schedule will look like this:
Sept. 8 at Mississippi State
Sept. 22 LSU
Oct. 6 ARKANSAS
Oct. 13 at Ole Miss
Oct. 20 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 27 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 10 GEORGIA
Nov. 24 at Alabama
The toughest road game will obviously be the Iron Bowl, but we get most of the tough games at home. Very favorable home schedule, but still very tough teams we'll be facing in those home games.
Sept. 8 at Mississippi State
Sept. 22 LSU
Oct. 6 ARKANSAS
Oct. 13 at Ole Miss
Oct. 20 at Vanderbilt
Oct. 27 TEXAS A&M
Nov. 10 GEORGIA
Nov. 24 at Alabama
The toughest road game will obviously be the Iron Bowl, but we get most of the tough games at home. Very favorable home schedule, but still very tough teams we'll be facing in those home games.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
12/22 Auburn Recruiting status......
Here we are, sitting in the final dead period, just waiting......
Everyone seems to feel that Auburn has a lot of negative momentum pulling against them because of the recent coaching vacancies that have come about, as well as the shocking TJ Yeldon recruitment. It's easy to see that as that case if you just glance, but if you look into it for more than a glance everything is about to really take off for Auburn.
First of all, these coaching changes at the coordinator positions have been in motion for a while. Gus was always going to be a HC sooner than later, and things just didn't work out well with Roof here and we needed a new attitude on the defensive side of the ball. He wouldn't have been back even if UCF hadn't accepted him as the new DC there. So there's that....
With Yeldon flipping to Bama, it hurts our recruiting ranking more than it hurts the future of the Auburn football program. The running back position, even if Dyer and McCalebb do not return, is in fantastic hands with great talent. We would still return Mike Blakely, Tre Mason, Corey Grant, and bring in Jovon Robinson. Not to mention we will possibly pursue a second RB for this class. So I'm not concerned there.
Now in regards to why we're about to see a dramatic uptick in recruiting momentum and see Auburn finish, once again, as one of the best staffs of "closers" in the business. We're about to hire two new coordinators. That means new blood, new attitude, and new excitement around the program. In my humble opinion, and from what I've seen, I genuinely feel that we've already hired our guys on the offensive and defensive sides, we're simply waiting for the dead period to end to release the info so that we can contact our commits and recruits immediately after the announcements and get into those living rooms right away and make a big impact right before the All-Star games, which could lead to a whole 'nother surge of recruiting momentum before heading into the official visit periods of January, which are always huge.
We may not see a lot of big news and probably have no reason to be optimistic with a lot of the big fish left on board, but I'm telling you, as we announce/make these new hires the kids are going to get very excited about Auburn that were already high on Auburn.
This could be as big of a finish as I can remember in my time following AU recruiting. We're only at 16 commits right now and will no doubt take 25. That leaves 9 guys in a period of just over a month that will be joining the Auburn family. Most of the targets are guys that would be considered top 250 type of players, nationally. This 2012 class should be THE class that gets Auburn to 85 scholarship players, and finally allows us to have a full roster of high 3, 4 and 5 star talent. This is a huge class for us, depth wise.
That being said, here is what I feel Auburn's 2012 class looks like in the end, as of now (knowing tons will probably change):
QB- Zeke Pike
RB- Jovon Robinson
WR- JaQuay Williams
WR- Ricardo Louis
WR- Stefon Diggs
TE- Ricky Parks
TE/ATH- Darrion Hutcherson
OT- Shane Callahan
OT- Will Latu
OT- Robert Leff
OT- Avery Young
OG- Alex Kozan
OT- Menelik Watson
DL- Gimel President
DE- Channing Ward
DL- Leonard Williams
DT- Tyler Nero
LB- Cassanova McKinzy
LB- Javiere Mitchell
LB- Kwon Alexander
CB- Joshua Holsey
CB- Jonathan Jones
CB- TJ Davis
CB- Ronald Darby
DB- Deon Bush
That would make 25 guys. Here would be the general ranking breakdown:
5*- 1 (Diggs)
4*- 18
3*- 6
That, my friends, is how you build a roster.
