This weekend's game against Texas A&M is sold out and the Auburn family is flocking to Jordan-Hare Stadium to watch Carnell Williams coach his first game on the field he once played on. They're not the only ones wanting to visit the Plains, either.
With the extensive list of visitors on tap for this weekend, you'd have no idea that Auburn is 3-6 and in last place in the SEC West. Let's get into another AuburnSports.com WAR ROOM, presented by Lynch Toyota of Auburn.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
This is the biggest recruiting weekend since the Penn State game and it couldn't come at a more crucial time. The early signing period is just over a month away, beginning on Dec. 21, and for those that choose to sign early, they're getting closer to making it official.
OFFICIAL VISITORS
There are six official visitors scheduled for this weekend, easily the most we've seen at a time this season.
Let's start with Edwin Joseph, a wide receiver out of Hollywood, Fla. He's one of several visitors from Chaminade Madonna High School this weekend, but the only official visitor from it.
He visited Auburn for the LSU game back in October and seeing improvement, as well as feeling like a priority, could be the key in making strides with Joseph. The wide receiver has also checked out Penn State, Florida State and was at Louisville last week.
Miami also keeps tabs on Joseph, who plans to visit schools throughout the beginning weeks of December, according to CanesCountry.
Auburn also likes Miami native Stanquan Clark, and Clark likes Auburn enough to check them out on an official visit. Although currently committed to Louisville, Auburn was one of his finalists.
Clark spoke with interim head coach Carnell Williams Wednesday ahead of his official visit as he looks to get a more in-depth look at the program.
Teammates with Clark, Lamar Seymore has already flipped schools once. He was previously committed to Florida before jumping to join Pittsburgh's 2023 class.
Shortly after de-committing from Miami, Seymore released a top five with Auburn in it. Miami was also in it, as was Pittsburgh. If Seymore does decide to flip again, it could be likely that Auburn is in high contention, along with UCF and Penn State — the other top schools.
Bryan Longwell has seen his relationship with Auburn takeoff, earning the offer in late October and now being invited for an official visit. The linebacker has quickly formed a bond with coach Christian Robinson.
Auburn was his first SEC offer, but it won't be his first SEC visit. He visited South Carolina a couple weeks ago, but a smooth official visit could go a long way for Longwell.
It's finally happening for Daquayvious Sorey.
The wide receiver was initially planning an official visit for the weekend of the Penn State game, but that didn't happen due to unforeseen circumstances. Instead, Sorey will take his official visit this weekend, as he remains locked in with Auburn.
Clay Wedin will finally have the opportunity to show his whole family his future home, something he's excited about for his official visit. Even though there's a coaching search, Wedin remains fully committed to playing for Auburn.
I'll have more on Wedin's goals for the visit later today.
THE LANGSTON FIVE
Auburn has been pushing for the five guys at Langston Hughes High for some time. Even though all 2023s but Terrance Love are committed elsewhere, they keep coming back to Auburn.
Another thing to note is that since there was a change in the head coach, those that did take their official visits during the Bryan Harsin era are eligible to take another official visit when the next head coach is hired.
Winning is something Auburn needs to do to increase its chances with Johnathan Hughley, and even though it didn't quite pull it out last week, the Tigers came closer than they had in weeks to winning a game over Mississippi State.
Maybe they'll put it together this weekend and get the momentum rolling with Hughley.
Ohio State commit Jelani Thurman is still keeping in contact with Auburn and is the Tigers' No. 1 tight end target. Thurman knows this and it seems like this one isn't over until he signs with Ohio State.
Joshua Horton is another potential flip, but out of his teammates, could be the least likely to flip to Auburn. While he's been on campus several times, it's not nearly been as much as some of his buddies.
Yet who knows, this weekend is the first home game where Harsin won't roam the sidelines. It's sold out and presents a new side of Auburn that may resonate better with Horton.
