Auburn increased his recruiting class to 2021 on Wednesday, hiring six players for a group that has already seen 11 signings during the initial December hiring period. Although Bryan Harsin and his team have worked to complete the class, the Tigers may not have finished yet, with open spots still available – and some targets, including three-star running back Jarquez Hunter, are yet to be announced.
By early Wednesday afternoon, however, Auburn’s recruiting class had 17 applicants – including the Northwestern Eku Leota graduate transfer – and is ranked 30th in the 247Sports Composite class ranking. Auburn hopes to end the day, but more appointments may be coming in the next 48 hours.
Harsin spoke to the media via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon to discuss the Tigers’ lesson. Here is a recap of what he had to say. A full video of Harsin’s comments will be made available later in the day.
BRYAN HARSIN
– “Good morning today.” Harsin thanks the Auburn team and everyone who helped with the transition process.
– As for the recruitment process, some points to consider: “This is a great moment for everyone … You think about this decision to commit yourself”.
– Several points left, “so we’re not done.” So far, six offensive players and 11 defensive players.
– Cayden Bridges is an “aggressor” and “plays physically”. He sees a lot of potential with his development.
– Tar’varish Dawson, a wide receiver, “never wavered” even with the change of coach. It has been a long-standing commit at Auburn.
– Juwon Gaston “is a competitor” to Montgomery. You call him an ace.
– Eku Leota, the Northwestern transferee, “is a guy who cares about fit and culture”. You think you can provide an immediate quick pass. You already have the diploma, but you still have three years of eligibility.
– Colby Smith, offensive attack, “is a great human being.” He believes that his best football is ahead of him.
– Joko Willis, JUCO linebacker, can play outside and inside the linebacker. It has a lot of range and speed, speed. “It certainly fits what we are looking for with this linebacker point.”
– Harsin is now commenting on the first subscribers, says it was nice to meet them and see them involved in the off-season development work.
– Summer arrivals in May include AD Diamond, Ian Mathews, Tobechi Okoli, Hal Presley and Marquis Robinson.
– Reiterates that they still have “several vacancies” to fill and “recruitment never ends”.
– On the challenge of managing short-term escalation: “It’s all these things every day. You are looking at your current list … You have guys from this year COVID, coming and going, making decisions to come back ”, as well as guys who come and go. You want to make sure you have the right people in the program and on the same page. It is an ongoing process every day.
– Says out of Chandler Wooten and Traivon Leonard, it doesn’t look like any other opt-out or seniors from last season will return.
– Devan Barrett will be back with the team and will play back, but Auburn “is not done” with recruiting for the position.
– About Darren Uscher’s recruiting director, Harsin says he does a “great job” and has a lot of faith and trust in him, coming and feeling what Auburn needed and how to do it.
– On the transfer portal and on the balance between recruiting transfers and high school players: “I’m not sure if anyone has a perfect answer for this”, but believes that it is about needs – be an older player, a freshman , a development guy, etc. He adds that the transfer portal “will be interesting for everyone”.
– Harsin thinks Auburn just hired guys today, but predicts that something could happen in the next 48 hours or so. Again, recruitment never ends, he says.
– He notes that it has been a challenge to recruit without on-campus visits, but he thinks it will be a huge advantage for Auburn once these limitations are removed and they can have campgrounds and guys on campus. Building relationships with high school players and coaches has been difficult.
– Do you think there was a “great communication” between your team members in terms of communicating with the players, family and internal discussions – where they are, what they need to do to move forward and form a vision for the future.
– Says that “recruiting is the most important thing we can do”.
– About the importance of being able to make face-to-face assessments: “Huge …. You can’t replace that.”
– On the remaining needs in the class: Running backwards, offensive line, defensive backs “are still areas where we have to fill some of those needs if we find the right fit”.
Tom Green is a reporter for the Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.