See where Auburn stands with their top football recruiting targets
The 2016 Auburn Tigers’ football recruiting class is shaping up to be a great one as 247Sports currently has them ranked in the top 10 with the 18 commitments they have in place. There is still almost a month left before National Signing Day and Auburn has plenty of targets left to pursue.
Here are some of the top prospects still available that have shown interest in Auburn. The rankings are based on ESPN’s 300:
No. 1. Rashan Gary – DL – 6”5’, 293 pounds, Paramus, NJ: Michigan appears to be the favorite for Gary, but Auburn is still in the mix. Lance Thompson was listed as the recruiter by Auburn for Gary so I’m not sure how Thompson’s leaving would impact his interest in the Tigers. The unanimous No.1 player in the country had 55 tackles, 29 for a loss, 13.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in nine games as a high school senior. The five-star recruit is expected to take one more visit to his final choices, but where those visits will be has yet to be announced.
No. 5. Willie Allen – OL – 6”7.5’, 300 pounds, New Orleans, La.: Auburn is a finalist along with Georgia, TCU, Ole Miss and the favorite, LSU. The four-star offensive lineman is scheduled to visit with Auburn in January. He would be a big boost to Auburn’s offensive line, especially with the announcement of Shon Coleman leaving for the NFL.
Related Story: What Lawson staying and Coleman leaving means for Auburn in 2016
No. 13. Derrick Brown – DL – 6”4’, 317 pounds, Buford, Ga.: The Tigers are in Brown’s top five along with Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are the favorite to land the five-star defensive lineman, but he is scheduled to visit Auburn January 22 so Kevin Steele can make his pitch.
No. 43. Nate Craig-Myers – WR – 6”2’, 205 pounds, Tampa, Fla.: Craig-Myers committed to Auburn originally before deciding to weigh his other options. His favorites right now include Ohio State, Florida, Florida State, Auburn and Maryland. He’s scheduled to visit Auburn one more time on Jan. 15. Florida and Florida State appear to be the favorites now, with the Seminoles the likely choice. Auburn already has a good group of wide receivers in this class, but Craig-Myers would certainly be a great addition.
No. 48. E.J. Price – OL – 6”6’, 311 pounds, Lawrenceville, Ga.: The big offensive lineman has said Georgia, Oklahoma and USC are his leaders as recent as January 2, but that Auburn is still in the mix. The Bulldogs appear to be the favorite, but he still has a visit left with Auburn on Jan. 29 to give the Tigers one last chance.
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No. 52. Ben Davis – LB – 6”4’, 230 pounds, Gordo, Ala.: The five-star linebacker is going to make his pick live on ESPN on National Signing Day February 3. He’ll be picking between Alabama, Georgia, Auburn, Notre Dame and LSU. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are the clear favorites at the moment, but he still has a visit left with Auburn on January 22.
No. 56. Michail Carter – DL – 6”4’, 302 pounds, Jackson, Ga.: The four-star defensive tackles is another Auburn target predicted to go to Georgia, but he still has a visit left with Auburn before he makes his final decision. Other teams in the mix include Clemson, Alabama and Georgia Tech.
No. 69. A.J. Brown – WR – 6”1’, 220 pounds, Starkville, Miss.: The four-star wide receiver is choosing between Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn, Ole Miss, Florida and Texas with the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs being the favorite.
No. 101. Landon Dickerson – OL – 6”5’, 293 pounds, Hudson, NC: Auburn is reportedly still in the mix for the four-star offensive lineman. Other teams in the mix include Alabama, Florida State, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia. The 247Sports website has the Seminoles and Volunteers as the leaders for Dickerson.
No. 111. Scott Lashley – OL – 6”6’, 300 pounds, West Point, Miss.: There hasn’t been much news on Lashley lately. It still seems to be between Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, LSU and Oregon. The leader appears to be Mississippi State at this point.
It doesn’t appear that Auburn is the leader with any of these targets at the moment, but there is still a lot of time left, and hopefully with a defensive coordinator in stow now some players will change their mind.
We’ll be keeping track of all of these targets and more as we get closing to signing day. If the Tigers can just sway one or two of these guys to the The Plains then we’ll call it a win.