Another major football commitment on the horizon?

If you follow recruiting, you're well-aware that Lousianna's top prospect Trovon Reed is expected to announce his collegiate intentions tommorow morning at 10 a.m. CT. The folks at Rivals expect that he'll sign with Auburn. 

This would be huge for the Tigers, as he is the best in a state that is loaded with talent and incredibly difficult for anyone but LSU to pull from. He is ranked as one of the top fifty players in the country and top ten receivers in the country. If he does what most expect and commits to Auburn, he will come in and likely make a similar impact as Onterrio McCalebb has this year. 

BUT HERE'S THE KEY: if Reed commits to Auburn, it will pave the way for Lache Seastrunk to follow in his footsteps. The two are very close, like brothers, and say they would like to go to the same school, but that it's only an ideal. There are quite a few people who say Seastrunk has cooled on Auburn and is now looking heavily to the West Coast, like USC. I find this difficult to believe. 

This is a kid who has consistently recruited FOR Auburn in his visits to other schools. Although Marcus Lattimore, fellow top running back recruit, recently said he doesn't expect Seastrunk to "come" to Auburn, I think the Tigers are likely still atop his list. I just don't see a guy as sharp as he is forgetting the connection he has with Coach Luper and the Auburn family. I think he has planned his recruitment out very well and to the T, and that he'll end up surprising some folks with his commitment to the Tigers later. But I guess that's just my gut feeling.

But since I mentioned Lattimore, I'll also say that the Tigers are putting on a full-court press for his signature in February and are making a big impression. I think it will likely come down to Auburn and South Carolina for him. And the Gamecocks will be tough to beat.

Auburn already has Michael Dyer committed, and I think either Lattimore or Seastrunk would compliment him well, but not both. I don't see how it could be possible for Reed, Dyer, Seastrunk and Lattimore to all be major players in ANY offense at the same time, not to mention guys like McCalebb, DeAngelo Benton, Darvin Adams and Emory Blake, who will almost certainly be factors.

At any rate, it appears to be a good situation for the Tigers to be in. My prediction: Auburn lands Reed tomorrow, then Seastrunk later. And if that happens, expect four-star safety Ahmad Dixon to follow suit.

Are you ready for Tiger Bball? You should be!

Before I write this, I want to say that I really enjoyed the Tommy West vent I posted below and completely agree with him...

That said, folks, get ready for Auburn basketball because the Tigers are going to be very good in the near future. Yesterday, Coach Jeff Lebo added some serious talent to an already talented team. 

Remember Shawn Kemp - the former NBA All-Star? Well his son is also a star and just inked with Auburn. His name is also Shawn Kemp and he's going to be a force to be reckoned with. He's a four-star, 6'9" 235 pound power forward and should provide a much-needed presence down low in the post.

The Tigers also added a four-star small forward named Allen Payne. He's 6'6" and is extremely talented. 

To go along with Sophomore sensation Frankie Sullivan, senior leader Dwayne Reed, the sharp shooter Tay Waller and the magic man Lucas Hargrove (who is similar to Rasheem Barrett, only more consistent), the Tigers should win at least 20 games this year and make the NCAA tourney - that's my prediction, go ahead and write it down. 

Tommy West's Vent

Dare I say, I told you so?

Another of my columns from The Citizen of East Alabama:

When Auburn hired defensive guru Gene Chizik to replace Tommy Tuberville late last year, there was an overwhelming number of people who not only disagreed with the decision, but made fun and argued that it was the worst decision that could have been made. It’s not really my style to gloat, but I was not one of those people.

I’ll admit, when I first heard the news I was not excited. I got a text from my dad confirming the news and I was like, “Are you kidding me?” I wanted someone who had a proven track record for putting up big numbers on offense. I wasn’t thrilled to have a 5-19 coach come to the Plains.

But then I began doing my homework. I read A LOT of stories about Chizik and what he had to overcome at Iowa State. I quickly understood that it was a program in disarray before he arrived and he started 11 true freshman while there. It was obvious why he hadn’t won many games. I also looked at his experience and record as a defensive coordinator, which nobody can deny is second to none. Who else can say they coached three straight Thorpe Award winners? Had consecutive undefeated seasons with two different schools?

Then I began to hear what former players were saying about Gene Chizik. Carlos Rogers spoke out in support, telling how Auburn couldn’t have made a better decision. But of course he would say that. He went from virtually unknown on the national scene to becoming the nation’s best defensive back. But when Ronnie Brown and Carnell Williams spoke well of him, saying he is a player’s coach that really knows how to get players to rally together and unite behind him, I was sold. Then came Kirk Herbstreit’s thoughts of how good of a fit Chizik would be at Auburn. Well that was just icing on the cake.

So I began telling people that I was sold and I thought he would be a good one. I can’t express to you how much criticism I got around here for supporting him. People called me an “Auburn homer,” and said I was simply trying to convince myself that it was a good hire. They went on to call him Cheez-it, and other such names. But I continued to believe in the new coach, even if I didn’t have much of a choice.

One thing people don’t seem to understand is that it does no good for people to criticize and belittle their own, so they might as well support them. While this was not my rationale, it was something I tried to impress upon other Auburn fans who weren’t quite as keen on Chizik as I was.

So as the offseason progressed, Chizik went on to hire the most prolific, up-and-coming offensive coordinator in the game, Gus Malzahn, and then hired two big-gun recruiters as offensive assistants, in Trooper Taylor and Curtis Luper, and a defensive coordinator, Ted Roof, who shared very similar beliefs as he, one of the best in the business. Then he pulled in Jeff Grimes, a laid back offensive line coach that many claim to be the best recruiter on the staff. He followed that up with a surprise hire out of North Carolina: the silent assassin Tommy Thigpen – one of the best recruiters in the country.

Over a span of just two months, Gene Chizik had come in and hired one of the best coaching staffs in the country, then followed it up with upgrading an already solid recruiting class to top 20, including pulling several four-star recruits that didn’t even have Auburn on their radar before he was hired.

Since then, all he has done is take a squad with severe depth issues and win seven games, including a few that Auburn wasn’t supposed to win this year. And he’s done it all with record-setting offensive numbers. The Tigers will now move into Amen Corner at 7-3, with a real shot at beating Georgia in Athens. But then will come the real test: the undefeated Alabama Crimson Tide. Can Chizik fare any better than his predecessor’s 0-36 mark last year? I don’t know. But I do know this: I told you Gene Chizik was a good fit and now you understand.

Tate's NFL potential

Just wanted to go on the record as saying Ben Tate will be one HELL of an NFL running back. Picture Michael Turner from the Atlanta Falcons. He is big and FAST and will be great. I've been thinking this for a while but just now thought to put it in writing... i may even write a column about it in the future. If he'd have had the same opportunity last year as he did this year, he'd be more in the Heisman race than Mark Ingram at Alabama.

In terms of NFL potential, Tate may be the best Auburn has had since Bo Jackson. He's every bit as good as Rudi Johnson was, just with much better speed. He reminds me of a faster Stephen Davis.