War Damn Eagle!
Everyone seems to feel that Auburn has a lot of negative momentum pulling against them because of the recent coaching vacancies that have come about, as well as the shocking TJ Yeldon recruitment. It's easy to see that as that case if you just glance, but if you look into it for more than a glance everything is about to really take off for Auburn.
First of all, these coaching changes at the coordinator positions have been in motion for a while. Gus was always going to be a HC sooner than later, and things just didn't work out well with Roof here and we needed a new attitude on the defensive side of the ball. He wouldn't have been back even if UCF hadn't accepted him as the new DC there. So there's that....
With Yeldon flipping to Bama, it hurts our recruiting ranking more than it hurts the future of the Auburn football program. The running back position, even if Dyer and McCalebb do not return, is in fantastic hands with great talent. We would still return Mike Blakely, Tre Mason, Corey Grant, and bring in Jovon Robinson. Not to mention we will possibly pursue a second RB for this class. So I'm not concerned there.
Now in regards to why we're about to see a dramatic uptick in recruiting momentum and see Auburn finish, once again, as one of the best staffs of "closers" in the business. We're about to hire two new coordinators. That means new blood, new attitude, and new excitement around the program. In my humble opinion, and from what I've seen, I genuinely feel that we've already hired our guys on the offensive and defensive sides, we're simply waiting for the dead period to end to release the info so that we can contact our commits and recruits immediately after the announcements and get into those living rooms right away and make a big impact right before the All-Star games, which could lead to a whole 'nother surge of recruiting momentum before heading into the official visit periods of January, which are always huge.
We may not see a lot of big news and probably have no reason to be optimistic with a lot of the big fish left on board, but I'm telling you, as we announce/make these new hires the kids are going to get very excited about Auburn that were already high on Auburn.
This could be as big of a finish as I can remember in my time following AU recruiting. We're only at 16 commits right now and will no doubt take 25. That leaves 9 guys in a period of just over a month that will be joining the Auburn family. Most of the targets are guys that would be considered top 250 type of players, nationally. This 2012 class should be THE class that gets Auburn to 85 scholarship players, and finally allows us to have a full roster of high 3, 4 and 5 star talent. This is a huge class for us, depth wise.
That being said, here is what I feel Auburn's 2012 class looks like in the end, as of now (knowing tons will probably change):
QB- Zeke Pike
RB- Jovon Robinson
WR- JaQuay Williams
WR- Ricardo Louis
WR- Stefon Diggs
TE- Ricky Parks
TE/ATH- Darrion Hutcherson
OT- Shane Callahan
OT- Will Latu
OT- Robert Leff
OT- Avery Young
OG- Alex Kozan
OT- Menelik Watson
DL- Gimel President
DE- Channing Ward
DL- Leonard Williams
DT- Tyler Nero
LB- Cassanova McKinzy
LB- Javiere Mitchell
LB- Kwon Alexander
CB- Joshua Holsey
CB- Jonathan Jones
CB- TJ Davis
CB- Ronald Darby
DB- Deon Bush
That would make 25 guys. Here would be the general ranking breakdown:
5*- 1 (Diggs)
4*- 18
3*- 6
That, my friends, is how you build a roster.
War Damn Eagle!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
LSU 45 - Auburn 10
Well, T'Sharvan Bell said it best "they aren't ranked #1 on accident". Their defensive linemen were as fast as any DL I've seen in a long time. There may have been more strong, physical DLs, but in terms of pure speed they take the cake....
that being said, the Auburn Offensive line had as poor of a showing as I've seen from Auburn in the 3 years that Coach Grimes has been at Auburn. Unfortunately, I don't feel it's his fault completely. I simply don't feel that we're very talented on the left side of the offensive line, and our Center being a true freshmen (while very, very talented) does cause some problems. Chad Slade simply doesn't have the quickness, nor does John Sullen, to handle the pulling responsibilities that are necessary in this offenses' running game. If you go back and watch the film from last year, Byron Isom and Mike Berry were literally step by step with one another in perfect harmony and always got to the outside with more than enough time for the RB to be able to read what was developing since they were there so quickly. I felt so bad for Moseley getting his first start under those conditions AND on the road on the Bayou.
