THE WAR ROOM
This is it. One final home game.
The Tigers will take the field in Jordan-Hare Stadium for the last time this season Saturday, riding off into the sunset for a 3 p.m. kickoff against Western Kentucky.
As Auburn prepares for its final home battle, here at AuburnSports.com we've prepared another WAR ROOM, presented by Lynch Toyota of Auburn.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
There are no official visitors this weekend, but LOADS of high-profile targets turning out for the non-conference showdown. Most of them committed elsewhere, but the Tigers are looking to make a move late.
They've got the facilities and the NIL backing, all they need is a head coach. Athletic Director John Cohen is working diligently to find the missing piece of the puzzle, as the season comes to an end after next week.
'TIS THE SEASON
Will this season be a Merry Flipmas? Auburn certainly hopes it will be.
Several big-time targets that are committed elsewhere are scheduled to be on campus this weekend, most of which that have not been back to Auburn since the Woltosz Performance Facility finished construction.
Let's start with Tony Mitchell, who made an appearance last week at the Texas A&M game. He visited officially for the LSU game, where he acknowledged that at that point in time, he was fully committed to Alabama and planned to sign with them in December.
Instead of visiting Alabama, who has a home game against Austin Peay, Mitchell is planning to attend Auburn's game.
It's been more common than not to catch LSU commit Darron Reed at an Auburn game this fall. He's visited a plethora of times this season and plans to attend the finale tomorrow.
This is a guy right in Auburn's backyard, 45 minutes down Highway 280, that the Tigers have been pushing to flip all season.
A more recent LSU commit, DJ Chester will make his first appearance at an Auburn game since September, when he visited for Penn State. Auburn will try and get back into the mix for Chester, who if the Tigers can flip, will play a key role in rebuilding the offensive line.
Auburn is also targeting Georgia commit Bo Hughley to help rebuild the offensive line. Hughley has been committed to Georgia since last year, but Auburn is a frequently visited destination in his GPS.
He's been to several games this season with teammates Terrance Love, Jelani Thurman, Joshua Horton and Air Noland. Hughley was on hand for Auburn's 13-10 victory over Texas A&M, describing the energy as 'different' from past visits.
Hughley will be back with several teammates this weekend.
Currently committed to Ohio State, Jelani Thurman is also a constant visitor to the Plains. He plans to make it back-to-back weeks visiting Auburn with a visit this weekend. His teammate at Langston Hughes High and Auburn commit, Terrance Love, has been preaching opportunity to Thurman all year.
Whether or not Thurman decides to flip remains to be seen, but the Tigers have made him a high priority.
OTHER 2023 VISITORS
Auburn will welcome a couple of uncommitted 2023 targets this weekend.
One of which is Opelika native Brenton Williams, who picked up the Auburn offer Thursday. It wasn't the only one, either. Williams, who de-committed from Coastal Carolina earlier that day, picked up offers from Penn State and Missouri.
Previously committed to Southern Miss, Jayden Hobson has visited a pair of SEC schools this year — Missouri and Mississippi State. The Tuscaloosa native will journey south to Auburn this weekend, taking a look at the Tigers.
Although he has yet to receive the offer from Auburn, that could be something to keep an eye on for his visit.
COMMITS ARE COMING
Several Auburn commits are planning to be in attendance for the team's final home game. Terrance Love will be with his teammates from Langston Hughes, trying to convince them to join him on the Plains.
Jeremiah Cobb, who's recently generated some interest from Georgia, will be back for another weekend visit. The Montgomery native has rushed for nearly 2,000 yards this season and plays in the third round of the Alabama State Playoffs Friday night.
A few locals will make the short drive, per usual. Center Bradyn Joiner and cornerback JC Hart are expected to make an appearance this weekend.
The first member of the 2024 class, A'Mon Lane, is planning to attend the game this weekend. With a handful of visitors from his class also making the trip, expect Lane to likely do some recruiting on the side during his visit.
CAN'T IGNORE THE 24s
Auburn has been targeting Air Noland from the start of his recruitment. The 4-star quarterback makes frequent visits to Auburn with his Langston Hughes teammates and this weekend is no different.
Make it back-to-back visits for Noland.
J'Marion Burnette recently dropped his top 10 schools and Auburn is in there. He visited Auburn for Big Cat Weekend back in the summer and for the Penn State game earlier this year.
Other schools in contention to land the No. 4 player in the state include Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and Florida State.
A Birmingham native, Jeremiah Beaman visited Auburn for its first game of the season and is planning on visiting for the last game of the season. Since his first Auburn visit, he's also visited Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee.
He trains at Step by Step Sports in Birmingham, where current Auburn Tiger Jayson Jones also trains.
Rated as the No. 2 inside linebacker in the nation, Florida commit Myles Graham is set to visit this weekend. He attends Woodward Academy in Georgia, where running back Damari Alston is from, but the Tigers will have their work cut out for them if they want to flip Graham.
His father, Earnest, played for the Gators and Graham committed to Florida shortly after being offered.
Jordan Ross could be a big-time prospect when it's all said and done. Coming into his junior season at 6-foot-5, the defensive end has already garnered offers from major programs, including Auburn.
While his offer list is not nearly as extensive as some others, Georgia, Tennessee, Penn State, USC and Kansas have all offered.
Near the tail end of the Rivals 250 is wide receiver Noreel White. He holds four total offers — Mississippi State, Ole Miss, LSU and Florida State — but Auburn could be next.
Mississippi State and Ole Miss were the earlier programs to reach out to White, who's focusing his recruitment on relationships.
Travaris Banks was one of a few visitors when Auburn held its junior day at the beginning of the calendar year. He was back for the Penn State game and will be back this weekend.
Banks has also visited Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Florida State, Tennessee and Alabama this season.
Malachi Toliver's offer list is growing close to 20 programs. He's taken several visits to different programs this season and will check Auburn off this weekend.
Other visits include South Carolina, Georgia, LSU, Louisville and Ole Miss.
Malik Blocton dropped his top 12 schools recently and it was not surprising to see Auburn in the list. He's been at every home game this season, watching his older brother, Marcus Harris, while also being recruited by the Tigers.
He's visited Alabama, Clemson and Tennessee this season, as well.
KJ Jackson is without the Auburn offer, but has his recruitment heats up, it could come at some point. The quarterback out of Montgomery has 11 offers, including Kansas, Kentucky, Louisville, Ole Miss, Missouri, Penn State and UCF.
Other 2024 visitors include athlete Malcom Simmons, outside linebacker Joseph Phillips, athlete Tevis Metcalf, offensive tackle Jordan Davis-Floyd, quarterback Jaylen Bester and running back Jordan Washington.
EYES ON 25s
Auburn will see Na'eem Offord back on campus, after offering him earlier this fall. He's rated in the Rivals 100 for the class of 2025.
When the Tigers offered him, they were his fourth offer. Now, his offer list is up to 10 schools. With family ties to Auburn, Offord could be a name to watch going forward.