The recruiting battles are growing more intense by the day as Auburn football competes with other powerful programs to secure commitments from the nation’s top prospects. While head coach Bryan Harsin and the Tigers have seen a multitude of visitors over the month of June, the class of 2022 is still looking light on commitments and the 2021 roster still needs work.
In the college football world, just because a prospect gives a verbal commitment doesn’t necessarily mean that they will 100 percent be attending that school or even that their recruitment process is open. Many committed prospects will take still visits even after their verbal pledge.
A few of Auburn football’s summer visitors found themselves to be in that very boat, and the Tigers have a chance to make a final move and flip the commitment of several prospects heading into the fall.
Commit #1 Auburn football can flip: Laterrance Welch, CB
The first flip looming ahead of the Tigers is that of LSU commit Laterrance Welch. The 4-star cornerback is originally from Lafayette, LA, and committed to the Bayou Bengals back in January. However, he has been taking visits all summer despite his LSU pledge.
Derek Mason has put Welch high on the priority list, and it’s possible that his trip to the Plains may cause him to reconsider his options. Hopefully, we will see Welch on campus again in the fall, and Coach Mason can convince him to stick with the superior Tigers.
Commit #2 Auburn football can flip: Tyre West, DT
Next on the list is 4-star UGA commit Tyre West. He committed to the Dawgs back in December, but according to SB Nation he’s from Mike Bobo’s area of south Georgia and Bobo was the main reason West made it onto campus.
According to Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Undercover, West said there’s an 80-90 percent chance he would return to the Plains for an official visit. Dawg Nation reports that West is looking for specific things when it comes to choosing a future home:
"“Somewhere that I feel like I am at home,” West said at that time. “Somewhere that I feel like I belong. I can go change, change everything in my life, and grow up as a man.”"
West went on to say that Auburn is one of several programs that made him feel that way, and an official visit could convince the DT that the Auburn family will make the Plains feel like home.
The defensive lineman ranks as the 11th best in the recruiting class of 2022 in addition to being the #6 recruit out of the state of Georgia. All four of Georgia’s 2022 recruits are in-state prospects, so it could be difficult to pry the GA native out of Kirby Smart’s hands. However, the Tigers have a chance.
Commit #3 Auburn football can flip: Tae Woody, OT
The Auburn football team seriously needs offensive tackles, and this 4-star OT is a top priority for the coaching staff. Woody officially visited Florida State on June 25 and shortly after the Seminoles added him to their list of commits for the class of 2022, but the battle is not yet over.
A native of Lafayette, AL, Woody unofficially visited the Tigers just days before heading down to Florida State, and AL.com reports that the emphasis on Harsin’s in-state recruiting was something that Woody appreciated:
"Woody knows some of the other local recruits that Auburn is targeting, and he said it’s meant a lot that Auburn is putting an emphasis on homegrown players. “Keep all the best players in Alabama,” Woody said. “That’s what they’re trying to do.”"
Woody also said in the article that he planned to choose the school that puts him on the field the quickest, and at Auburn he would definitely have an immediate opportunity to make a strong first impression as a freshman.
Woody ranks as the 12th best prospect out of the state of Alabama and the #11 IOL in the recruiting class of 2022. Hopefully, the Harsinal can stay on the Alabamian and get him back to the Plains.