This game was absolutely one that could've gone dramatically different but, if we're honest, the better team did win. Auburn was playing great defense after LSU's strong first drive for a TD, but penalties and the coinciding plays that LSU made with those penalties were the difference in the game. The second half probably could've and should've been 7-3 or Auburn could have even taken the lead had they not made penalties and had gotten stops on 3rd downs instead.
The special teams all around were very lackluster when compared with how we've performed as a unit there all year. Steven Clark, possibly the nation's best punter when right, had his worst game of the year. He consistently was putting the ball 10-20 yards short of where the LSU punt returners were, which is very unusual for Clark. He has been consistently hitting punts 43+ yards with over 4 seconds of hangtime, on the year. For Auburn to hang with LSU, I knew that we'd have to dominate field position using Special Teams, but that obviously never happened.
Overall, I don't think too many people felt that we could win this game, being so young and on the road with a first time starting QB against the #1 team in the country. Auburn is certainly better than they played on Saturday afternoon, and Chizik has been fantastic at getting his teams to bounce back after tough losses, and I expect this to be no different. I expect this team to respond against Ole Miss on Saturday night the same way the 2009 team responded on Halloween '09 with a big win over Ole Miss at home and head into the bye week with a 6-3 record and get ready to face a UGA team on the rise at home. That game scares me because it will be yet ANOTHER top 25 team on the road for this young bunch, but hey at least it's not a top TEN road game.
WDE guys, and I'm excited about what the future is shaping up to look like for this young bunch.
that being said, the Auburn Offensive line had as poor of a showing as I've seen from Auburn in the 3 years that Coach Grimes has been at Auburn. Unfortunately, I don't feel it's his fault completely. I simply don't feel that we're very talented on the left side of the offensive line, and our Center being a true freshmen (while very, very talented) does cause some problems. Chad Slade simply doesn't have the quickness, nor does John Sullen, to handle the pulling responsibilities that are necessary in this offenses' running game. If you go back and watch the film from last year, Byron Isom and Mike Berry were literally step by step with one another in perfect harmony and always got to the outside with more than enough time for the RB to be able to read what was developing since they were there so quickly. I felt so bad for Moseley getting his first start under those conditions AND on the road on the Bayou.
This game was absolutely one that could've gone dramatically different but, if we're honest, the better team did win. Auburn was playing great defense after LSU's strong first drive for a TD, but penalties and the coinciding plays that LSU made with those penalties were the difference in the game. The second half probably could've and should've been 7-3 or Auburn could have even taken the lead had they not made penalties and had gotten stops on 3rd downs instead.
The special teams all around were very lackluster when compared with how we've performed as a unit there all year. Steven Clark, possibly the nation's best punter when right, had his worst game of the year. He consistently was putting the ball 10-20 yards short of where the LSU punt returners were, which is very unusual for Clark. He has been consistently hitting punts 43+ yards with over 4 seconds of hangtime, on the year. For Auburn to hang with LSU, I knew that we'd have to dominate field position using Special Teams, but that obviously never happened.
Overall, I don't think too many people felt that we could win this game, being so young and on the road with a first time starting QB against the #1 team in the country. Auburn is certainly better than they played on Saturday afternoon, and Chizik has been fantastic at getting his teams to bounce back after tough losses, and I expect this to be no different. I expect this team to respond against Ole Miss on Saturday night the same way the 2009 team responded on Halloween '09 with a big win over Ole Miss at home and head into the bye week with a 6-3 record and get ready to face a UGA team on the rise at home. That game scares me because it will be yet ANOTHER top 25 team on the road for this young bunch, but hey at least it's not a top TEN road game.
