Sting Factor: Armoni Goodwin's decommitment from Auburn
When a major program loses a key recruit, Rivals.com takes a look at how big of a blow it is to the respective school, analyzing it from a local and national level. To quantify the “sting” of each decommitment, we assign a score from 1-10, with one being no big deal and 10 being a catastrophic hit.
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CHEAT SHEET: WR flips to USC; Georgia makes moves
CLASS OF 2021 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
CLASS OF 2022 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Position | Team | State
COVERAGE: Rivals Transfer Tracker | Rivals Camp Series
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Armoni Goodwin’s decision to decommit from Auburn came as a complete surprise to so many especially since the four-star running back had been committed to the Tigers for so long, he had great relationships there and Auburn had put all its eggs in that basket when it came to recruiting running backs this cycle.
The Trussville (Ala.) Hewitt Trussville standout backed off his pledge though in recent days and now many other big-time programs are getting involved.
LSU looks to be making a serious move in Goodwin’s recruitment but Florida State, Alabama and Georgia could also be in the mix as well. Auburn should also not be counted out since Goodwin had long-standing bonds with so many coaches there that his decommitment came as a shock.
Back on the market, Goodwin could have some time to think through his recruitment again. It’s not expected that he picks a school by the early signing period which means the four-star running back will still have a few months to work through his choices.
That means Auburn could get him locked back into this recruiting class or that LSU or any number of other programs could land his signature.
LOCAL REACTION
“This hurts Auburn in many ways. First and foremost, Goodwin had been committed to Auburn since May 2019. Even when he tore his ACL as a junior, Auburn stuck with him. Auburn didn’t heavily pursue other backs. It remained loyal to Goodwin. Then two weeks before Signing Day, Goodwin dips. Ouch. It doesn’t leave Auburn many options at running back, at least not for the early signing period.
“Goodwin was one of only two in-state commitments for Auburn. With him now gone, Lee Hunter is the lone in-state recruit on Auburn’s commitment list. Add in the fact that Auburn has zero commits from Georgia, a state Auburn has relied heavily on in the past, and you see a problem. A big problem. Auburn has one total commitment (Hunter) from the states of Alabama and Georgia. Not good.” — Jeffrey Lee, AuburnSports.com
Sting factor: 9.5
NATIONAL REACTION
“Goodwin is an excellent back and always seemed to love Auburn so this is a surprise and one that hurts this late. He still has Auburn among his favorites but who knows if he’ll be back in the class. This is not good at all since he was the feature back in this offense and could land in the SEC West.” — Mike Farrell, National Recruiting Director
Sting factor: 8