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Auburn Football Recruiting: Tigers Hoping Alec Jackson Starts Fantastic Finish
With the Christmas Day commitment of three-star Jefferson Davis standout Alec Jackson, Auburn football recruiting landed its first 2017 defensive lineman.
War Eagle 🐅🔵⚪ @MPSAthletics @K_Britt10 @ScoutHSAlabama @_theFranchise76 pic.twitter.com/ea5NmXcHzh
— Alec Jackson (@_TheFuture7) December 25, 2016
The Tigers are hoping Jackson kicks off of a considerable close for the class leading up to and on National Signing Day.
While Jackson’s overall rating among the recruiting services may not sparkle as much as those from Auburn’s immense 2016 haul along the D-line, he is an Offense-Defense Bowl All-American who can play both inside at tackle and outside an end.
As for the strong Signing Day the Tigers are hoping for to seal another Top 10 group, here are five recruits Auburn must land at least three — and maybe even four — of to likely reach their goal:
Devon Hunter — No. 5 overall by Scout — Safety — Chesapeake, Va.
Auburn would love to sign an elite play-maker in the secondary in this class — and every class — and it appeared to be in great shape to do so with Devon Hunter prior to Wesley McGriff announcing his intentions to join the Ole Miss staff next season as defensive coordinator. Hunter will likely officially visit both the Tigers and Florida in January, while in-state Virginia Tech may be the most serious threat.
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Markaviest Bryant — No. 93 overall by ESPN — Defensive End — Cordele, Ga.
It’s a classic Auburn-Georgia battle for Markaviest Bryant. It has always felt like the Bulldogs have the lead, but the Tigers are closing with some late momentum. This one may be decided in January when on consecutive weekends Bryant officially visits Georgia (Jan. 13) and The Plains (Jan. 20). He has already officialed to Alabama, another contender for the defensive lineman.
Ryan Johnson — No. 136 overall by ESPN — Defensive End — Mobile, Ala.
While the Tigers need to build on the Jackson commitment along the defensive line with Bryant, they would love to also do so by landing in-state stud Ryan Johnson, who just so happened to grow up an Auburn fan. Johnson, as is to be expected, has offers aplenty, including Alabama, Stanford, and Texas. He will visit those three — and Auburn — from mid-to-late January.
Tyler Taylor — No. 208 overall by ESPN — Linebacker — Sugar Hill, Ga.
Travis Williams would love to turn his tremendous trio of linebacker pledges — Tadarian “T.D.” Moultry (No. 50/247Sports), Kenney “K.J.” Britt (No. 104/Rivals), and Chandler Wooten (No. 231/ESPN) — into a fearsome foursome by adding Tyler Taylor. Auburn’s Sugar Bowl opponent, Oklahoma, doesn’t plan to back down in this one, however.
Tamorrion Terry — 4-star by ESPN and Scout — Wide Receiver — Ashburn, Ga.
One of the more intriguing prospects in the 2017 class, Tamorrion Terry got a quiet start to his recruitment — and grades are likely the reason for it. Over the past several months, however, his stock has blown up, and he has landed offers from the likes of Auburn, Florida, Georgia, and Florida State — who may in fact lead. Regardless, the Tigers are, at worst, top two, and Kodi Burns would love to pair Terry with commit Noah Igbinoghene (No. 260/247Sports).
