Auburn football: 3 running backs the Tigers could land for 2022

Auburn football’s running backs room is looking good heading into the fall, but in the next year or two, the Tigers should be looking for their next ball-carrying star. It’s not a bad pitch–a pretty solid guarantee that there will be playing time and potentially a starting position on one of the country’s premier college football programs.

Head coach Bryan Harsin and his support staff have been ambitious in their recruiting of running backs for the class of 2022, with one five-star and several four-star prospects in the mix.

Per 247 Sports, Auburn football has offered 15 running backs. Two have already committed to other schools, but several top targets remain.

Here are three names Auburn football fans should watch for the class of 2022:

Auburn football RB target #1: Emmanuel Henderson

A five-star running back from Hartford, AL, Henderson’s final decision may come down to Auburn and Alabama. His Crystal Ball prediction on 247Sports names the Crimson Tide as his choice, but Auburn running backs coach Cadillac Williams has been recruiting him hard.

Per AL.com, Henderson finished his junior season with 147 carries for 1,447 yards and 20 touchdowns in addition to catching 12 passes for 143 yards. Henderson has ties to both schools–his high school football coach was a former walk-on at Auburn and his cousin is a sophomore at Alabama–but Henderson insists it will be his decision.

His announcement is set for March 13 at 1 pm CT in his school gym.

Auburn football RB target #2: Trevor Etienne

The 4-star younger brother of Clemson standout Travis Etienne is being heavily pursued by Clemson, LSU, and Georgia, but has made no decision and has no Crystal Ball prediction on 247Sports. He finished his 2020 season with 1,242 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns.

According to sister FanSided site Death Valley Voice, Etienne stated he wanted to make his own career in football and not necessarily follow in the footsteps of his older brother. That doesn’t bode well for Clemson, of course, and Etienne’s ties with LSU are strong but there’s always a chance he’ll decide to make his way to the Plains and play for the real Tigers.

Auburn football RB target #3: Quinshon Judkins

Quinshon Judkins is a 3-star running back from Pike Road, AL, and he holds more than 20 offers so far from schools including Florida, Michigan, Miami, and–interestingly enough–UCF, whose offer came after Gus Malzahn’s arrival. Judkins’ Auburn offer originally came from Malzahn’s staff, but he was quickly re-offered by Coach Williams under Bryan Harsin.

Judkins finished the 2020 season with 150 carries for 1,482 yards and 25 touchdowns, and he also caught six passes for 137 yards.

The running back told Auburn Undercover that the Auburn football program is recruiting him hard and he talks frequently with Cadillac Williams. He claims there is no leading school, but with Bryan Harsin’s agenda to keep local talent at Auburn, the Tigers could land the 3-star from down the road.

Until Auburn gets any running back commitments for 2022, stay excited for Tank Bigsby and Shaun Shivers to hit the field at Jordan-Hare this fall.