The Rivals Five Star event has returned.
For the first time in several years, Rivals hosted the country's top prospects for a multi-day event in Jacksonville, Fla., earlier this week. AuburnSports.com was on site for the event, as three Auburn commits and even more top targets were in attendance.
There's some things to break down, so lets roll out another WAR ROOM, presented by Lynch Toyota of Auburn.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The past month has been full of non-stop action for the coaching staff, as the Tigers hosted 38 official visitors in the month of June. Of those official visitors, Auburn got commitments from three of them, with several commitment dates already set for some others.
Coaches will take a break from on-campus recruiting for the next month, as it's a dead period until July 24. This means no unofficial or official visitors on campus, all recruiting efforts will have to be made over the phone.
If you haven't already, mark July 27 in your calendar — it's gonna be a big one for Auburn football recruiting. The final Saturday in July will be Auburn's annual Big Cat Weekend, where top targets and commits will return to campus for an action-packed weekend of camaraderie.
WHAT ABOUT THE QUARTERBACKS?
Julian Lewis tentatively has about two months before he comes to a final decision. His options are to remain committed to USC, or flip to either Colorado or Auburn. He likes the small town vibe that Auburn has, it's similar to his hometown of Carrollton, Ga., and also feels like he can trust head coach Hugh Freeze.
If Auburn can't pull off the flip of the No. 1 overall recruit, expect the Tigers to put pressure on Texas by pursuing its quarterback commit KJ Lacey. The Saraland, Ala., appears to be the Tigers' primary contingency plan, but hasn't set up an official visit with anyone outside of Texas.
Auburn also reached out to Notre Dame quarterback commit Deuce Knight last week. He's not ruling out communication with other programs, but right now seems set on signing with Notre Dame.
Other names to keep an eye on include TCU commit Ty Hawkins and three-star Jaron Sagapolutele.
ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO
Auburn is looking to take two running backs this class and got one last week via the flip of Alvin Henderson.
Two running back targets were in Jacksonville, as four-star Shekai Mills-Knight and Alabama commit Anthony Rogers both attended.
Mills-Knight appears to be higher on Auburn's board than Rogers, he's 6-foot-2 and fits the bigger-bodied running back that the Tigers are after. It sounds like Ole Miss could be the biggest threat right now to land him, but Auburn will get him back on campus for Big Cat Weekend next month.
Meanwhile, Rogers remained committed to the Crimson Tide through the coaching change because running backs coach Robert Gillespie was retained. He's still keeping his options somewhat open and will look to officially visit Auburn in the fall, with Georgia and Ohio State two other programs still relatively in the mix.
Other running backs still in the mix that weren't at the Rivals Five Star include Ousmane Kromah and Duane Morris.
AUBURN MAKING HUGE STEP
Perhaps the biggest headline from Jacksonville was how much Auburn's stepped it up with wide receiver target Travis Smith Jr. The Tigers have stayed in contact well with him throughout his recruiting process, but lately, it's been taken to a new level.
He'll have a decision July 13, but Auburn appears to be positioning itself well at this point in time. More about the "huge step" that the Tigers made can be found here.
NOTES ON DEFENSIVE BACKS
Eric Winters headlined the Auburn commits by winning Most Versatile, but the Enterprise, Ala., native is set to play safety for Auburn.
Auburn also remains in contact with Kentucky safety commit Martels Carter Jr., who pledged to the Wildcats in May. It sounds like Auburn may be the only program Carter entertains for a possible flip, but seeing that Carter is from Kentucky, that's a tough pull.
Cornerback Shamar Arnoux committed to USC Wednesday. There was some degree of confidence from the Auburn side, but Arnoux opted for the west coast instead. Will that be where Arnoux signs? USC has had its fair share of de-commitments from the state of Georgia lately, so we'll see.
Speaking of USC commits, Auburn was in the mix for Hylton Stubbs a couple months ago, but that doesn't appear to be the case anymore.
REMARKS ON TWO LINEBACKERS
Christian Jones took an impromptu official visit in June, switching his original weekend plans from a USC official to an Auburn official. Sounds like Oklahoma may end up being the program to beat, with Nebraska working to keep him in-state.
Meanwhile, Fyffe linebacker Logan Anderson was offered after an elite camp earlier this month and continues to grow his offer list. He's planning to hold off on a decision for a while to see how things develop in his recruitment.
Auburn keeps in touch, but Clemson and Ole Miss talk with him the most.
AUTRY EXPLORING, BUT STILL FEELING GOOD
Auburn commit Malik Autry explored his options this summer by taking official visits to UCF, USC, Florida and Ohio State. The earliest pledge in the 2025 class, Autry still feels good about his commitment to Auburn, but wants to make sure it's the right fit.
Autry will take his official visit in-season, eyeing the New Mexico game weekend as a potential.
Defensive end Zion Grady will still probably be at Big Cat Weekend, but it doesn't sound like his pledge to Ohio State is going anywhere soon.
