Yeesh ($$).
Is Auburn as dead in recruiting as it appears? — Chris P.
Auburn’s 2023 recruiting class added a commitment from four-star receiver Karmello English of Phenix City (Ala.) Central on July 4. English is the No. 144 overall player and the No. 24 receiver in the 2023 class. He’s the highest-rated player in Auburn’s class, which now has four commitments and ranks No. 70 nationally.
Auburn’s four commitments are all solid players. And given we’re still in July, there’s still theoretically some time to salvage this thing. It doesn’t seem like Auburn will, though. At least not right now.
If I’m an Auburn fan, I’m worried. Really worried. The Tigers just aren’t being seriously considered by many of the top players in the country. A quick scroll through 247Sports’ Auburn page, and you’ll see the Tigers don’t appear to be in the mix with many (or any) players in the top 100. And as a reporter who is tracking countless elite recruitments at once, I rarely, if ever, hear anything about Auburn. It’s just not a good place for the program to be in, especially when its rival is Alabama.
Who’da thunk there would be consequences to running a failed palace coup? Couldn’t happen to a more deserving bunch of folks, if you ask me.
Get The Picture 
Since Pat Dye succeeded Doug Barfield and right through Gus, Auburn has recruited fairly well. They always got 2-3 plums a year from Georgia.
The back seat driving mentioned above is certainly a factor, but Georgia’s improved recruiting might be another substantial factor.
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This warms my black heart.
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We may never lose to those sumbiches again.
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This has the potential to set Auburn back for years, maybe decades. What self-respecting coach is going to want to step into this shitshow once Harsin inevitably gets the hook?
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Geoff Collins may be available soon.
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Years, yes, but probably not decades. With the transfer portal and Auburn’s time honored commitment to getting big bags of cash into the hands of promising young athletes intersecting with a legal means to do so through NIL I can’t imagine they’ll be lost for too long. Now, will they get back onto Georgia’s level any time soon? Maybe not.
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You’re right, NIL could be a playing-field-leveler. But it can only help so much if Auburn continues to hire a string of replacement-level coaches. And that may be all they can get for a while, given how radioactive the boosters have made that job.
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NIL will not be a leveler for the Barn. They invented NIL when It wasn’t legal. but now that everyone can do it…well, Mr. Yellawood doesn’t have as much cash as Mr. Oil Baron, or Mr. Tech giant, etc.
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FTMF and their 8 home games a year. I hope they go 0-12 forever. 🙂
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The cut-off of the Georgia recruiting valve and Alabama’s emergence in Florida (especially the panhandle) has the Barn between a rock and a hard place. For those who celebrated $Cam Newton and Ni¢k Fairley, it couldn’t come to a classier bunch.
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Woe eagle…
Woe DAMN eagle
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Woe is ‘dem!
Woe is ‘dem!
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It would appear the devil has come to collect his dues on the plains.
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Basketball school.
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To quote a great American, “fuck those mf’ers”.
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It has to be said, Auburn Sucks!
Why would any recruit of merit want to join a team who will have a completely different coaching staff next season? Word has gotten out…Auburn Sucks
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This never gets old…
One of 37 reasons I can no longer perform missionary work
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#AUBURN SUCKS!
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Does anyone know who Auburn had in mind to replace Harson?
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I’m sure that Auburn expected Nick Saban to quit at Alabama and come coach at Auburn instead. Or maybe Dabo Swinney. Those people are nuts.
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Whether you agree that criticism of Harsin was fair or not, whether you think Auburn’s boosters should have tried to get rid of him or not, I think the universal opinion of the pundit class and of football fans in general at the time was that Auburn had no choice but to fire the guy. The actions of their dumpster fire of an athletic department and booster group neutered the guy in recruiting and that’s the life blood of a program. They should have fired him and I’m elated that they didn’t. I’m sure the kid from Phenix City who committed probably grew up in an Auburn family and has always dreamed of playing there. They’ve got a good chance still with kids like that, kids who don’t care who will be their coach. But for anyone else who wants to be coached by the coaches who recruit them? The writing is on the wall at Auburn, and unless Harsin coaches his ass off this fall and somehow saves himself with a 9 or 10 win season he’s toast. And the crater void he leaves in the recruiting progression is going to hurt them down the line.
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