{"id":11813,"date":"2023-07-27T13:30:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-27T18:30:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/?p=11813"},"modified":"2023-07-27T13:30:45","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T18:30:45","slug":"how-we-got-here-demarcus-riddicks-commitment-to-auburn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/how-we-got-here-demarcus-riddicks-commitment-to-auburn\/","title":{"rendered":"How we got here: Demarcus Riddick\u2019s commitment to Auburn"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Demarcus Riddick<\/a><\/strong> recruitment was a much needed win for Auburn and Auburn fans alike. It was a rollercoaster, too. <\/p>\n

If you were paying attention to Auburn Live, there were updates after updates about the Tigers\u2019 newest commit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the recruiting junkies, these kinds of things are fun to look back on. For that reason, I have compiled as many of the updates that we provided on Phillips throughout his recruitment as I could find. These updates date all the way back to Jan. 28, 2023.<\/p>\n

First Auburn Live interview (Jan. 28, 2023)<\/h2>\n

Auburn Live first spoke with Riddick while he was on campus for Auburn\u2019s junior day event. He had already been committed to Georgia for a few months, but wanted to give Auburn a look after being invited by the new coaching staff. He and Tigers\u2019 linebackers coach Josh Aldridge quickly hit it off.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love Coach Aldridge,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s the best linebackers coach ever. He\u2019s a good coach and knows what he\u2019s talking about in that linebackers room.\u201d<\/p>\n

Riddick also opened the door for Auburn and others that day.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m keeping my options open for everybody,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The February interview<\/h2>\n

Auburn Live met in person with Riddick in February. It was a meeting where much was learned about his recruitment. He said at the time that Alabama, Georgia, and Auburn were the main three and he would operate that way throughout his recruitment. <\/p>\n

Riddick also said that Auburn had a REAL shot..<\/p>\n

\u201cPossibly, yes,\u201d Riddick said. \u201cI think Auburn might, with how everything is going right now, possibly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here is the intel we were able to put out that day:<\/p>\n

\u2014 First of all, Riddick is being recruited at inside backer primarily with Tigers\u2019 linebacker coach Josh Aldridge. Yes, he is versatile and can play in different spots, but the Tigers like him on the inside. Why is that important? We know\u00a0Joseph Phillips<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0is probably the top option at Jack\/outside linebacker. If he isn\u2019t, he\u2019s being recruited like it. Now, we feel certain Riddick is probably the top inside backer target. That\u2019s important to Riddick as well.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 According to Riddick, Auburn, Georgia and Alabama are the schools near the top, and the schools recruiting him the hardest. Georgia is still No. 1, but Alabama and Auburn are pushing the Bulldogs.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2014 The junior day visit was an eye-opener for Riddick. He has a strong relationship with Aldridge and got to know Hugh Freeze more that day. What really stood out is the love Aldridge had for Ron Roberts\u2019 defense. When Aldridge was the defensive coordinator at Liberty he used many similar concepts that Roberts used while at Baylor. Aldridge showed Riddick where he fits and why he could get early playing time at Auburn. That continues to be a strong pitch for Auburn with Riddick.<\/em><\/p>\n

The prediction<\/h2>\n

On March 8, 2023, two predictions were made for Demarcus Riddick, one to Auburn and one to Alabama. It was the On3-wide RPM day. Here is what was written for the Riddick prediction to Auburn.<\/p>\n

Pick No. 3 of RPM day has been made, and truthfully, I have had my finger on the trigger since meeting him in person.\u00a0I believe, despite a steady commitment with Georgia, 4-star edge\u00a0Demarcus Riddick<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0from Chilton County High in Clanton, Ala. is a strong candidate to eventually sign with the Tigers.There is no doubt that this will be a back and forth battle with Georgia and in-state rival Alabama. It became more than evident, however, that Auburn made a big move with Riddick after his junior day visit, and the interest has not slowed.I have put in a pick for Auburn to eventually flip Riddick from Georgia with 60 percent confidence.<\/em><\/p>\n

March visit\/A-Day plans<\/h2>\n

Riddick told Auburn Live that he was considering going to Auburn\u2019s A-Day game after a quick trip to campus in March. He would end up going to Alabama\u2019s A-Day game. This was believed to be the time that the Tide grabbed the momentum and started running with it. <\/p>\n

With that going on, Riddick said this the day of his visit: \u201cIt\u2019s basically been to stay being humble and pretty much develop. He (Hugh Freeze) says he\u2019s going to be the head coach that recruits me hardest,\u201d Riddick said.<\/a><\/p>\n

