New Auburn football commit will be “player to watch” very quickly

Last weekend, the Auburn football program got another boost in the recruiting rankings with the pickup of an in-state defensive lineman. On Saturday, 4-star DL Malik Blocton announced his commitment to the Tigers over Troy, Florida, Alabama, and Texas, becoming the tenth commit in the 2024 recruiting class.

Blocton is ranked as the #435 overall prospect and the #43 DL in the recruiting class of 2024. From Pike Road, AL, Blocton is the #26 recruit out of the state of Alabama. He is the seventh in-state program to choose Auburn football, and the fifth commit ranked in the Top 25 recruits out of Alabama.

He will join his older brother Marcus Harris in Auburn, who transferred to the Plains from Kansas last season and will likely become a starter on the defensive line this fall. According to Blocton’s high school football coach Granger Shook, the young defensive lineman will stand out as someone to watch once he arrives on campus, per The Montgomery Advertiser:

"“His older brother has developed and grown,” Shook said. “… I think it’s just a matter of time before Malik is 6-3, 6-4, 305 and playing multiple positions up front. (I’m) very excited to continue to watch him grow and mature. He’s going to be a player to watch at Auburn very quickly.”"

Shook also noted that Blocton is a smart football player, and he doesn’t only want to know his technique and role when the ball is snapped, but wants to understand the big picture of the defense and the “why” behind everything. Blocton was also described as “very, very explosive at the point of attack” and as having quick, natural hands.

With his senior season ahead of him, the defensive lineman can only improve, both in football skills and leadership skills. The Auburn football program is getting a good one in 4-star defensive lineman Malik Blocton.