Breaking down Auburn basketball’s recruiting, national ranking
By Brooks Crew
Wednesday was the last day of early signing day for teams like Auburn basketball. This doesn’t mean the recruiting is done, though, and head coach Bruce Pearl will likely find more players to bolster his fourth-ranked team in the nation.
That said, let’s examine how the recruiting looks so far.
247Sports ranks Auburn’s recruiting class this year at No. 14 in the nation, while On3 has the Tigers at No. 17. This is somewhat surprising, seeing as the Tigers' recruiting has been a touch lackluster at times. Coach Pearl lost two recruits to Kansas in just the last two weeks -- however, the players Pearl has been able to land are most certainly solid.
Coach’s most recent acquisition is Sebastian Williams-Adams, a six-foot-eight, 230-pound power forward who looks to fill the massive shoes (no pun intended) of Johni Broome, Dylan Cardwell, and Chaney Johnson, Auburn’s notable bigs who’ve dominated this year.
Kaden Magwood made headlines when he announced his commitment to the Tigers on November 14. The four-star guard stands at six-foot-one, 170 pounds, and looks to join the ranks of notable young guards like Tahaad Pettiford.
Just a day before, Simon Walker announced his commitment to the Tigers. The Alabama native has been a force to be reckoned with thus far in his career– bolstered by his formidable six-foot-four, 175-pound build.
Though that’s all Auburn has to its name at this current moment, Bruce Pearl is far from finished. Without a doubt, the team needs bigs most, as they’re set to lose all three of the team’s veteran forwards and centers after this season. Coach Pearl clearly sees this issue. Of the four additional prospects 247Sports lists as “interested” in Auburn, three are power forward/center-type players.
Coach Pearl’s recruiting has been heralded as some of the best that the league has seen in recent memory, though there’s still much to do. The Tigers will need to gain at least one more forward/center type in order to compete at a high level next year, but I’ve no reason to believe that that will be an issue for Coach Pearl.