It is not everything, but it is something... With Alex Golesh expected to do big things leading Auburn eventually, he cannot let his first true recruiting class unravel on him down on The Plains. Auburn is a traditional power in every sense of the word, but it has been a rather unpleasant decade for everyone involved. Golesh knows he has to win with recruitment, development, and above all else, execution.
So when he hears things from four-star commit Donivan Moore about loving Auburn, this is fantastic!
“It was just like, Coach Golesh, how he came in. He just took it over the edge. I’ve been wanting to commit, but he just took it over the edge a little bit for me to commit there.”
Conversely, when he follows that up with how much Alabama wants to flip him, that is problematic...
“That contact has been good. I talk to Coach Freddie [Roach]. He calls my mom to check up on her and stuff like that. He told me just because I’m committed, he’s not going to stop recruiting me. I respect a man like that.”
Moore committed to Auburn a little more than a month ago. The Hueytown star has 21 official offers, including ones from Florida, Florida State, Ohio State, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas outside of The Yellowhammer State. He is slated to make a pair of visits this summer. Moore will be going to Tuscaloosa on May 29 before venturing to Auburn a week later on June 5. Is this something?
Well, Golesh better hope that Freddie Roach does not get Moore to flip around Memorial Day or so...
Donivan Moore is aware that Alabama is trying to poach him from Auburn
According to the 247Sports Composite, Moore is the No. 2 player from Alabama, the No. 8 defensive lineman in his class, and the No. 81 overall prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle. Getting a player of Moore's caliber to commit in-state to Auburn over Alabama is huge. Making sure that he does not flip to the Crimson Tide or another SEC rival of the Tigers is so beyond paramount for Golesh this spring.
Simply put, Golesh has to win on the recruiting trail out of high school at Auburn almost immediately. He may have brought half of his former South Florida players with him to Auburn, but you cannot live and die by the transfer portal at a school like this. Look at how badly things went for his predecessor Hugh Freeze. It was even worse under his predecessor Bryan Harsin in the wake of Gus Malzahn's run.
Overall, Auburn has been at the top of the college football world before because it gets the right players for it out of high school. Yes, Auburn will dabble in the transfer portal to complement its roster, but rarely to supplement it. This is all about raising the floor and resetting the standard for Auburn football this year under Golesh's watch. He was highly sought-after, and Auburn landed him.
Moore potentially flipping to Alabama is not the end of the world, but would be a massive setback.