Junior college wide receiver Cordarelle Patterson chose to join Derek Dooly's Tennessee Volunteers this morning, spurning offers from Auburn, Georgia, LSU and Ole Miss. Patterson is listed at6-foot-3, 205 pounds and has a reported 40-yard dash time of 4.49 seconds. Scout and 247 rate him as a 5 star, and Rivals gives him 4 stars. Last year at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, Patterson had 61 receptions for 924 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with 32 rushes for 390 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 10 yards per kickoff return and took three returns back for touchdowns.

Some years, you know who is going to sign where on National Signing Day (the next national holiday?). Some years, you don't have a clue. This year, Auburn fans don't have a clue. There's been a lot of hand wringing the past few days over the what ifs. One moment, fans are optimistic and hopeful with visions of 5 stars; the next, the sky is falling and you begin to seek shelter from the inevitable doom. Auburn is currently sitting between 15 and 21 in the team rankings, but there are a few 5 stars and a number of 4 stars left on the board. Best case scenario? Auburn runs the table and fills the class ending up with a top 5 or better class. Worst case? Auburn gets shut out with the top prospects on the board and barely stays in the top 20.

The staff here at College and Magnolia isn't as pessimistic as some about how Auburn's coaches close with this recruiting class. In fact, there is some optimism.

We polled the staff along with a couple friends of the blog that are considered to be quite knowledgeable when it comes to recruiting.  Jordan Powell (@smuphy) and Kyle Kolumbus (@kolumka) were kind enough to give their predictions as well. There are 11 main targets left on AU's board, and due to his flirtation with UGA, JaQuay Williams is also on this list. The concensus on those is as follows:

Eddie Goldman - 50/50 split between Auburn and Florida State.
Leonard Williams - Auburn with the majority vote, although recent news has some leery of the pick.
Kwon Alexander -  LSU
Ronald Darby -  Auburn with the majority vote over FSU.
Jordan Moore - Auburn
Avery Young - Auburn with the majority.
Jordan Diamond -  Michigan with the majority.
Will Adams - Auburn
Cordarelle Patterson - Georgia with the majority pick.
Stefon Diggs - Split between Auburn and Florida. It may depend on who Nelson Agholor picks.
Ricardo Louis - Auburn
JaQuay Williams - Everyone feels confident Auburn hangs onto him.

It looks like a coin flip right now for Goldman, Williams and Diggs. If this holds up, then Auburn will sign the current 15 commitments, the All-American transfer Jay Prosch, and between seven and nine signing day decisions, only two of which are less than a 4 star prospect. That doesn't sound like doom and gloom to us. It's quite possible some of these are completely wrong. And we hope we are wrong on a couple of the ones predicted not to go our way. If you want to see the breakdown of everyone's predictions, check out the chart below.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with our picks? What are your predictions? We'd like to hear them. What will it take for you to be pleased with this signing class? 

-- 4-star offensive lineman Alex Kozan chose Iowa over Auburn late last night. Auburn made a good push but in the end, his favorite from the beginning won out.

-- In case you missed it, Arik Armstead chose Oregon over Auburn and Cal. Staying close to home was a big deal for Armstead, and that proved to be too much for Auburn to overcome.

-- The "quiet period" has started and no contact can be made betweens recruit and coaches between now and signing day.

-- Auburn got the last visit with Eddie Goldman's parents before the quiet period began, and his parents are very high on the Tiger coaches. Especially Coach Tommy Thigpen, who has been the lead recruiter on Goldman. We still think Florida State holds a slight edge, but Auburn is not far behind at all. Auburn has a done a great job recruiting Goldman and feels confident that it did a good enough job.

-- Will Adams, a Georgia Tech commit, is a 3-star offensive lineman out of Georgia. Adams visited Auburn this weekend with his teammate, JaQuay Williams. There were some reports out that Adams had flipped from Tech to Auburn, but that's not quite the case, yet. It seems he has opened up his recruitment, and that bodes well for the Tigers.

