Auburn Making Strides for High-Potential Defensive Line Prospect

The Auburn Tigers, over the last few decades, have consistently put together defensive line units that are among the best in the SEC. Top-level players like Derrick Brown, Dontavius Russell, Keldric Faulk and more immediately come to mind, and the Tigers just offered a player who could be the next name on that list: Jacari Lockhart.

Lockhart is a class of 2028 prospect who, though he has yet to receive a star designation, is receiving interest from top-level programs like Ole Miss. On Tuesday, the Tigers offered Lockhart, and Auburn Tigers on SI caught up with the young lineman to talk all things Auburn and recruitment.

“Coach Trell [Vontrell King-Williams] ended up calling me. He said ‘This is Coach Trell from Auburn’ and I done sat right up, I had just woken up from a nap,” he said with a chuckle. He said they were going to go ahead and offer you right now. Sometime next week, we’re gonna go up there and he said we would have a good little bucket of chicken, so, you know, we’ll have a good time.”

Though Lockhart has yet to visit the Plains as a recruit, Auburn is already near the top of his list, he tells us.

“I’m very open right now to any opportunities,” he said, “but Auburn most definitely has become one of my top schools.”

Lockhart will be in Auburn to meet Coach King-Williams sometime next week, and he already has a visit planned for June 18. Though he has yet to meet the Tigers’ defensive line coach in person, Lockhart said that he was quite impressed with his authenticity, a quality that will echo throughout his recruitment.

“I really love that he was just himself,” he said. “He didn’t sugarcoat anything, he was real with me. He was real with my mom, too, and that’s a big old quality. He was real authentic. He was himself, which really just speaks about the person that Coach Trell is and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we could do.”

Coach King-Williams’ authenticity may end up making a major difference in Lockhart’s recruitment, as the young defensive lineman is not after money, power or fame in his recruitment. Rather, he is looking for that authenticity, as well as a coach that will challenge him.

“I just need a coach that’s going to dig up on me,” he said. “I want a coach who is undoubtedly him. I don’t want somebody that’s pretending to be somebody they’re not, I don’t want to be surprised once I commit to the school I go to. I just want them to really support me and believe in what I got to do.”

For now, Lockhart is committed to continuing to work hard and grow his game, as more offers will surely be headed his way soon.

“I’m really looking forward to building a relationship with Auburn,” he said, “and going up there to see what’s going on.”

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