Rivals250 ATH 'very high' on Auburn

Auburn’s new coaching staff has made an impression on four-star athlete Shemar James.

It also has a message: Auburn wants him. Auburn wants him badly.

“I hear from Auburn every day,” James said. “They are recruiting me very hard.”

James, from Faith Academy in Mobile, has heard from Auburn coach Bryan Harsin, defensive coordinator Derek Mason, area recruiter Zac Etheridge and inside linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding.

“I’ve talked to them all, but it’s mostly Coach Schmedding,” James said.

James is fine with it. He’s quickly developed a bond with Schmedding.

“Coach Schmedding, I really like him. He is awesome … awesome,” James said. “I like his consistency with me. He talks with me every day, sends me messages asking how I’m doing and stuff. He’s real straightforward with me, too.”

James has not visited Auburn, but he did experience a virtual visit last week. He liked everything he saw.

“It was awesome,” James said. “I liked the locker room, the dorms and the stadium. Everything was great.”

James recently released a top group, which included Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Michigan, Texas A&M, Georgia, Florida State and Florida. With the attention he’s received from Auburn, the Tigers are in the upper half of the group.

“Auburn, compared to other schools, is very high. I can say that,” James said. “They are close to the top. I like the tradition at Auburn. They are used to winning. It’s a great program. They have great development with their players. It’s just a great program with great tradition.”

James plans to be patient with his recruitment. The recruiting dead period is set to end May 31.

“I’m going to wait until the dead period ends,” James said. “I want to take visits.”

Rivals ranks James, who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, No. 215 in the Rivals250, No. 12 athlete in the 2022 class and No. 8 overall recruit in Alabama.