Thanksgiving commitment

Another four-star recruit has committed to Auburn.

Richard Jibunor, who is ranked the No. 17 athlete in the 2018 class, announced his commitment to Auburn on Thursday. Jibunor is the 16th commitment in the Tigers’ 2018 class and 11th four-star recruit.

“It’s home to me,” Jibunor said. “I love it at Auburn.”

Jibunor, from Athens (Ga.) Christian, chose Auburn over offers from Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and North Carolina, among others.

Jibunor has visited Auburn several times, including for both the Ole Miss and Georgia games. He plans to return to the Tigers’ campus on Saturday for the Iron Bowl.

Jibunor originally is from Nigeria. He moved to Athens before his freshman year of high school and began playing football as a sophomore. It took only two seasons of playing before SEC offers began to roll in.

Athens Christian coach Chris Williams wasn’t surprised.

“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Williams told Rivals.com. “He has a couple of years in as far as football knowledge, but he makes that up with pure athleticism. He’s an extremely strong athlete. He has great feet, good quickness. He’s extremely powerful and he’s very physical.”

Jibunor also is an excellent student and person.

“He’s polite. He’s respectful,” Williams said. “He has a true heart and cares for people. He’s a genuine kid and he’s a lot of fun to be around.”

Jibunor is not an early enrollee, but plans to sign in the early signing period, a three-day cycle that begins Dec. 20. He projects as a pass rusher at Auburn.