The Auburn football team is in need of help at the wide receiver position, and they need it soon. Head coach Bryan Harsin knew early on he would have to build up the WR after losing the top three receivers to the 2021 NFL Draft process. One target that Harsin and his crew are pushing extremely hard for is 4-star wide receiver, Darrius Clemons.
Billed as the No. 1 receiver out of the state of Oregon, Clemons is already boasting over thirty offers from major programs including Alabama, Georgia, and Notre Dame. While he’s grown close with the coach of the Fighting Irish, Brian Kelly, Notre Dame has not yet made Clemons’ cut for an official visit.
Though he has not yet announced any official decision date, the class of 2022 WR is not expected to choose a school until after his official visits in June. Clemons has four OV’s scheduled so far, meaning that currently, the programs for Auburn football to beat in his recruitment are Michigan, Penn State, and the University of Southern California.
According to Irish Breakdown, Clemons explained that he favors USC because of it’s “Wide Receiver U” reputation, and he likes Penn State because they’re always “a powerhouse in the Big 10.” He also mentioned having a strong admiration for Penn State’s WR coach.
When it comes to the Tigers, Clemons told Irish Breakdown that his relationship with Coach Harsin began during his time at Boise, and the stakes were raised when he moved to a bigger school in a bigger conference:
"“When the coaching staff was at Boise State, I had a good relationship with Coach [Bryan] Harsin,” Clemons mentioned. “Now that they’re at Auburn, which is a little bit of a bigger schools, obviously an SEC school, I definitely want to get down there and see what it’s like because I’ve never been to that part of the country let alone live there. Playing in the SEC is a really good opportunity because you’re competing with the best week in and week out.”"
If Clemons truly wants to be the best and play with the best, the obvious choice for him is to commit to playing for the Auburn Tigers in the SEC. Though Clemons will make official visits to Michigan, USC, and Penn State, he’ll step foot on the Plains first on June 4, and Auburn football will set the bar for the rest of his June visits.