Auburn’s Ten Most Wanted
Welcome to the original Auburn Ten Most Wanted.
Who are Auburn’s top recruiting targets?
In the past, we’ve probably narrowed down the Tigers’ list of notable targets too early in the calendar year. So for the 2024 recruiting class, we made a major adjustment.
For the last few months, we have been breaking this down into four regions. They are:
-Ten Most Wanted … in Alabama
-Ten Most Wanted … in Georgia
-Ten Most Wanted … in Florida
-Ten Most Wanted … from outside the footprint
Now that summer official visits and camp has come and gone, it is time to narrow this list down to ten.
To compile theses lists, we’ve considered where we think each player sits on the Auburn board, Auburn’s need at the position, the Tigers’ chances of landing the prospect as well as the player’s skill set. Also, Auburn must have a legitimate shot of landing a recruit for him to make it.
These lists are extremely fluid. In recruiting, things can change on both sides in an instant. Auburn’s recruiting board will shift — and shift a lot — all the way up until National Signing Day in December.
Finally … please remember, this is our list, not Auburn’s.
The Tigers currently have 14 commits and the No. 15 ranked class in the country.
Tier 1
– Saf., KJ Bolden, Buford (Ga.): Just from checking around, it seems Tuesday night’s update is very similar to Monday night’s which I think is probably a good thing in regards to Auburn. Still hearing the most about Auburn and Florida State with Georgia absolutely not going anywhere (I think Georgia wins out if it decides he is a can’t-miss).
It can play out so many different ways right now, however. If the Big Cat visit high has worn off, and Auburn is still very much in the picture, then you know it is real. Again, Bolden’s camp is shut down so it is very difficult to pin down the truth. We can only pass around what we hear. This was not much of an update, but it is what we have. I will say, I think Auburn started trending heavily earlier in the week before Big Cat.. Not just during that weekend visit. So there is more to it than just the visit, IMO.
— OL, Deandre Carter, Santa Ana (Cali.) Mater Dei: Following Carter’s Big Cat Weekend visit, the Tigers seem to be the clear-cut leader in this recruitment. The goal at Big Cat was to get Carter to shut things down. While that did not happen, it could happen soon. As of Wednesday, there is high confidence in this pick.
– WR, Cam Coleman, Central Phenix City (Ala.): Coleman pulled a shocker on the 4th of July by committing to Texas A&M. Auburn had Coleman at the top of the board and nothing will change in that regard. Having said that, at least for now, it will not be the easiest task to flip him from the Aggies. There has been consistent communication between Coleman and Auburn. That is all that is known in this recruitment for now.
— DL Kamarion Franklin, Lake Cormorant (Miss.): Auburn continues to be a factor for Franklin, the No. 1 player in the state of Mississippi. Franklin was back on campus Monday after a private workout visit back in June. The trip was a reschedule after missing his Thursday visit before Big Cat Weekend. Franklin said that Auburn could be a dark horse in his recruitment. “Auburn is like the underdog in my recruitment,” he said. “Not a lot of people talk about Auburn, but I feel strongly about Auburn. I love the people. I love Coach Freeze and Coach Garrett. They both are from Mississippi. I feel at home.”
Tier 2
— WR Ny Carr, Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County: Carr was truly a surprise visitor during Big Cat Weekend. He walked in last minute only to watch Auburn pick up a 4-star receiver and flip a 5-star receiver from Alabama. By all accounts, Carr left campus with very high and renewed interest in Auburn again. The Tigers will need work hard on flipping his commitment from Georgia.
— Saf., Zaquan Patterson Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade-Madonna: Patterson is not a backup plan to Bolden. Auburn would like Bolden and Patterson in this class. Patterson consistently says that his top five are all on equal footing. Lately, Auburn Live has heard that Miami and Auburn still seem to be the two standing out. Miami seems to have the lead over Auburn for now, but the Tigers are working to change that.
— DL, TJ Lindsey, Bryant (Ark.) IMG Academy: In the last update, we gave a very slight edge to Auburn over in Texas. In this update, we give a much bigger edge to the Tigers. Lindsey did not make it to Big Cat Weekend, but his parents did. Lindsey was tied up with practice at IMG Academy and could not make it, but he was there in spirit. Now, the Tigers are trending fairly heavily for Lindsey and a decision is not too far off.
— CB, Jalewis Solomon, Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County: Solomon visited South Carolina, then Auburn for Big Cat Weekend. Now, he is working his way toward a commitment decision on Saturday. It is a close one, but the Tigers are working to win it and have a shot. Right now, it is very possible South Carolina has the slight edge. Can the Gamecocks hold on to it? This one probably will go down to the wire.
Tier 3
— LB, Bradley Shaw, Hoover (Ala.): Shaw makes his first appearance on this list. Since the Big Cat Weekend visit, it seems Auburn is now locked in on Shaw to be the last backer in the class. According to Shaw, he has felt like a priority since the new staff got to Auburn, so this is nothing new for him. Auburn very well could be the leader with a big gap for now, but Clemson is in the picture as of recently.
— TE, Landen Thomas, Moultrie (Ga.) Colquitt County: Thomas is a name we have not mentioned in some time. Here is what we know: Auburn strongly wants another tight end to go along with Martavious Collins. The Tigers have some names on the board, but Thomas has been near the top of it since the beginning (whether or not he has been receptive to the recruiting). According to our sources, Auburn has his attention at the very least. It is unclear where this may go, but Thomas needs to be on this list.
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