Jason Caldwell's Auburn mailbag

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Jason Caldwell's Auburn mailbag

ByJason Caldwell Jul 16, 7:22 AM

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Auburn's Ryan Bliss talks 2nd round selection by Arizona.

AUBURN, Alabama–We feature plenty of Auburn football recruiting, baseball, athletic department and a whole lot more in this week's mailbag. Now on to the questions.

Sherpa88: Hey man. I believe this is the first time following Auburn football I can remember where there is an emphasis or, direction toward recruiting nationally. Rather than recruiting in our traditional footprint. 

I really like this idea. Especially for the long run. Once we have the staff on hand for a couple three years and they have established solid relationships across the country, I like the potential to pull at least equal, if not above average talent as that which we find within our traditional areas. 

Off the cuff, what are your thoughts, or, maybe an opinion or two about this idea with regards to the rebuild of Auburn football?

To be quite honest, I’m just not a huge fan of Auburn trying to branch out and recruit nationally as a full-time strategy. I just don’t think it’s something you have to do where Auburn is located. Do I think there are guys you could and should recruit from other parts of the country? Yes, but only at quarterback and maybe offensive tackle or if you have a prior relationship, etc.

With the transfer portal and guys leaving now at the drop of a hat, I just believe that the farther you are from home the less you’re likely to stick it out if things don’t go well right away. That’s not the case across the board, but more often that not I believe kids closer to home are going to be willing to stay around even if they’ve got some improvements to make. With plenty of talent within a few hundred miles, I just feel like you're better off making those kids a priority.

LaifCrick: Is Jeffrey Whittaker still on staff? If so, any chance of interview? He always gave the best on camera commentary.

Jeff Whitaker hasn’t been at Auburn in quite a few years. I am not exactly sure what he’s doing now but there’s no question in my mind he’s doing it with a smile on his face. He was fantastic in front of the camera and could have easily had a future doing TV for football if he had wanted to go that direction. He is maybe one of the only guys I can remember that was 100 percent going to give you a hug when you saw you.

Aunatchamps: Any chance Boobie Whitlow would come back to Auburn?

I don’t think there’s any question that Boobee Whitlow would probably come to Auburn if given the opportunity. The bigger question is would Auburn take him back? I think that’s a pretty solid no unless something has really changed. I know this new staff doesn’t really know him, but based on the last couple of years I can’t see them taking a chance on Whitlow when he would be a backup at best for this team.

WSlay: What do see as Brandon Council's role for 2021? With a quality backup/competitor at QB, do we see more designed runs for Bo Nix? He's so good in that part of the game.

I’m not sure exactly what Council’s role is going to be for this year’s team because I’m not sure what he’s going to be able to do when they hit the field in August. Having knee surgery first and then shoulder surgery is a lot to overcome and rehab. The good thing about him is that he has got experience at all five spots. My guess is he becomes the top reserve at both guard spots and center. As for the quarterback runs, I think the Tigers will do a little of that, but I’m not sure how much that’s part of Mike Bobo’s offense. Definitely not as much as it has been in the past. Bo will do some running though. He’s just a competitor and he’ll make some plays.

Bo Nix has 14 career rushing touchdowns. (Photo: Jason Caldwell/Inside The Auburn Tigers, 247Sports)

 

Wilton79: Should we worry about the recruiting ‘22 class yet?

I just don’t think they had much of a chance to have a huge 2022 class because of the coaching change and the pandemic. There was the possibility it was going to be an uphill battle for this staff in the first year. They are starting to build some momentum and that should continue in the next few weeks with more commiftments. If that happens the Tigers should begin to climb up the rankings some. For me an important part of this recruiting class is how the Tigers do on the offensive line. They are going to need to sign at least three offensive tackles in this class to build for the future. Right now that’s still a question in my mind.

AUAE8489: Is there any concern that we are using too many 2022 scholarships on 2021 transfers? How much will this impact our 2022 class?

To build on Wilton79’s question, I think the two questions go hand in hand. Knowing the issues they were facing right away in this recruiting class and needing some immediate help made it a good move to go the transfer route to fill in some gaps. I don’t think you will see the Tigers do it as heavily every year as they did this time around, but I could see teams saving 5-6 spots every year for potential transfers. That's just the way things work now.

gtwstock: What impact do you believe MLB reducing the number of minor league teams (and thus jobs available) will have on players staying 4 years in college instead of going pro? Did the MLB sponsored wood bat league for draft prospects ever get off the ground and if not, is it going to happen next year?

