With only three months remaining until National Signing Day in February, it’s time to start tracking the new faces that the Auburn football team could be bringing in next year.
Gus Malzahn has 14 total commitments so far in the 2018 class. Overall, Auburn has the No. 27 recruiting class in the nation according to Rivals.com Team Rankings. Other SEC schools Georgia, Tennessee and Florida all rank in the Top 10 of the Team Recruiting Rankings.
OFFENSE:
Joey Gatewood-QB
Gatewood has been one of the most talked about players in the class, no doubt. The highly touted dual-threat quarterback has been one of Coach Malzahn’s top targets for over three years now, and the Tigers had been in a tight race with Florida State to gain his verbal commitment. The Jacksonville, Florida native attended Bartram Trail High School and was rated the seventh best dual-threat quarterback in the country. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 226 pounds, Gatewood is one of the larger quarterbacks in the 2018 class, resembling the frame of a tight-end, while also being one of the more accurate downfield passers in the country.
Asa Martin-RB
Martin is one of two running back commitments in Auburn’s 2018 class. The four-star halfback from Austin High School in Decatur, Alabama, is the seventh best running back in the country and the second best prospect overall in the state according to Rivals.com rankings. Martin is 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds, and is one of the most complete players in this class. He is a physical runner, but is also versatile enough to be able to line up out wide and play multiple positions on offense.
Shaun Shivers-RB
Shivers is the second running back in the class of 2018. The four-star, all-purpose back from Hollywood, Florida is ranked ninth overall at his position, and is the No. 57 overall prospect in the state. Shivers, who is only 5-foot-5 and 175 pounds, is known for his elite speed. His combination of speed and ball skills make him a hard cover out of the backfield, especially for linebackers.
Shedrick Jackson-WR
Jackson has some big shoes to fill. His great-uncle is the one of the greatest Auburn athletes of all time, Bo Jackson. The 6-foot-2 Hoover native is one of Auburn’s only wide receiver commits of the 2018 class thus far, and is rated as the No. 15 prospect in the state of Alabama. Jackson possesses an impressive combination of size and speed at the wide-out position. He ran a 4.37-second 40-yard dash, and had a 40-inch vertical leap at one of Auburn’s camps earlier this year. Jackson has the ability to win 1-on-1 matchups out wide, which the Tiger offense has been in desperate need of lately.
Kolbi Fuqua-ATH
Fuqua is one of two prospects in Auburn’s 2018 class that is listed as an athlete, which means he has the versatility to line up at multiple positions, in multiple formations. Playing wide receiver for Cordova High School in Alabama, Fuqua was rated as the No. 13 prospect in the state and the No. 34 athlete in the country. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound athlete is an aggressive, imposing player that can play both sides of the ball.
Matthew Hill-ATH
Hill is the second athlete in Auburn’s 2018 commitment class. The Snellville native is ranked as the No. 20 athlete in the country, and the No. 33 prospect in the state of Georgia. Hill mainly played wide receiver in high school, and is still being highly recruited by rivals Alabama and Georgia. The 6-foot-1, four-star athlete has the versatility and explosiveness to also play defensive back and return kicks, both of which he did in high school for Brookwood. Hill is known for his playmaking ability at wide-out, as well as out of the backfield.
Kameron Stutts-OL
Stutts is a three-star offensive guard out of Brooks High School in Killen, Alabama. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound lineman is the No. 22 prospect in the state, and has other SEC offers from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Missouri. Stutts is a highly skilled lineman that is aggressive, and that has the ability help Auburn’s pass protection in the future.
Jalil Irvin-OL
Irvin is a four-star offensive guard from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia. The 6-foot-4, 265-pound lineman also holds SEC offers from Arkansas, Georgia, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Missouri, and Mississippi State. He was rated as the No. 16 guard in the country, and the No. 36 prospect in the state of Georgia. Irvin is known for being a versatile ‘swing’ offensive lineman that has the ability to play tackle, guard, or center under Herb Hand at Auburn because of his length and agility.
DEFENSE:
Coynis Miller-DE
Miller is arguably the best defensive lineman in the state and is ranked as the fourth best prospect overall in Alabama, according to Rivals.com, which is why a number of SEC schools have been recruiting him thus far. He is a four-star strongside defensive end that is explosive, and skilled enough to make an impact early on in his college career. The Jackson-Olin native stands 6-foot-2, and weighs 290 pounds. Miller is one of Auburn’s top commitments in the class so far.
Daquan Newkirk-DE
Newkirk originally committed to play for the Tigers as a member of the 2016 class, but failed to qualify out of First Academy in Orlando. He then went to play for Gulf Coast C.C. in Mississippi. Newkirk is yet another player that has committed to play for Auburn from Gulf Coast C.C. in Perkinston, Mississippi. The three-star defensive end stands at 6-foot-3, and weighs in at 290 pounds. With the recent departure of Byron Cowart, the JUCO defensive end could provide more depth, size, and experience on the defensive line in the future.
Michael Harris-LB
Harris is a four-star inside linebacker from Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia. He holds other SEC offers from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, and Mississippi State. Harris, a 6-foot-2, 207-pound linebacker, was rated as the No.10 linebacker in the country, and the No. 21 prospect in the state of Georgia. Linebackers coach Travis Williams made Harris a priority because he thinks the inside linebacker can come in and make an impact immediately.
Josh Marsh-LB
Marsh has been one of the early surprises of the 2018 commitment class up to this point. After an impressive camp in which he ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, and was a standout on 1-on-1 drills, Coach Malzahn offered the outside linebacker a scholarship. Marsh, a top defensive player from the state of Alabama, is 6-foot-2 and weighs 216 pounds, and is being recruited as an athlete on defense to play the Star position. The Decatur, Alabama native says that it is a “dream come true."
Quindarious Monday-DB
Rivals ranks Monday, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 180 pounds, as the No. 30 safety in the 2018 class and No. 28 overall player in Georgia. The four-star defensive back from Carver High School in Atlanta committed to Auburn over offers from several top programs including Clemson, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Michigan. Considering how thin the Tigers are at safety, Monday would be a huge help to defensive coordinator Kevin Steele’s defense with his unique size and athleticism.
Jamien Sherwood-DB
Sherwood is the second safety in Auburn’s 2018 class thus far. The Jensen Beach native, who is 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds, is the No. 17 safety in the 2018 class and No. 41 prospect in the state of Florida. The four-star recruit chose Auburn over other notable schools Florida, Georgia, and Michigan. Sherwood is the type of player that you assume that can play multiple positions when you see him in warmups. He is listed as a defensive back that can cover wide receivers out wide, but is also big enough, and athletic enough to grow into a linebacker and cover guys in the slot.
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