The Crootletter is your source for recruiting scoop, trends, and analysis.
After a long lull of commitments in September, things are beginning to pick up in October. Over the weekend, Texas and Auburn each grabbed a verbal commitment from an elite defender.
Auburn struck first, gaining a commitment from defensive tackle Conyis Miller Jr. Out of Birmingham (Ala.) Jackson-Olin, Miller is rated four-stars on the 247Sports Composite, and the No. 15 defensive tackle nationally. He has been selected to the Under Armour All-America Game.
Miller is a hair shy of 6’2, and a solid 300 pounds. He wins with leverage, getting under the pads of opposing blockers. And he has the ability to penetrate into the backfield with his quickness. Auburn’s defense consistently wins with defensive linemen making plays, and Miller fits the mold. He also claimed offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, and Michigan.
Auburn now has the No. 18 class nationally, but with just 14 players committed, it is sure to rise come National Signing Day.
The Texas Longhorns followed up by adding D’Shawn Jamison, a four-star cornerback out of Houston (Texas) Lamar High School. Jamison is not the biggest player at 5’10 and 174 pounds, but he makes up for it with good top-end speed, elite quickness and agility, and excellent instincts. In a league that pitches the ball around as much as the Big 12, Jamison is a much needed commodity for the Texas defense.
Texas now has the No. 2 class in the nation, with 15 four- or five-star players. Getting Texas back to its early ‘00s level of recruiting is exactly what the Longhorns hired Tom Herman to do.
Quickly
- Oklahoma State landed three-star defensive tackle Israel Antwine on Sunday.
- Tennessee lost to South Carolina, then lost running back Lyn-J Dixon to a decommitment.
- Tuesday night, I’ll be watching Fort Myers (Fla.) Dunbar face off against Naples (Fla.) Immokalee. Both schools have produced great players, and there are more than a handful of future Power 5 players, including Tennessee commit Shocky Jacques-Louis.
- Nebraska hiring an athletic director the day after Nebraska lost 56-14 at home to Ohio State can’t be great news for Mike Riley, right?
Auburn’s record vs. winning P5 opponents since Kick Six: 11-19.
— #DaHale (@DavidHaleESPN) October 16, 2017
- Did you see that Arkansas coach Brett Bielema’s buyout is actually about $5M, not the $15M previously thought? Bielema is now 10-25 at Arkansas in league play, and 10-17 after the 0-8 inaugural season of 2013.