It's an interesting question because I'm not really sure how it's going to impact things and I'm not sure anybody knows just yet. I definitely don't believe it's going to hurt college baseball because there are fewer spots to play professionally, meaning more seniors will be coming back than ever before. The MLB sponsored wood bat summer league is going on right now, but there are only a handful of teams playing. 

wireblue: Can you say what the general mood and opinion from the "non-revenue" sports coaches and other staff in the athletic department is of the General setting up shop and moving his office there? Have you been able to see any discernible change since he's been there? Has there been a time-table talked about how long he'll be there and what, if any, stated goals are other than to see improvements in wins and losses and movement on facilities upgrades? What, if any, differences are there before and after his arrival in the building?

I don’t think there has been any real change made yet with the General in the athletic complex for part of the day, but there is no question that it has made everyone sit up and take notice. To my knowledge none of the head coaches has talked to anyone on the record about him being in the building or what he’s doing, but I believe it’s something that will last a little while as he continues to get a handle on improvements needed in the athletic department. You don’t set up shop for a short visit, at least in my experience. I’m not certain him being there has anything to do directly with wins and losses with any particular team. I think it’s more about the overall athletic department and making sure the programs have what they need to be successful.

AUARCH: I would appreciate you providing a rundown of which AU baseball signees you think will end up foregoing the draft and sticking with Auburn. The existing roster of current players has been covered but I have not seen much of late regarding the signees. Secondly, please tell us how our incoming class ranks when compared to the rest of the SEC. Thank you!

At the moment I think the only two guys the Tigers will lose are Calvin Ziegler (RHP) and Riggs Threadgill (RHP). Probably the biggest win for them was keeping Carson Skipper. He had calls and could have gone pro, but is coming back. That could be a big, big deal. As for the signees, Dothan’s Chase Allsup is one of a big group of pitchers who will be on campus in the fall and in fact he’s already taking classes. Another guy already on campus is Cade Granzow, who is walking on as a quarterback. He’s a big, physical arm. From the position players, Mike Bello from New Jersey is a big get and could help early. The same is true of juco hitter Luke Burk. As for the rankings, I am not sure how it stacks up because of the draft impact. Florida had far and away the best class in the league, but had three players drafted in the top 30.

tigerau: What are your thoughts on Alan Greene? Is his job in jeopardy?

Stone Mountain: Is Greene on his way out this school year, yes or no ?

As I said last week, he has always been very good to me and never fails to speak when I see him. That doesn’t have anything to do with his job description, however, and last year wasn’t a good year for Auburn athletics. There are a multitude of reasons why, but in the end it falls under his watch. There is no question that the push for increased budgets for sports and for improved facilities is on. It puts a lot of pressure on his job to make those things happen. As for his job being in jeopardy or him being on his way out, I have learned to never say never when you’re talking about college sports, especially at Auburn. With Jay Gogue retiring as president for the second time and a search now on, you never know what happens when a new person takes over.

Donald61: Good morning Jason. Question, do you feel like our coaches are keeping some of the kids that they are recruiting quiet for some of the big time teams won’t recruit them. Seems to me they should because every time you offer a kid someone else notices and offers the kid.

I think that’s happening and has been happening at Auburn since Nick Saban arrived at Alabama about 15 years ago. Do I agree with it? At times I do, but overall I don’t really like it. Maybe I’m the one that is way off base here, but I have been doing this for over two decades now. There are no secrets in recruiting anymore and to me the one thing you miss by keeping guys quiet is the momentum it can build when other kids see them visiting and talking about Auburn. It might cost you a kid or two here or there, but you may get in on another dozen top prospects you wouldn’t have had a chance with before. I think publicity and having kids talking is the best thing you can do for recruiting. I just look at what schools like Missouri, Arkansas, Ole Miss, etc. are doing in recruiting. They blow it up and make it a big deal. To me that’s something you can do at Auburn, too

Blonde John: Chances we land any big name prospects like Khurtiss Perry or Darius Clemons? Haven't heard much intel on them recently.

I would put the odds higher on Khurtiss Perry at the moment,but Ohio State is absolutely a player in his recruiting in my opinion. Perry is a big-time player and one of my favorite guys in this class. I think he would be a huge, huge piece for Auburn playing in this defensive system. I do think Auburn has a great shot with Caden Story from Lanett. I really like his game and upside on the defensive line. 

25COMMENTS

Exit310: With the rise in new covid cases & the Delta Variant do you think the SEC will rethink the attendance policy?

I think they are going to continue pushing the vaccination side of things and let people come to games if they choose. At least that is what I hope happens this year. Do I feel 100 percent certain they are not going to rethink things? No, I don’t. Am I hopeful that we will get to have very close to a normal football season. Absolutely.