Auburn Recruiting: Are The Tigers Making up Ground on Georgia and Alabama?
The hiring of Hugh Freeze was the beginning of the football renaissance for the Auburn Tigers. There will be many different components that will eventually be fixed for the Tigers. One of the most important has already begun to change, and that’s recruiting.
To beat the best, you must recruit the best. Keep that in mind, because Auburn’s objective has been and will always be about defeating Georgia and Alabama. Plus, of course, being a national title contender. Again, recruiting has always been a primary focus for those areas to come to fruition for the Tigers. Now, a few more details before getting into the crux of what’s been happening on The Plains.
The aim of this article was not to explain every position in detail, in regards to recruiting. This article was designed to pinpoint how Auburn has already started to gain the talent needed to beat Georgia and Alabama.
To do that, two positions will be discussed (more to come during upcoming articles), and those would be quarterback and wide receiver. Let’s begin with the most important position on the gridiron.
Future Auburn signal caller Walker White has already been discussed by Tigers media and fans, over and over, and for good reason. He’s proven that he’s one of the best prep football players in the country. The Little Rock (Ark.) Christian Academy talent may not be ready to start in 2024, but he’s at least the heir to the quarterback position based on his raw talent.
Blessed with natural size at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, White’s list of attributes included athleticism that’s commonly utilized outside the pocket, the ability to hit the deep ball, and being a fearless passer that will throw into tight windows (and he possessed the arm to do it), among many other skills.
For a full deep-dive on White, you can read his player evaluation here.
Naturally, White needed talented playmakers to join him. Fortunately for Walker and the Tigers, the talent has already started to pile up at receiver.
Former Alabama commitment, and now Auburn commitment, Perry Thompson, provided numerous big plays from his underclassmen days. He’s continued that trend as a senior for Foley (Ala.) High School.
It’s just that he’s making moves and plays that not many 6-foot-3 and 200-pound receivers can make. He’s proven to be a deep-ball threat for sure, and Thompson’s ability to make defenders miss – or run over them – has also helped him be one of the nation’s most coveted high school recruits.
Complementing Thompson’s skills would be Bryce Cain, a shifty wide receiver from Mobile (Ala.) Baker. At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, Cain is not just a jitterbug that’s made defenders miss while making moves after the catch. Cain’s abilities to go up and take the football away from a defensive back even bigger than him has accented his abilities.
Sure, he’s not the player that opposing teams wanted to punt to, but he’s also a unique slot receiver, as well as one that can play on the outside due to his toughness and all-around skills. In short, Cain has proven to be a playmaker. Do not be surprised if he plays early for the Tigers.
Finally, the performance of Auburn wide receiver commitment Malcolm Simmons has been fantastic. He’s similar in size to Cain; Simmons has also made defenders miss like Cain. A big reason why has been Simmons’ vision. He made a lot of players look really bad during one-on-one scenarios where he made a final cut right before contact.
Coming from Alexander City (Ala.) Benjamin Russell, the 6-foot and 165-pound receiver has been used as a return man, punter, and receiver among other positions. It’s safe to say that Simmons has earned the moniker of just being a really good football player.
Overall, Auburn’s recruiting efforts have bolstered the talent for future rosters. It’s also done so with White at quarterback – the most important position on the field – and with wide receivers that can quickly change the scoreboard.
It’s true, Auburn has begun to close the talent gap with Georgia and Alabama at two different positions that greatly impact which team wins or loses.
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