Where Auburn football’s 2021 recruiting class stands 2 weeks before early signing period

AUBURN — Monday did not bring positive news for Auburn football’s 2021 recruiting class.

Less than 48 hours after the Tigers lost Saturday’s Iron Bowl, their second-highest rated commitment — four-star Hewitt-Trussville running back Armoni Goodwin — announced that he was backing off a pledge made in May 2019.

“I was overwhelmed and think that I rushed into committing, without thinking that this is (the) biggest decision of my life right now,” Goodwin posted on Twitter. “Auburn University is still in my Top 3. I just want to explore my options, during this short amount of time, to make sure that I make the best decision for the rest of my life.”

Goodwin’s decommitment dropped Auburn’s class from 21st nationally all the way down to 39th, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. It ranks 11th in the SEC behind Missouri and Kentucky and is only just ahead of Vanderbilt.

More:Matthew Hill set to become 9th member of 2018 class to leave Auburn

Auburn has never signed a class ranked below 12th nationally under Gus Malzahn. Six of eight have ranked in the top 10.

Talent isn’t the problem. The Tigers still have plenty of that in a class that includes the third-highest ranked recruit in the state (Eight Mile defensive tackle Lee Hunter); a potential quarterback of the future (four-star Houston dual-threat Dematrius Davis); and a top-15 offensive guard (Jaeden Roberts) and safety (Ahmari Harvey).

If you sort the recruiting rankings in terms of average player rating rather than overall class score, Auburn’s 0.8942 mark ranks a much more respectable 15th nationally and sixth in the SEC.

For subscribers:Auburn’s Texas recruiting pipeline continues to expand

The problem is volume. Auburn had only 12 commitments as of Tuesday night. The top three classes in the conference — Alabama, LSU and Georgia — have at least 19 each. The early signing period begins in just two weeks, on Dec. 16.

Goodwin is the third decommitment from the class, joining three-star offensive tackles J’Marion Gooch (Tennessee) and Caleb Johnson (Notre Dame). The Tigers also lost out on three top-10 in-state prospects last month that many thought they might be the favorites to land — three-star cornerback Kamari Lassiter (Georgia), four-star defensive end Jeremiah “Scooby” Williams (Florida) and five-star cornerback Ga’Quincy “Koolaid” McKinstry (Alabama).

Auburn has supplemented its numbers with a pair of potential impact transfers — former Oklahoma tight end Grant Calcaterra and Harvard guard Eric Wilson —  but there are plenty of holes to fill.

Auburn football’s 2021 recruiting class by position

• Quarterback (1): 4-star Dematrius Davis
• Running back (0)
• Wide receiver (1): 3-star Hal Presley
• Tight end (2): 3-star Landen King, transfer Grant Calcaterra
• Offensive line (3): 4-star G Jaeden Roberts, 3-star G Garner Langlo, transfer G Eric Wilson
• Defensive line (3): 4-star DT Lee Hunter, 4-star DT Marquis Robinson, 3-star DE Tobechi Okoli
• Linebacker (0)
• Defensive back (4): 4-star S Ahmari Harvey, 3-star ATH Tar’varish Dawson, 3-star S Phillip O’Brien Jr., 3-star CB Kamal Hadden

The recruiting dead period the NCAA instituted in March (and recently extended into April) due to the COVID-19 pandemic probably has not helped matters. One of Auburn’s biggest selling points, Malzahn said, is “getting guys on campus and getting that family feel," which no school can do. The constant chatter on social media about the eighth-year coach’s future with the program could be a factor, too.

Still, Malzahn expressed optimism this week. “We're going to be able to finish it strong,” Malzahn said. “There's a handful of people out there who are waiting to make decisions that we feel really good about.”

Some of the players that list might include:

• 5-star ILB Terrence Lewis (Opa Locka, Florida): Many believe the Tigers are the frontrunner to land Lewis after he decommitted from Tennessee on Monday.
• 4-star ILB Trevin Wallace (Jesup, Georgia): Another recent decommit (from Boston College) who could end up at Auburn, though Ole Miss and others are also in the picture.
• 3-star WDE George Wilson (Virginia Beach, Virginia): Auburn offered him after he decommitted from South Carolina last week and is expected to be a factor along with Florida State and North Carolina.
• 3-star CB Dontae Balfour (Starke, Florida): Announced Tuesday that Auburn was in his final two along with Missouri. The Tigers have a lot of success recently turning three-star defensive backs into starters.
• JUCO OLB Byron Young (Georgia Military College): Has Auburn in his top three along with Florida State and Tennessee.
• 4-star OT Savion Byrd (Duncanville, Texas): Auburn is not seen as the likeliest destination, but Byrd does have the Tigers in the top five he released last month, and offensive coordinator Chad Morris has already secured four commitments from Texas.
• Goodwin: Players who decommit don’t often change their minds, but Goodwin was committed for more than a year and reportedly has a good relationship with Malzahn and running backs coach Cadillac Williams. The other schools he’s said to be considering along with Auburn are LSU, Florida State, Georgia and Alabama.

“I think this will be a really good signing period,” Malzahn said. “I feel very positive that the next two weeks there will be a lot of good news coming for Auburn.”

Josh Vitale is the Auburn beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. You can follow him on Twitter at @JoshVitale. To reach him by email, click here.