Sometimes, the amount of stars a player receives out of high school really doesn’t matter.
For the No. 7 Auburn Tigers, a pair of former 2-star prospects have emerged as key playmakers on both sides of the ball.
Neither starting safety Daniel Thomas nor running back Jatarvious “Boobee” Whitlow were highly sought after in their recruitment processes out of high school. Both were under the radar and, for the most part, afterthoughts that were glanced over because of the amount of stars they received.
Thomas, a 6-foot defensive back out of Montgomery, was one of the Tigers' last commitments in the 2016 class, with his only other notable offers coming from Minnesota, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Whitlow, who was mostly recruited as an undersized athlete out of the small town of LaFayette, Alabama, had even more schools pass on him. Whitlow only visited Tulane and UAB before signing with Auburn as the last addition to the Tigers 2017 class.
Three years later, both Thomas and Whitlow are playing prominent roles on a top-10 Auburn squad that looks to repeat as SEC West champions this season.
In Saturday’s 21-16 defeat of No.6 Washington, the pair came through when it mattered most to quiet all the critics.
Thomas, starting at safety for one of the deepest defenses in nation, led the team with eight tackles in his first career start at Auburn. The junior set the tone for the defense with the first big hit of the game on Huskies’ star running back Myles Gaskin, as he was breaking through the middle of the line on Washington’s first drive.
“I feel like that’s what we needed as a team,” Thomas said. “Coach kept telling us, make a play, make a play, and we came through when the team needed.”
Whitlow, who was the dark horse to eventually win the starting job in the backfield, had arguably the most important play of the game. Trailing by one point on 3rd-and-7, with just over six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, “Boobee” took a handoff from quarterback Jarrett Stidham on an inside zone ten yards up the middle for the game-winning touchdown, running over two Huskies at the goal-line to cap off the drive.
“I feel like everybody played with a chip on their shoulder now,” Whitlow said. “Everybody, like, everybody wants it. Everybody wants it. We want it more than the next opponent. You're not going to come out there and beat us.
"After all the stuff we went through in the summer and the spring, in fall camp, we're going to show you that we want it more than you. Everybody's just playing with that chip right now. Everybody wants it.”
Whitlow, and Thomas alike, are both motivated by schools that didn’t give them a second look and want to prove they are more than a 2-star stereotype.
“Show them,” Whitlow said. “Look what you missed out on. Gus Malzahn, I thank him the most, because he took the chance with me, and he made me the guy that I am today. You missed out on me. (Auburn) didn't. They took the chance.”
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