2015 Gus Bus

What the hell is this?!

Hello.

Auburn recruiting snapshot
Keith Niebuhr - 35 minutes ago 1
Auburn Newsletter
0
0
Here's a snapshot of Auburn recruiting for the 2016 class, where the Tigers stand at the moment and who are some notable targets.


Nate Craig-Myers is Auburn's highest-rated commitment. (Photo: Keith Niebuhr , 247Sports)
EXPECTED TO TAKE

As of today, we expect the Tigers to sign between 22-24 for 2016. They have five on board. This number can — and probably will — change in the coming months due to attrition (early draft entries, transfers, dismissals, injuries, etc.). In fact, a year ago at this time, Auburn was expected to sign 21. When all was said and done, it landed 27.

For now, here is what we believe to be the approximate breakdown, by position:

QB: 1-2
RB: 2
TE/3-BACK: 1
WR: 3
OL: 4
DE: 2-3
DT: 3-4
LB: 2
CB: 2-3
Safety/Nickel: 2-3

COMMITMENTS: NEED TO KNOW

Here's the 411 on Auburn's five commits ...

-WR Nate Craig-Myers: The No. 1 receiver and No. 17 overall prospect nationally in the 247Sports Composite. He’s probably a “soft” commit at the moment, as Florida State continues to push. Look for him to visit Auburn in May for Big Cat Weekend, then camp with the Tigers this summer. How Auburn receiver D’haquille Williams does this fall could be an important factor here. In the meantime, Craig-Myers will visit FSU later this week and that is a serious concern for Auburn.

-S Stephen Davis Jr.: Davis, the son of Auburn great Stephen Davis, visited the Tigers in early March and reaffirmed his commitment. He says he’s 100 percent on board.

-TE Landon Rice: Rice’s brother is a Tigers walk-on and Rice has visited Auburn time after time. Auburn has a great need at his position, which doesn’t hurt. However, Georgia and Michigan are pushing and could be teams to watch.

-DE David Marshall: The 3-star end committed to Auburn in March and has been on campus a bunch the past year. But last week, he told BamaOnline.com the Tide was pushing and that his pledge might not be solid. A day later, however, he posted some pro-Auburn Tweets. Auburn feels good about hanging onto to him.

-DT Quinnen Williams: The No. 15 recruit in the state of Alabama, who committed earlier this year, seems firm with his pledge. He claims Alabama offered a few weeks ago and a visit there is possible.

BY THE NUMBERS

Current class ranking: No. 20 overall, No. 9 in the SEC.
Average rating per commit: 90.19 (9th best)
Claimed offers out: 139
Offers by position: QB-7; RB-11; WR-17; TE-5; OL-24; DL-25; LB-17; CB-12; Safety-9; ATH-12.
Recruiter Rankings: Rodney Garner, at No. 41 overall, No. 14 in the SEC, leads Auburn coaches in the 247Sports Recruiter Rankings.

5 TARGETS OF NOTE

-CB John Broussard: The elite corner prospect will announce May 7 and Auburn appears to be in the driver’s seat at the moment. He’s a major priority for the Tigers and arguably the No. 1 corner on the board.

-DE Marlon Davidson: A 5-star in-state lineman, Davidson is believed to be leaning Auburn, where his older brother (Kenneth Carter) is on the staff. Alabama probably is No. 2 and is putting up a fight.


-DT Antwuan Jackson: A tough, rugged player on the defensive interior, the top-100 prospect has visited Auburn eight times and probably will return again sometime soon. Alabama and Georgia also are factors, but some think the Tigers are the front-runner.

-DE Julian Rochester: The 5-star tackle from Georgia is extremely high on Auburn, but officially claims Georgia as his leader. He visited the Bulldogs again Monday, which is reason for concern if you’re Auburn. That said, this one won’t be over most likely for about 10 months.

-QB Dwayne Haskins: A 4-star recruit from Maryland, Haskins is expected to visit Auburn in April — possibly this weekend. At the moment, the Tigers look like a darkhorse, but might a strong visit change that? This is a player Auburn apparently likes quite a bit.

BOLD PREDICTION

Auburn will land three 5-star recruits in 2016.

Probably obvious but who are you

Auburn returned to the practice field on Tuesday afternoon for the sixth practice of the spring. Players had last week off for spring break. The first 20 minutes were open to reporters.

***
Offensive guard Alex Kozan was in full pads. Whether he did full-contact practice is a question that will be put to head coach Gus Malzahn after practice.
***
Jason Smith, who started the spring as a fulltime quarterback, was wearing a blue jersey on Tuesday. Quarterbacks wear orange non-contact jersey. Smith, a junior college transfer who will be a sophomore, was working at wide receiver and quarterback before the Auburn team left for spring break.
***
Defensive end Gimel President, who did not practice full-speed during the first two weeks of spring practice, was back at practice wearing full pads.
***
***
Defensive Tim Irvin had a cast on his left hand and was wearing an orange jersey, signifying he could not have contact. Receiver Stanton Truitt was also wearing an orange jersey.
***
Defensive back T.J. Davis did not appear to be at practice. Whether that is because of injury or class obligations or another reason is a question that will be put to head coach Gus Malzahn after practice.