WDE guys, and I'm excited about what the future is shaping up to look like for this young bunch.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Clint Moseley will start at QB on Saturday.........
on the road against LSU. Best of luck, Clint.
He looked very good in his half of football against a good UF defense. He's a bit of a gunslinger, but in my opinion, that is needed to go into Redstick and come out with a win.
He looked very good in his half of football against a good UF defense. He's a bit of a gunslinger, but in my opinion, that is needed to go into Redstick and come out with a win.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Week 7 picks:
Sorry to be so brief...not a lot of time as I'm about to make my way down to "The Loveliest Village on the Plains"!
Auburn- 31 UF- 24
Michigan- 24 MSU- 28
Baylor- 24 Tx A&M- 38
USCe- 41 Miss St.- 21
LSU- 44 Tenn- 24
Ok St.- 59 Texas- 28
UAT- 45 Ole Miss- 10
See y'all at the game this weekend! If you are close stop by. The wifey and I are section 10, row 7, seats 7-8! WDE!
Auburn- 31 UF- 24
Michigan- 24 MSU- 28
Baylor- 24 Tx A&M- 38
USCe- 41 Miss St.- 21
LSU- 44 Tenn- 24
Ok St.- 59 Texas- 28
UAT- 45 Ole Miss- 10
See y'all at the game this weekend! If you are close stop by. The wifey and I are section 10, row 7, seats 7-8! WDE!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Auburn University cleared of any major violations by NCAA
Auburn University has received a letter from the NCAA enforcement staff stating the NCAA has concluded its investigation, and no major rules violations were found.
"After conducting more than 80 interviews, the NCAA has concluded its investigation into Auburn University," the NCAA said in a statement. "The NCAA enforcement staff is committed to a fair and thorough investigative process. As such, any allegations of major rules violations must meet a burden of proof, which is a higher standard than rampant public speculation online and in the media. The allegations must be based on credible and persuasive information and includes a good-faith belief that the Committee on Infractions could make a finding. As with any case, should the enforcement staff become aware of additional credible information, it will review the information to determine whether further investigation is warranted."
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said, "We appreciate the NCAA and thank them for their professionalism and thoroughness during this exhaustive investigation. We are pleased to put this matter behind us.”
"After conducting more than 80 interviews, the NCAA has concluded its investigation into Auburn University," the NCAA said in a statement. "The NCAA enforcement staff is committed to a fair and thorough investigative process. As such, any allegations of major rules violations must meet a burden of proof, which is a higher standard than rampant public speculation online and in the media. The allegations must be based on credible and persuasive information and includes a good-faith belief that the Committee on Infractions could make a finding. As with any case, should the enforcement staff become aware of additional credible information, it will review the information to determine whether further investigation is warranted."
Auburn Athletics Director Jay Jacobs said, "We appreciate the NCAA and thank them for their professionalism and thoroughness during this exhaustive investigation. We are pleased to put this matter behind us.”
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Nope, no shake-up at QB..........
Chizik just announced that Trotter will, in fact, be the starting QB. I can tell you this, if the head coach has to announce something like that, it means there was consideration made to the alternative. Also, I have no doubt that Trotter will have to perform exceptionally well or else he will be pulled in favor of Moseley.
Potential shake-up at QB on the Plains?
There are rumblings today that Moseley could be named the starter for the UF game this week, as they have been splitting reps during practice (including Sunday night). If this is going to happen, this is the week for it to happen, in my opinion, as you don't want your first start to be on the road at Baton Rouge (see: Jacoby Brissett).
Monday, October 10, 2011
Vadal Alexander has committed to LSU
Vadal Alexander, OG from Buford, GA., has committed to LSU. He took his final OV to them this weekend and more than likely gave his commitment to them on his visit. Great pickup for the other Tigers. Picked LSU over Auburn and Bama.
He's in the ESPNU150, and a 4* on all sites.
He's in the ESPNU150, and a 4* on all sites.
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