ATLANTA | It’s no secret that Auburn’s 2022 recruiting class has been slow to come together, but momentum is starting to turn into the Tigers’ favor.

After going 131 days without a commitment, AU added three last week and secondary coach Zac Etheridge expects more before the end of the month.

“It’s going slowly, but really starting to pick up steam here,” said Etheridge Wednesday night before speaking to the Atlanta Auburn club. “We’re expecting a couple guys here toward the end of July to make some decisions to be at Auburn.

“We’re working every day; no one has seen us play a game yet, so it’s part of truly trying to figure out who is at Auburn, what it’s going to look like. But recruiting has been fun. It’s been challenging but at the same time, you’re in the SEC, what do you expect? Just go compete and win those battles.”

Auburn is up to five commitments in the 2022 class after adding kicker Alex McPherson, tight end Micah Riley-Ducker and safety Caleb Wooden last week. The total dropped from six to five Wednesday after athlete Jarell Stinson de-committed.

The Tigers are the only SEC team with less than 10 commitments. Vanderbilt has an SEC-high 18 while Arkansas, Mississippi State and South Carolina have 15 apiece.

On a positive note, Auburn’s staff was able to bring in a number of highly-rated players in the 2022, 23 and 24 class for visits and camps during the month of June, and is planning to bring in a talented group on July 25 for the return of Big Cat Weekend.

One of the players that visited last month and is expected to announce his decision on the 25th is four-star running back Damari Alston.

“Well, that’s the biggest thing is getting guys on campus,” Etheridge said. “We’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of guys to come to campus, get some guys to come around and see us, and that’s the starting point. We just got here in January; Coach Harsin got here in December. It’s been nonstop since we stepped foot in the door -- not just recruiting, but also spending time with our players.

“It’s been wide open, but we’ve been fortunate enough to get a lot of good players on campus, and we’re looking forward to having a lot more in the fall.”

After opening up recruiting visits for the first time in 15 months during the first four weeks of June, college football recruiting has been in another dead period, which lasts from June 28-July 24.