Last week was packed with action in Auburn recruiting.
It was a mix of positive and negative news, with the Tigers gaining a pair of in-state commitments, but missing out on a massive receiver target. Another target delayed his decision and the pursuit of Perry Thompson continues.
Let's talk about it.
DJ Barber commits to Auburn
Clay Chalkville linebacker D'Angelo Barber became the first Auburn commit for the month of July on Tuesday, picking the Tigers over programs like Ole Miss, Arkansas and Georgia Tech.
Barber is the ninth member of the Tigers' 2024 class, joining Joseph Phillips in the linebacker room.
There are a few more linebackers that Auburn's targeting, most notably the Georgia commit Demarcus Riddick. He's expected to be at Auburn's Big Cat weekend later this month, as Auburn continues its pursuit to flip the No. 30 player in the nation.
Other names to monitor at the linebacker position are Wyatt Simmons and Bradley Shaw.
Cam Coleman to Texas A&M
Tuesday was bittersweet for Auburn. Sure, it landed Barber, but it also missed on perhaps its No. 1 target in the 2024 class.
Cam Coleman's commitment to Texas A&M was a bit of a surprise, it was anticipated that Coleman would not have a decision for several months. Well, he went live on Instagram and threw on the Texas A&M hat, no gimmicks to follow.
Regardless, committed doesn't mean signed, and Auburn will continue to relentlessly recruit Coleman until he does.
What does this mean for Auburn?
Well, the battle for Perry Thompson with Alabama just became much more important. The Tigers haven't signed a Rivals100 receiver since 2016, when Nate Craig-Myers signed with Auburn.
If Auburn pulls Thompson from Alabama, that's an incredible win for Hugh Freeze and Marcus Davis. And at this moment, it's a battle Auburn can absolutely win.
Jalyn Crawford postpones decision
Rivals250 cornerback Jalyn Crawford was expected to pick between Auburn, Florida, LSU and North Carolina last Tuesday, but that didn't happen. Instead, Crawford elected to hold off on his decision and wait a little while longer to announce.
The decision might have been made to explore additional NIL opportunities. There was some concern since Auburn was largely considered the school to beat in his recruitment, but that may still hold true.
A commitment would have been best-case scenario, but the way I see it, there's still a decent chance that Crawford ends up at Auburn.
Perry Thompson attending Big Cat Weekend
The Alabama wide receiver commit who's been trending toward a flip tweeted out July 2 that he'd be attending Auburn's Big Cat Weekend at the end of the month. It's another good sign for Auburn, which saw a lot of Thompson throughout the summer.
He's just one of several high-profile names headlining Big Cat Weekend, with guys like KJ Bolden, Riddick and Jalewis Solomon also expected.
Malik Blocton commits to Auburn
Saturday's commitment by Malik Blocton was a long time coming. The brother of Marcus Harris had become a familiar face around campus in the fall, spring and summer.
With his commitment, it pushed Auburn into double figures for its 2024 class. The Tigers have already surpassed last year's total of in-state commits, as Blocton is the seventh player from Alabama to commit to Auburn.
Blocton is also another four-star addition to the class, with quality over quantity currently representing Freeze's first true recruiting class at Auburn. The 2024 class sits at No. 48 in the nation right now, but that's with just 10 commits.
Looking at the average star rankings, Auburn's class is third in the nation, only trailing Ohio State and Georgia. Based off of the caliber of players Freeze has pulled in at this point, this class could shape up to be quite impressive.
