Elite eight: Previewing this weekend's official visitors
The heat of summer is here, and so is the heat of official visit season.
Since the beginning of the month, Auburn hasn't a stretch of more than a day before more visitors arrive. The trend continues this weekend, as the Tigers welcome in another round of eight officials, headlined by a pair of Alabama commits, a Michigan commit and several other elite prospects.
Here's who's expected to arrive this weekend and where Auburn stands with each.
Derick Smith, WR — Selma, Ala.
Auburn's continued fighting for Smith ever since his commitment to the Crimson Tide in March of this year and this weekend's trip will be the first to Auburn since his pledge to Alabama.
Marcus Davis got some momentum last weekend when Caleb Cunningham named Auburn his leader. Can he keep it going and pull off another flip from Alabama in consecutive classes? He'll certainly try to make progress this weekend.
Travis Smith Jr., WR — Atlanta
Four programs remain for the four-star Smith out of Atlanta. Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee are all in contention and will receiver official visits before his July 13 decision.
He visited Georgia May 31-June 2, will be at Auburn this weekend, Alabama June 14-16 and Tennessee June 21-23. It sounds like Georgia could be the one to beat in this one, but that Auburn does have some traction.
Jacobe Ward, OL – Savannah, Ga.
Two days ago, Ward announced a final three of Auburn, LSU and Tennessee. The 6-foot-4 offensive lineman named Auburn his leader following a spring visit to the Plains, but a recent trip to LSU might have given LSU some momentum.
I'd still consider Auburn the team to beat in this one, and a strong official visit might be enough to put them over the top.
Antonio Coleman, DL — Saraland, Ala.
It's been an inconsistent recruitment for Coleman.
The 6-foot-2 defensive lineman out of Saraland flipped from Alabama to Auburn, and then flipped back to Alabama in early March. Still, there is mutual interest between Coleman and Auburn.
Flipping back to the Tigers isn't entirely out of the question, but I wouldn't expect it to happen anytime soon, even if this weekend is a slam dunk.
Christian Jones, OLB — Omaha, Neb.
Jones is a name that hasn't been tossed around a whole bunch and this weekend's visit comes as a surprise. Initially, the No. 58 overall recruit and top player in the state of Nebraska was set to officially visit USC.
That plane ticket has been changed and Jones will now make his first visit to Auburn this weekend. He also has official visits set up with Nebraska and Oklahoma.
Nate Marshall, DE — Oak Park, Illi.
Another surprise visitor added to the list late is the Michigan commit Marshall. He visited Auburn back in the spring before his pledge to the Wolverines and noted that an official visit to Auburn was possible.
Well, now it's here. Vontrell King-Williams will try to give Auburn its best shot at pulling off the flip of the No. 1 defensive end in the country. Marshall is also expected to officially visit Miami later this month.
Tavaris Dice (OL — Fairburn, Ga.) and Tyler Lockhart (LB — Winona, Miss.)
Auburn will host two of its commits this weekend on official visits. Both Dice and Lockhart will make the trip from their respective hometowns as the Tigers try to firm up those commitments.