Why Dylan Cardwell to Auburn makes sense

Auburn basketball target Dylan Cardwell will make his college commitment on May 7 at 4 p.m., and many signs point to the big man choosing Auburn.

Cardwell is listed at 6’10” and 220 lb by 247Sports. His composite ranking is No. 150. Rivals has him listed at 6’11” and 230 lb and ranked No. 125. Cardwell is a four star on Rivals and a three star on 247.

Cardwell committing to Auburn makes sense for both sides. Cardwell gives Auburn another big man, and Cardwell gets to play at Auburn, who has seemed to be his top choice for a while.

In April, Jeffrey Lee of Auburn Rivals reported that Cardwell was waiting to see how other teams’ recruiting classes filled out before making his decision. One of those teams was Auburn. Since then, 247Sports has updated Cardwell’s player page to include an offer from Auburn.

And on May 6, three crystal ball picks on 247 were placed in Auburn’s favor, and five FutureCasts were placed in Auburn’s favor on Rivals.

Many of the people picking Auburn aren’t doing so randomly, or even just because Cardwell might have received an official offer. It’s also because Cardwell has been tied to Auburn for a long time.

Auburn football’s defensive line coach Rodney Garner is related to Cardwell. According to Jason Caldwell of 247Sports, Cardwell was in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the Kick Six. Also, players such as Sharife Cooper and Devan Cambridge are already friends with and former teammates of Cardwell.

Cooper and Cardwell even visited Auburn together.

While Auburn’s roster will lack experience, with or without Cardwell, Cardwell was on the same AAU team as Cooper and Cambridge and the same high school team as Cooper.

Cardwell committing wouldn’t add D1 experience to Auburn’s roster, but he’d be more familiar with Auburn’s team than most freshmen. His familiarity with the team might be worth more than usual with this year’s unusual off season.

Another thing to note about Cardwell is he missed his entire senior season due to transfer rules. Whether that hurt, helped or didn’t impact his ranking is up for debate, but it likely made his recruitment process less contested.

Even while missing the season, Cardwell continued to prove why his attitude and energy is regarded as some of the best in the class.

Whether it impacts his ability to contribute early on is something else to keep an eye on, but it seemed as though Cardwell still practiced, and he didn’t miss any time due to injury.

Cardwell also played on a loaded Oak Hill team as a junior. He had teammates such as Cole Anthony, Kofi Cockburn, Christian Brown and others. That and his run with AOT in the Nike EYBL AAU circuit give him experience against talented teams and players.