Commitment breakdown: Ahmari Harvey chooses Auburn

Four-star safety Ahmari Harvey committed to Auburn on Friday afternoon, choosing the Tigers of Florida State and others. Below, Rivals.com has a look at what Gus Malzahn is getting and what Harvey’s pledge means for the bigger picture.

WHAT AUBURN IS GETTING: Harvey lacks college-ready size but has the frame to add muscle in a college strength program. That said, he’s incredibly smooth in his backpedal for a safety and flips his hips reasonably well. He reminds a little of current Florida State defensive back Asante Samuel Jr. without the same level of straight-line speed, thus is better suited for safety. Still, Harvey has incredible jumping ability and is plenty athletic enough to cover the slot in most situations. He'll become incredibly versatile as he bulks up. He’s surprisingly good in run support despite not being the biggest defensive back on the field. His athleticism gives him tremendous upside, so how far he goes will depend largely on how much muscle he adds. There’s All-SEC potential at work inside Harvey, even if it takes him a couple years to realize it.

WHAT IT MEANS: Auburn has recruited Florida with differing levels of intensity over the years, and this is one of the Tigers’ bigger Sunshine State wins in years. So while Gus Malzahn’s program isn’t the most obvious name on the list of schools that have benefited from uncertainty at Florida State, that’s certainly the case here. Harvey attends high school roughly eight miles away from FSU’s campus and still shunned the hometown school in the midst of a pandemic to choose Auburn. That’s a testament to Malzahn’s recruiting approach but also a sign that the Tigers could continue to win these sorts of battles until the Seminoles get things stabilized.