Malzahn confirms TJ Davis suffered a torn ACL and will be out some time. He could return next fall, but that seems unlikely right now.

Hi guys!

Hello at the show

Anyone think he'll play again?

Nothing worse than walking to your train station and seeing your beautiful ride wisking away passengers and you gotta wait 10min.

Need better planning.

Pre 6am wake up was brutal

4:30 every AM, son!

AUBURN, Ala. | When Raashed Kennion arrived in Auburn last summer, he was fully expecting to redshirt.

At 6-foot-6 and just 225 pounds, Kennion knew he would have to bulk up to play defensive end in the SEC. But circumstances forced him into the playing rotation as a true freshman last year.


Zach Bland/Auburn athletics

Kennion is expected to backup Carl Lawson at the Buck position this year.
It wasn't an ideal situation for Kennion. He managed just one tackle and one quarterback hurry in four games but the experience he gained should pay dividends as he prepares for his sophomore season and what is expected to be a bigger role in the defense.

"I got a lot of experience, especially being on scout team some of the times and then getting full time second-team reps and third-team reps," Kennion said. "I learned a lot about pass rush and I learned a lot about keeping your gap responsibilities."

The first step in Kennion's development started last summer and continued through the fall and winter workouts -- adding weight and strength. He's up to 243 pounds, nearly 20 pounds heavier than when he arrived 10 months ago.

Now, he's learning to play at the new weight and improving his pass rushing skills.

"It was hard at first. I'm not even going to lie. It's a lot different carrying 20 extra pounds," Kennion said. "Coach Lance Thompson, he has been working on me a lot with bending and also my counter moves like my spin. My spin is starting to become more perfected and defined than last year."

Kennion's improvement has already caught the eye of some of his teammates including Carl Lawson, whose season-ending knee injury last spring was the biggest reason Kennion was forced into early playing time.

Lawson and Kennion are both working at the Buck position, which shifts between a 4-3 defensive end and a 3-4 outside linebacker.

"Raashed, even when he got here as a freshman he was really freaky," Lawson said. "Long, ridiculously long. Can cover ground and can bend the edge. He pushes me every day to get better. I see that from him and it makes me want to go hard because he's good in his own right."

Auburn was 11th in the SEC and 94th nationally with 21 sacks last season. The lack of a pass rush was probably the Tigers' biggest weakness last season and something they're working hard on to improve this year.

"We can get a lot better," Kennion said. "We're already doing a lot better with pass rush. I already see it just in my eyes, I see everything."

MORE FROM KENNION

On how Lawson fits at the Buck position...

"He fits perfect. He could play anywhere, honestly, just because of his body type and his knowledge of the game. He understands everything. I've learned a lot from him myself."

On working at Buck with Lawson and redshirt freshman Justin Thornton...

"Me and Justin bring a lot more speed to it because Lawson is just as explosive as we are. Carl brings a lot more power but I think me and JT bring a lot more finesse into the game."

On working with Lance Thompson on pass-rushing moves...

"Before practice, after practice and even during practice he might take me off to the side and teach me something. I learn a lot."

On dropping back into coverage as an outside linebacker...

"I've had a past in a 3-4 scheme, so I'm kinda used to dropping back in coverage. Honestly, it's not that big of a problem for me because it feels more natural."

On working with new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp...

"It's a lot more intense with coach Muschamp. Coach Muschamp is probably one of the best coaches I've ever had, honestly. At the same time he's very strict, he's very hard. He's definitely going to voice out his opinions but at the same time he's the best coach there is defensively."

On changes in practice this spring...

"I'm not going to say it's a lot harder but it's a lot more defensive oriented and fundamentally sound. We work on pass, we work on hand drills a lot more than we did last year. We work on tackling way more than we did last year. And also in the film room it's a lot more camaraderie, so there's a lot more communication and a lot more understanding of the defense and the scheme that coach puts out."

On who is making plays in practice...

"Definitely Jeremy (Johnson), but that's more of a basic answer. I've seen Duke. Duke, he's still the most aggressive player on the offense in my mind, honestly. But he's the one who has impressed me the most."

HI guys

AUBURN – It’s 3-4 week for Auburn’s defense. For the first time this spring, Tiger defenders are concentrating on the 3-4 alignment that is a significant part of coordinator Will Muschamp’s scheme.

The 3-4, senior linebacker Kris Frost said after Tuesday’s practice, “is something we have to learn, have to adjust to. For the most part we’ve been doing a good job of it, but we really have to get in extra. The more work we put into it outside of practice and the mentoring meetings, the better off we will be.”

Frost said it’s a learning process for players young and old.

“In the middle, the offensive linemen come up on you a lot faster in some cases,” Frost said. “Different fits work different ways. The 3-4 seems to be a little bit more complicated. The more we rep it, the more successful we will be fitting everything correctly.”