Fact or Fiction: Auburn is a sleeper to watch in recruiting
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022: Top 100
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1. WR Troy Franklin will stay on the West Coast.
Farrell’s take: FACT. LSU and Alabama are in the mix for the talented West Coast wide receiver who released his top six of the Crimson Tide, Tigers, Washington, Oregon, USC and Arizona State. This should come down to a Washington and Oregon battle in the end, and I feel the Huskies have the edge here, but it’s a small one. But the Pac-12 will keep him home.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I agree with Farrell that this could be an Oregon/Washington battle right now, especially because the Ducks have been recruiting so well and Franklin has a great relationship with Huskies’ position coach Junior Adams. But I would also watch out for Arizona State in Franklin’s recruitment, because the Sun Devils have been coming hard after him and he likes the staff in Tempe. I would be surprised if Franklin leaves the West for college, but he also doesn’t give away many hints as to his thinking.
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2. QB Christian Veilleux will jump on that Clemson offer.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. When Clemson offers, prospects pay attention. When Clemson offers a quarterback, they usually jump on it. So when Veilleux got offered by the Tigers and he put them in his top four, many expected that Dabo Swinney would win out again. Not so fast. Penn State has the comfort level here, and he’s visited State College many times. If he doesn’t get to take any more visits before he wants to decide then he will end up as a Nittany Lion.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Penn State is still the team to beat for Veilleux, so why am I picking Clemson to win out in the end? Because if the four-star quarterback prolongs his decision through the later part of summer and waits to take more visits until after the coronavirus travel ban then a trip to Clemson would be expected and it’s very tough to turn down the Tigers. If Veilleux makes his choice soon, then Penn State wins out. If the Potomac (Md.) Bullis School standout waits longer, it’s clear Clemson would be gaining an advantage.
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3. Auburn is a sleeper team to watch in SEC recruiting.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Everyone focuses on Alabama, Georgia and LSU in the SEC, and perhaps Florida, but keep an eye on Auburn because the Tigers are in the mix for many elite players such as Amarius Mims, Barrett Carter, Ga’Quincy McKinstry, Dylan Brooks, Ian Jackson, Dylan Fairchild, Jeremiah Williams, Cody Brown, Nyland Green and many others. Do they lead for everyone? No. Will they pull an upset or two here? Oh yes they will. A top 10 class could very well be in the works for Gus Malzahn.
Gorney’s take: FACT. I’m not sold that Auburn is a major frontrunner for Mims or Carter yet, but I can definitely see the Tigers being serious contenders for every other player on Farrell’s list above. If they can land most of them then a top 10 class would be easy to see. Auburn is going to lose some recruiting battles because facing off against Alabama, Georgia and LSU is always tough business, but the Tigers are going to win a lot in the 2021 class as well.
Also, four-star DT Lee Hunter could see a bump in his rankings throughout this cycle, which would only help the Tigers’ final team ranking.