Auburn recruiting: Class may not be Top 10 yet, but talent oozing all over for Tigers

The 2019 Auburn recruiting class may only be ranked 17th in the country, but it’s early July and the group is littered with eye-popping playmakers.

Recruiting rankings will drive fans crazy.

Look at the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings and you’ll scroll all the way down to 17 before finding Auburn. How could that be with the players the Tigers have gotten commitments from this cycle?

Does it really matter?

Not right now. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying recruiting rankings don’t matter. They do — very much. Auburn has done well this decade, with its recruiting classes from 2010 through 2018 being ranked 6, 5, 11, 10, 6, 8, 9, 9 and 12. That’s how you build a national contender. But in early July, there’s no reason to get too caught up in the rankings.

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Especially when you’re Auburn and you have some serious talent lined up to join the program.

Keep in mind that 8 of the 22 players Auburn signed for its 2017 class saw meaningful minutes last season as freshmen (and two of those were transfers in QB Jarrett Stidham and WR/TE Sal Cannella). That number likely rises this season with the new redshirt rule, but with the depth Auburn has, the number of high-level contributors could be on the low end.

So let’s look at several players in the 2019 class that could be looking at serious playing time when they arrive on campus.

WR George Pickens

Auburn will have to fight off suitors for George Pickens until signing day. It’s difficult seeing the 6-foot-4, 190-pound receiver not being elevated from 4-star to 5-star status before his senior season at Hoover High School begins. I mean, just look at this:

https://twitter.com/Scott_Schrader/status/1013156958575226880

That’s OBJ-like. But OK, you’re not convinced because there’s no one covering him.

There’s more. Just search “George Pickens Hoover video” and you’ll thank me later.

QB Bo Nix

The son of former Auburn quarterback Patrick Nix, Bo Nix also will be difficult to keep off the 5-star list. Last week he added another accolade, winning the Rivals100 Five-Star Challenge QB MVP.

He has a big arm, is a leader and is out in front of this recruiting class to make it as good as it possibly can be. He wants to be at Auburn and you can bet he’ll arrive on campus getting after it in the quarterback battle no matter what the situation is two seasons from now.

LB Owen Pappoe

We started with a pair of 4-star players who should wind up as 5-star ones. Now it’s time for the actual 5-star player on the 2019 commitment list.

At one point, Owen Pappoe looked like a sure-fire Georgia commitment. Instead, he’s all Auburn and, like Nix, has taken on the role as lead recruiter for the class. He’s big, fast, athletic and eager to get to Auburn.

ATH Jashawn Sheffield

When people say Jashawn Sheffield “can do it all” they really mean it. At Frederica Academy in Saint Simons Island, Ga., Sheffield plays running back, receiver, defensive back and return kicks. He’d probably do more, if asked.

Most of his highlights feature him at receiver. But Auburn will have some options with him.

WR Ja’Varrius Johnson

Ja’Varrius Johnson owns the distinction of being Auburn’s lowest-rated commitment (3-star, 211th nationally at his position and No. 68 in the state of Alabama). But expect the Hewitt-Trussville standout to become a bigger and bigger name as more people see what he can do. He certainly has impressed on the camp circuit.

There’s little doubt that Auburn quarterbacks are going to have plenty of talented receivers to throw to for seasons to come.