2/10/2020 football Edit

Aaron McLaughlin hits reset button, is wide open

Chad Simmons • Rivals.com

Recruiting Analyst

Chad Simmons is a Recruiting Analyst for Rivals.com. He was the expert on The Next Class on Fox Sports South from 2011-2015. He currently covers Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.

Aaron McLaughlin surprised many when he decommitted from Auburn last week. The 6-foot-5, 220 pound quarterback out of Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark committed to the Tigers July, and remained committed for just over six months, but is now an uncommitted four-star in the 2021 class.

"I had been thinking about decommitting from Auburn since coach Kenny Dillingham left for Florida State," said McLaughlin. "Auburn is still a great school, and I felt I made the right decision at the time, but I did commit early and I just need to take more time with my decision.

"There is a new offensive coordinator (Chad Morris) at Auburn now, and I just want to re-evaluate everything and make sure I make the best decision for my future."

McLaughlin does not regret committing to Auburn. At the time, he felt it was the right decision. That decision will help him with the next one.

"This time, when I feel like I have found the school and I feel like I want to commit, I am not going to do it as quickly. I am going to sleep on it for a couple of weeks, think about it longer, and just make sure everything is right before I commit to a school.

"I will go about things the same way, I will not look at a different criteria, but I will just take more time. Time is the most important thing for me now."

He will be in no rush.

After committing to Auburn, most schools stopped their communication with McLaughlin, but since opening things back up, he has heard from schools like Louisville, Maryland, Miami, North Carolina State and TCU.

The Wolfpack was high on his list before the Auburn commitment, and he is very familiar with Raleigh, so he is likely to visit there again.

Miami and Rutgers have offered recently, and others are likely to jump in or jump back into the mix in the coming weeks.

With February now a dead period in recruiting, McLaughlin is looking forward to March and April to get back on the road for visits.

"I will be seeing a lot of schools for the first time when I get back out," said McLaughlin. "I am completely open to everyone now. I have reset everything, I am looking at everyone the same and I back to scratch."