In today's edition of Auburn Tigers News, an Alabama cornerback commit plans a visit to the Plains, and Bruce Pearl addresses the Tigers' tough schedule
The Auburn football coaching staff is locked in on high school recruiting after a successful stint in the transfer portal last month. The Tigers are gearing up for a big recruiting event at the end of the month, a Junior Day on January 25 that is expected to draw a number of highly-sought prospects to the Plains.
One of the weekend visitors is a recruit that the Tigers are pushing to flip. From Gadsden, Alabama, Zyan Gibson is a 4-star cornerback who is currently committed to Alabama. He is ranked as the No. 7 cornerback in the class of 2026 and the No. 4 prospect out of the state of Alabama.
Several other SEC schools are also in pursuit of Gibson, who was on the Plains this fall for the Tigers' game against ULM.
Bruce Pearl addresses the Tigers' tough schedule
For the first time in program history, the Auburn basketball team was the consensus No. 1 in the AP Poll this week, but the job is far from over. With 17 wins on the season, the Tigers have beaten seven ranked teams and racked up 10 quad-1 wins. But there are still many ranked opponents left on the schedule in a year that may be the SEC's best ever in basketball.
According to head coach Bruce Pearl, the Tigers knew what they were getting into before the season started and they are prepared to face the challenges that lie ahead.
“Just embrace the grind, and we’ve been embracing the grind since the summer time and that’s really truly it,” said Pearl, per Auburn Rivals. “The guys understand what it is, how hard it is to get excited and play every night. What we do doesn’t work without great effort and energy.
“They’ve seen it, they recognize it and when they bring it, it gives us a fighting chance. They want to win. And that’s what every team’s got to do. You can’t get too happy and you can’t let losses or a bad shooting night or, even during the course of the game, one missed free throw can’t contribute to the next one.”
After a midweek bye, the Tigers will return to action this weekend when they host the Tennessee Volunteers in Neville Arena.