Auburn football recruiting: Adding size in trenches, secondary current 2023 focus

Auburn football head coach Bryan Harsin, and by proxy his coaching staff, walked through the fire and has come out on the other side hitting the recruiting trail like he never left.

Now that the drama is over, the staff could move on. But man did things look bleak not even one week ago.

Zac Etheridge was rumored to be sought after by the Georgia Bulldogs. With it came a legitimate fear that the Tigers’ most effective recruiter would be leaving the Plains high and dry like a certain DL coach that brought a key recruit with him to Clemson.

Those were unfounded. Etheridge returned, inspiring Tiger fans to want to run through a brick wall.

On Wednesday, he offered six-foot-one, 180-lb 4-star Tampa CB Dijon Johnson, who would honor the whacky name legacy left by departing NFL hopeful Smoke Monday in the secondary, while also bringing plenty of talent to the Class of 2023.

Not to be outdone, Wil Friend–an unpopular figure to many in Auburn football fan circles due to his lackluster 2021 recruiting haul–offered a six-foot-seven, 350-lb 4-star (according to the 247Sports Composite) from Kansas City, Logan Reichert.

Finally, Nick Eason’s DL coaching replacement, Jimmy Brumbaugh, offered 4-star DT Jamaal Jarrett out of Greensboro, North Carolina. Jarrett is projected to go to North Carolina, but is still a name worth watching at six-foot-five, 340 lbs himself.

So for those keeping score at home, that’s three offers for three sizable players at their respective positions.

It’ll be imperative for the Tigers to keep positive momentum on the recruiting trail. Colby Wooden’s return following transfer portal scuttlebutt is a win this past week, and landing any of the aforementioned 2023 recruits would also be a (literally and figuratively) big victory down the line.

Let’s hope 2022 is a successful enough season to convince these recruits to sign on with a coach that is still around by the time they’d reach the Plains.