Although he's in the 2024 class, Air Noland has become one of the higher priorities for Auburn. Even with a commitment from a quarterback already, you'd like to think that Auburn would take two in the class.
Especially with each passing day seemingly increasing the odds that the Tigers won't sign one for the 2023 class. Noland will return to Auburn fresh off of a visit to Miami.
2023 UNOFFICIAL VISITORS
Two guys that always seem to pop up in WAR ROOMs and in general, any other recruiting story, are returning to Auburn this weekend. James Smith and Qua Russaw, the defensive line duo out of Carver High in Montgomery, are supposed to attend.
Auburn is working hard to close the deal, but so is Alabama and Florida. As I've stated several times before, they're going as a package deal.
Rueben Bain officially visited back in June and Saturday will be his second visit since. He was in Auburn for the LSU game, where he named Auburn and Miami as frontrunners at the time.
It could be difficult to pull Bain away from Miami, which is considered the school to beat. Not only is Bain from Miami, but his brother is on Mario Cristobal's staff.
The LSU commit, Darron Reed, continues to attend Auburn home games. Jordan-Hare Stadium is certainly close to home than Tiger Stadium, and the edge has an opportunity to make an early impact with the position group lacking depth heading into next season.
It makes sense why Auburn is targeting Reed and pushing extremely hard for him to flip.
Another player Auburn is pushing hard to flip is Michigan State commit Colton Hood. Not only is Hood an Auburn legacy, but he seemed to genuinely enjoy his time on his official visit a couple weeks ago.
He mentioned following his official visit that secondary coach Zac Etheridge is an important piece to his chances with Auburn. The way Etheridge carries himself and runs his DB room stuck out to Hood.
He'll visit North Carolina officially next week, but sneaking in one more Auburn game before the season is over is a good sign.
Lewis Carter is a guy that Auburn has been trying to get back on campus nearly all season long and it's finally slated to happen this weekend. The Oklahoma commit took an official visit to Auburn in the summer and it put the Tigers near the top.
Ultimately, he decided on Oklahoma, but the fight isn't over for the Tigers. He's got Auburn connections through his head coach at Tampa Catholic, Jeris McIntyre, who played wide receiver for the Tigers in the early 2000s.
Carter is one of several visitors from Tampa Catholic this weekend.
Joseph Mupoyi visited Auburn back in late July, just after the dead period ended. It was an unofficial visit, similar to this weekend, but an official visit is something Mupoyi wanted to look into following his July visit.
This weekend will be his first game day experience at Auburn, as the 6-foot-6 edge, who is originally from Africa, is working to narrow down schools. Auburn will have its work cut out, as a pair of Big Ten schools like Penn State and Michigan seem to be the toughest competition.
Auburn is one of two SEC offers for Ezra Odinjor of Kennesaw, Ga.
Kansas, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Georgia Tech, Washington State and Houston are other schools outside of the Tigers hitting him up, he told JayhawkSlant. He may not be the top edge target for Auburn, but if the others fall through, look for Auburn to make a harder push.
It's interesting to see Antione Jackson planning a trip to Auburn. The cornerback, who reclassified in October to the 2023 class from the 2024 class, seems solidified in his decision to join Miami.
This could, in my eyes, be a visit to check out another school like Auburn, but unless something truly catches his eye, it's likely a one-time visit.
COMMITS ARE COMING
Auburn will have several commits at the game, per usual. With Carnell Williams coaching his first game in Jordan-Hare Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, it's a no brainer for the commits to head that way, including local Bradyn Joiner.
Jeremiah Cobb took a visit to Georgia last week, but find himself heading back to the Plains this weekend. Georgia offered him in late October, but it's gonna be a tough pull away from Auburn, especially when Williams is coaching there.
This is a huge visit for Adrian Posse. Not necessarily for himself, but for the impact he can have on others this weekend. This weekend's visitors list is packed with Florida kids, and with Posse being from Miami, he can do some serious recruiting work.
