BMatt’s Monday musings

AUBURN | Dylan Brooks was a big addition to the 2021 class. He’s also a great example of how poorly the previous staff recruited locally and in the state over the past several years.

Handley High School in Roanoke, Brooks’ home, is just 45 miles from Auburn. The four-star defensive end committed to Tennessee nearly a year ago and the only reason he’s coming to Auburn now is because the Volunteers entire coaching staff was sacked after committing multiple NCAA violations.

In the 2020 class, Clemson beat Auburn for four-star wide receiver E.J. Williams from Central in Phenix City and Alabama took his teammate, four-star offensive tackle Javion Cohen, a former AU commit. The Tide also landed four-star athlete Kristian Story from Lanett.

In the 2019 class, Auburn High School four-star defensive end Mohamoud Diabate signed with Florida and Lanett four-star safety Trikweze Bridges chose Oregon.

There was a time not that long ago when it was highly unusual for an in-state prospect that was wanted by either Auburn or Alabama to sign with an out-of-state school. Now, it’s become quite ordinary.

At least for the ones AU targets.

In this past class, four-star outside linebacker Jeremiah Williams from Birmingham signed with Florida and Hewitt-Trussville four-star running back Armoni Goodwin with LSU. Williams was a coveted edge rusher at a need position while Goodwin was committed to AU for 19 months.

In 2019, Georgia signed the top two players from the state in five-star wide receiver George Pickens from Hoover and five-star center Clay Webb from Oxford. Pickens had been a long-time Auburn commit. The Tigers got taken to the cleaners again in the 2018 class when Clemson landed five-star wide receiver Justyn Ross from Phenix City-Central.

Recruiting was the biggest impediment to Gus Malzahn’s success at Auburn and is the main reason he finished his time on the Plains with an 8-17 record against Alabama, Georgia and LSU.

If Bryan Harsin and his new staff want to reverse that trend, it would be best to start right in Auburn’s backyard and within the borders of its state, and begin winning the recruiting battles they should.

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The most surprising development from Auburn’s recent struggles on the hardwood — losses in four of the last five games — is the lack of improvement on the defensive end.

LSU beat Auburn 104-80 Saturday, the most points allowed by AU since 2017 and the most points scored by LSU against an SEC opponent since 1994.

This comes after weeks and weeks of Bruce Pearl pushing and cajoling his team about improving its defense. And one thing I know from covering Pearl’s teams over the past seven seasons is that when he pushes his team and players to step up in a certain area, it happens.

Pearl knows how to get the most out of players. He knows the right buttons to push. He can be stern and tough, and he can put his arm around them. His ability to develop and motivate young men is one of his greatest gifts.

But this year’s team just hasn’t fully responded — yet.

I think the biggest reason is the lack of a postseason. Without that carrot hanging in front of them, the players aren’t as easy to motivate.

But don’t count out Pearl. I’d be surprised if there wasn’t a response against Florida Tuesday. They are a proven coaching staff and this team is too talented not to take a step forward at some point over the final three or four games.

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In today’s musical journey, we go back 57 years to the day a 15-year old dropped out of school to join a cover band. On Feb. 21, 1964, William Martin Joel joined the Echoes as a piano player two weeks after being inspired to become a musician following the Beatles inaugural performance on the Ed Sullivan Show. Better known as Billy, Joel went on to sell over 150 million records worldwide and is the fourth best-selling solo artist in U.S. history. He’s produced 33 top 40 hits including three No. 1s and won five Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1999.

Joel was born in the Bronx in 1949 and moved to Long Island the next year where he grew up. His father, a Jewish classical pianist, fled Germany for Switzerland to escape the Nazi regime, and eventually made it to the U.S. via Cuba. Joel began piano lessons at age four and was also involved in boxing, competing in 24 Golden Gloves matches before breaking his nose and deciding to concentrate on music. After three years with the Echoes, which underwent several name changes, and another couple with Jon Small in the duo, Attila, Joel embarked on a solo career, releasing his first album, Cold Spring Harbor, in 1971. The album was a flop but one of the songs, She’s Got a Way, became popular after being released on a live album, Songs in the Attic, in 1981. He also had an affair with Small’s wife, Elizabeth, who eventually became the first of four wives and inspired the songs She’s Got a Way and She’s Always a Woman. He returned to complete his schoolwork and earned his diploma from Hicksville High School in 1992.

Joel has battled depression, alcoholism and substance abuse throughout his life. He was married to model Christie Brinkley from 1985-94 and married his current wife, Alexis Roderick, who is 33 year younger than him, in 2015. His release of the Piano Man album and song in 1973 earned him his nickname. He wrote and composed the song while working as a lounge musician at the Executive Room bar in Los Angeles from 1972-73. Joel based each of the characters in the song, such as Davy who is in the navy and a waitress practicing politics on real people, either customers at the bar or friends. Paul, the real estate novelist, is based on a real estate broker who was a regular at the bar and always talked about the book he was writing.