Here is more intel that was written about Riddick by Auburn Live during the same timeline.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Alabama will have him on campus for its A-Day game, but it was important for Auburn to get him on campus before he visited the Tide again. That happened on Thursday just in the nick of time.\u00a0For those that don\u2019t know, Riddick makes good grades in school and he is interested in the engineering field. Is that important? Yes. At the end of the day, when the NIL opportunities become similar, there will have to be something that separates his top choice from the others. Academics may not be the game changer, but they could certainly be helpful.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 As we have said since seeing Riddick in person, Auburn and Alabama are very close to Georgia if not even. Since then, it seems all three have pulled even. Expect for someone other than Georgia to pull ahead at some point, but never expect for Georgia to be completely out of it.\u00a0As of today, we feel comfortable saying there is a better chance Riddick ultimately ends up with one of the in-state schools. Things are subject to change, especially in this recruitment, but this is how we view the situation as of today based on the latest intel from sources near the situation.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u2014 More clarification on the pick<\/strong>: On March 8, I put in a pick for Auburn to eventually flip Riddick from Georgia with a confidence level of 60 percent.\u00a0It was On3\u2019s RPM day across the network that day. Still, I felt good about the pick and even contemplated making it shortly after I left Chilton County High School on February 22.\u00a0As of today, I have no intentions to change this pick. <\/em><\/p>\n

While it feels Alabama could be gaining momentum and possibly pulling ahead of both Auburn and Georgia, the Tigers are still right in the thick of it according to our intel. And, for the record, have been rising since his junior day visit in January.\u00a0Much like with Auburn\u2019s recruitment with Alabama receiver commit\u00a0Perry Thompson<\/a><\/strong>, sources close to Riddick don\u2019t have a clue where he is leaning. \u201cIt probably changes constantly,\u201d one source said. In Auburn\u2019s situation (Riddick being committed elsewhere), confusion among sources is a good sign for now.<\/em><\/p>\n

Official visit season<\/h2>\n

Riddick did not speak with media after his official visit at Auburn. He did, however speak to Auburn Live a few days before his official visit. That is when news came out that he would make his final pick on his mother\u2019s birthday, July 26. <\/p>\n

\u201cReally, I basically have seen everything when I was there in the past,\u201d Riddick said. \u201cThere will be a few things I will get to see. More of the academic part, which I\u2019ve seen most of, but I want to get to know about it more for my situation and what I have going on. I want to keep building that relationship with the players and coaches. Little stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

On3\u2019s Alabama site spoke with Riddick\u2019s mother during this time as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be honest, we don\u2019t really talk about it. We let Demarcus approach us with the situation\u2026 I do know that he likes [Alabama\u2019s] program overall,\u201d Mrs. Baker said. \u201cSince Day One, they have always made us feel welcomed. Me being able to sleep at night knowing that he\u2019s in good hands\u2026 but I can also say that about Auburn and Georgia, too, since we\u2019ve gotten to know them on a personal level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hitting the home stretch<\/h2>\n

Auburn Live provided an update on how things were trending about a month out from the decision.<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, sources close to Riddick feel as though he will end up at an in-state school even though he remains committed to Georgia.\u00a0That was the consensus when I went to visit Riddick in person in February, and even though Georgia has pushed and regained his attention several times, is it possible the Bulldogs are slipping? Maybe. There seems to be more confidence in Auburn and Alabama as of Tuesday. Keep in mind, the way this one continues to change, it could be totally different on Wednesday.\u00a0The school that seems to be trending up at the moment is Auburn. <\/em><\/p>\n

The Tigers have been right on the cusp of his recruitment for some time now, but seemed to have fallen off a few times. As of right now, it seems the Tigers have gained some traction and are running with it. That being said, it seems that Alabama is going to be tough to overcome. Sources feel as though Alabama has the lead.\u00a0When both Auburn and Alabama have confidence, things have gone toward the Tide in recent years, so it is hard to bet against them when they have confidence.\u00a0Can Auburn have a similar outcome here as it did with\u00a0Joseph Phillips<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and Georgia? I am not betting on it. <\/em><\/p>\n

The recent trends have been favorable for Auburn, but this one is way too close to call for now.\u00a0We are now just under a month before Riddick makes what he is calling his final decision on July 26.<\/em><\/p>\n

Doubling, no, tripling down<\/h2>\n

On the Auburn Live message board, The Corner, I felt as though it was time to make a stand on my March prediction. I made this post on July 21 around 11:58 p.m.<\/p>\n

I feel more confident about Auburn\u2019s chances to land Riddick than I have since I made the pick on March 8.. As of right now, I think Auburn has the edge over Alabama. I say this with extreme caution as it ain\u2019t over until it\u2019s over. Anything can happen between now and the 26th (and beyond that).. If I had to make a final pick today, I\u2019d roll with my original Auburn pick for Riddick.\u00a0Let it ride\u2026<\/em><\/p>\n

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The post How we got here: Demarcus Riddick\u2019s commitment to Auburn<\/a> appeared first on On3<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Demarcus Riddick recruitment was a much needed win for Auburn and Auburn fans alike. It…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11813","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11813","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11813"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11813\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11813"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/demo.wztzfm.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}