CAN'T IGNORE THE 24s
Auburn will have a plethora of talent from Chaminade Madonna High School in Hollywood, Fla., with a loaded 2024 class scheduled to visit. Multiple five stars and some of the nation's best in the class will be on hand.
The No. 2 and No. 9 players nationally, Jeremiah Smith and Joshisa Trader, will make their first visits to Auburn on Saturday. Both hold over 30 offers, with Ohio State and Miami the big contenders to land them. Smith and Trader were in Miami last week.
Cedrick Bailey Jr. serves as the quarterback for Smith and Trader and also was in Miami last week. Bailey's recruitment has not yet taken off like his teammate's, but he's beginning to draw interest from programs.
He recently was offered by Louisville and an Auburn offer could be next, depending on this weekend.
Auburn's chances with Zaquan Patterson could have dropped recently with the firing of Drew Fabianich. Fabianich was Auburn's in with Patterson, and although he does talk with other coaches, he held a close relationship with Fabianich.
Now that it's gone, Auburn will have to find a new connection with the No. 3 safety in the nation.
Joseph Stone Jr. committed to LSU prior to his junior season, but there's still time for Auburn to make a run. Auburn's pulled several players out of Grayson High, like team captain Owen Pappoe, and will look to do so with Stone.
Terrance Moore picked up what he described as his "dream offer" from Miami earlier this week, but Auburn will have a chance to make a statement early in Moore's recruitment this weekend.
Like Lewis Carter, he's from Tampa Catholic, so the Auburn connection is certainly there.
Another member of an incredibly talented Tampa Catholic team is one of the nation's best offensive lineman for the 2024 class.
Eddy Pierre-Louis stopped by Auburn in the summer after a visit to Alabama, which has been recruiting him for two years already, He's taken game day visits to several Florida schools already, including Florida, Miami and UCF. Auburn, Alabama and Ohio State are seemingly next on his list.
Xavier Porter visited NC State last week, adding onto his list of game visits that already include Florida State and UCF. Initially planning to visit Tennessee or Wake Forest this weekend, plans have changed for the 4-star defensive end.
Instead, he'll be visiting Auburn alongside several teammates.
Cameron Coleman has eight offers, one of which is Auburn. With his hometown just under an hour away, Auburn is the closest school to home and has hosted the wide receiver multiple times.
It's still early in his recruitment, but Auburn could be the team to beat right now.
Jayden Lewis has nearly 20 offers and Auburn is showing him love constantly. The 4-star cornerback has visited several SEC schools since his last trip to Auburn, including Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.
Auburn seems to be a popular destination for Lewis and like Coleman, could be the team to beat early on.
Myles Graham is a big target for Auburn, he's someone high on their board that they're actively working to flip from Florida.
It will certainly present a challenge, Graham is a Florida legacy. His father played running back for Florida from 1998-2002.
Other 2024 visitors include running back Davion Gause, wide receiver Jose Leon, wide receiver Ziggy Holloway, linebacker Joseph Phillips, linebacker Jordan Thompson, offensive guard Malachi Harris and defensive lineman Malik Blocton.
EYES ON THE 25s
Auburn will also have several 2025 recruits visiting this weekend, as the Tigers look to establish relationships early.
Chris Ewald Jr. is one of those players that Auburn wants to make an impression early with. He's already picked up close to 20 offers and is ranked as the No. 23 player in his class.
CJ Jimcoily will make his first trip to the Plains this weekend from the Music City. He's one of several targets from the Lipscomb Academy, and like his teammate Bryan Longwell, we've seen his interest in Auburn takeoff.
Jimcoily was offered at the end of October and it didn't take long for him to schedule a visit.
Teammates with Longwell and Jimcoily, offensive guard Chauncey Gooden will visit Auburn, as well. He holds double-digit offers, including SEC schools like Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee.
Anniston native Grayshaun Swain has a few visits to Auburn logged, including for a camp back in June. Auburn is one of nine offers Swain holds, which includes Kentucky, Mississippi State and Tennessee.
