Auburn recruiting: Three commitments get obvious 5-star ratings

When Auburn football fans see the Rivals recruiting rankings update Tuesday, their first reaction should be a fist pump for the three 2019 commitments who were bumped to 5-star status.

The next reaction should be: Wait, George Pickens, Bo Nix and Owen Pappoe weren’t already 5-star recruits?

That’s not to pick on Rivals, which wasn’t the only recruiting rankings site with those three rated below 5-star status prior to Tuesday. But Rivals did the right (and obvious) thing with its rankings update by elevating all three.

Here’s how the three are ranked:

WR George Pickens: The 6-foot-4 receiver from Hoover catapulted 31 spots to No. 12 and is the No. 3 overall receiver in the Rivals 100. After watching what Pickens did over the summer camp circuit, it’s difficult imagining one receiver, let alone two, who are better than Pickens.

LB Owen Pappoe: The linebacker from Grayson High School (Loganville, Ga.) stayed put at No. 26 overall, but received his fifth star. Said Rivals recruiting expert Chad Simmons: “He is at that new-age linebacker that coaches covet due to his speed, versatility and the ability to stay on the field.”

QB Bo Nix: Right behind Pappoe is Nix at No. 27 after moving up 13 spots to gain 5-star status. The Pinson Valley quarterback is the top-rated Pro-Style QB in the country, according to Rivals, and No. 2 QB overall. Added Simmons: “The Auburn commit is a winner, a leader and an elite quarterback, so it wasn’t a difficult call to make him a five-star.”

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Now, if you’re like most fans of recruiting, you’re looking ahead to see which player could become Auburn’s fourth 5-star player in the 2019 class. After all, an Auburn recruiting class has never finished with more than three 5-star commitments.

That’s happened twice, according to Rivals rankings that date back to 2002. In 2010, Auburn signed Cam Newton, Michael Dyer and Shon Coleman. The 2014 Auburn recruiting class included Roc Thomas, Duke Williams and Tre Williams.

Auburn is recruiting some high-level players who could be No. 4. But it’s also early — there are more than five months before signing day in February — and the 2019 class has just 13 commitments.

Oklahoma and LSU are the only teams with at least three 5-star commitments in the Rivals rankings (both schools have three).

A strong season coupled with the added recruiting efforts of Nix and Pappoe, among others, could get this class there.