Auburn football recruiting under Bryan Harsin is starting to pick up some momentum heading into late July with the recent additions of Alex McPherson, Micah Riley-Ducker, and Caleb Wooden. With the announcement of Big Cat Weekend returning on July 25th, there are a lot of questions about how I anticipate Bryan Harsin and his staff will attack the rest of the 2022 class.
It is no secret that Auburn will have to selective in the 2022 class after an extremely successful haul in the transfer portal that saw the Tigers add impact players like Dreshun Miller, Donovan Kaufman, Demetris Robertson and others that will count towards the 2022 class.
Where does Auburn football go from here as it gears up for its biggest recruiting event of the year?
The answer may be Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State is one of the hottest teams in the country in recruiting and the reason may be key to Harsin’s success at Auburn. Mike Norvell was hired in December of 2019 and was tasked with holding together Florida State’s 2020 recruiting class.
Much like Harsin was asked to do in 2021.
Recruiting is all about relationships and it is a term constantly used when speaking with both coaches and student athletes. These relationships are often cultivated over years culminating with a decision that affects not only the athlete, but the programs involved in their recruitment.
Norvell’s 2021 recruiting class at Florida State ranked 30th nationally per Rivals.com, 10 spots behind an Auburn class than had this fanbase coming apart at the seams. However, as I type this in July, Florida State’s 2022 recruiting class sits at 5th nationally.
What changed and what can we learn as we continue to evaluate Harsin and company on the recruiting trail?
Norvell was selective in the 2021 class and put emphasis on recruiting battles he believed could be won while prioritizing relationships in the 2022 class and beyond. It is a strategy that currently has Travis Hunter, the #2 player in the Rivals 250 for the 2022 class, in the fold at Florida State.
With Auburn’s Big Cat Weekend approaching rapidly, and as visitors are finalized, I think you will, or should, see an emphasis on 2023 and 2024. The blueprint works and relationships are key especially in AU’s footprint states Alabama, Georgia, and Florida.
Auburn football will continue to prioritize the top targets on its board for 2022, but everyone inside the football complex understands the 2023 class is paramount to this staff’s success. Much like the 2022 class will be to Norvell’s success at Florida State.
In the 2023 class, five of the top 30 players in the country per Rivals.com call the state of Alabama home for high school football. This may be the best high school class from the state of Alabama in history, and Harsin knows the importance of winning his share of those battles as Nick Saban and Alabama will be involved from across the state.
While scheme and development play a significant role in the success of a program, if Auburn is going to compete in an everchanging SEC landscape they have to recruit at the level Auburn football fans are accustomed to.
When people ask if Harsin is capable and prepared to recruit against the upper-echelon of the SEC the management of the 2022 class is only a snapshot. The new staff will not succeed or fail based on 2022, but they have to begin laying the groundwork for the future if they are going to win at the level Harsin is obsessed with.
If they are going to win championships. The return of Big Cat Weekend is a huge win for Harsin and company and it should provide a sigh of relief for a ravenous fanbase. But Big Cat Weekend will also give us a first hand look at the plan for recruiting for not only 2022 but years to come.