Auburn football: 4-star edge wants to see a ‘W’ this weekend

This weekend, the Auburn football team will open conference play against the Missouri Tigers, welcoming them to Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time ever. Though last weekend was a major one in recruiting, there will be plenty of important visitors on the Plains this weekend.

One of those visitors is a significant edge target, 4-star Gabriel Harris from the IMG Academy. The school’s football team will be traveling to play at Central on Friday night and will spend Saturday on Auburn’s campus.

Harris, who is ranked as the #233 overall prospect and the #27 edge in the recruiting class of 2023, is the #50 recruit out of the state of Florida and has been firmly committed to the Georgia Bulldogs since April of this year.

However, the edge told Auburn Live that the Tigers’ coaching staff is recruiting him pretty hard and he speaks to them frequently. He has a close and valued relationship with edge coach Roc Bellantoni, but what he will be focusing closely on this weekend is how the Tigers handle their game against Missouri:

"“I want to see a ‘W,’ (from Auburn), that’s what I really want to see,” Harris said. “I’m going to watch the game very close. Attention to detail and how they play, how they’re being coached in the game. What happens when they go against adversity. Stuff like that. How do they handle it?”"

After last weekend’s disaster versus Penn State, it’s clear that Auburn football has some ground to make up when it comes to impressing recruits, but Harris also says that the ability to get on the field early is a big factor in his recruitment, and the Tigers have a major need at the edge position.

While it may be a challenge to flip Gabriel Harris away from the Dawgs, a “W” for Auburn football would definitely go a long way.