-- Speaking of JaQuay Williams, we think Georgia has done a decent job recruiting him as of late, but we think UGA got in on Williams too late and with Adams looking more and more like he will ink with Auburn, look for JaQuay to do the same.

-- Stefon Diggs took a visit to Ohio State over the weekend. The visit didn't get the rave reviews from Diggs like Auburn or Florida, but he does like Urban Meyer and enjoyed his visit. He will take a visit to Maryland next weekend and make his final choice on February 10. Maryland could be a dark horse after getting the last visit, but we still see this as an Auburn-Florida battle for the speedy wideout.

-- Not much has changed on the Kwon Alexander front, as it still seems to be an Auburn-LSU battle for the 4-star linebacker. Alabama has offered a grayshirt but it seems Kwon is not really interested in that route. Both the Auburn and LSU coaches feel confident about Alexander, so this one will come down to the wire.

***We will have a post up soon with all targets and commitments signing ceremonies dates and times.

***Also, we will be doing a live blog all day on National Signing Day. We will get started early and will run until the last fax has been received.

***Follow us on twitter @CollegeAndMag, and remember we're doing a free AU Bookstore gift card giveaway. We're already giving away one. If we get to 750 followers on Twitter before NSD we will do two, and at 1,000 we will do three.

War Eagle!

This weekend has been a prime example of the ups and downs of recruiting season.

 

The final Sunday before National Signing Day on Wednesday is usually an eventful one. A "quiet period" for recruiting began at midnight Saturday night. Meaning that face-to-face contact was only permitted on-campus. Sunday marked the final day before the "dead period" begins, meaning no more face-to-face contact between coaches and recruits. The final official visits are wrapped up, and un-committed recruits begin to narrow their choices. So, what kind of roller coaster did Auburn fans ride this weekend? There have been a few ups, downs, and even a couple of barrel rolls in the past few days ...

On Friday and Saturday, news began to trickle out that Georgia Tech offensive line commit Will Adams had decided to take a last minute official visit to Auburn. Adams is 6'7, 275, rated a 3-star by the recruiting services and just so happens to be the high school teammate of Auburn commit JaQuay Williams, who has worried Auburn fans the past week with his flirtation with Georgia. JaQuay made the trip to Auburn with Adams and by all reports, both had a good trip. Both elected not to give interviews on Sunday as they left. Will Adams switch his commitment to Auburn? A report on GT's Scout site stated that Adams had indeed switched his pledge. However, it has not been confirmed by Adams or anyone close to him. Did Auburn's coaching staff firm up the commitment of JaQuay? Williams tweeted that he will announce between Auburn and Georgia on February 1.

Top prospect Arik Armstead was scheduled to make his announcement Sunday afternoon. Auburn was a finalist and reports on Saturday indicated he had narrowed his list to three, including AU. Armstead is from California and in the end, the desire to stay on the West Coast was too much. Armstead committed to Oregon.

A report on Florida's Rivals site late Sunday afternoon stated that Leonard Williams had narrowed his list down to Florida and Southern Cal. Williams is a highly recruited defensive line prospect that had long been considered an Auburn lean. The elimination of Auburn from consideration came as a surprise to everyone who follows recruiting. Attempts to contact Leonard by representatives from Auburn's various recruiting sites were unsuccessful. However, they did speak to his coach who called the report "inaccurate" and that he still considered Auburn to be Williams' leader. The Florida site that made the initial report later posted a story quoting Williams via a Facebook chat the seemed to back up their initial claims. However, no one else has spoken with Williams to confirm the report. So, does Auburn still have a shot? If the Tigers were eliminated suddenly, what happened? We may not know until Wednesday. 

Alex Kozan, an offensive line recruit out of Colorado, was thought to be announcing his choice on Sunday between Auburn, Iowa, and Michigan. As of 10 pm Sunday night, that decision had not been made. There were a few tweets late Sunday night from fans of Michigan and Iowa that Kozan had chosen Auburn, but no confirmation or reports from credible sources. Then, shortly before midnight it was reported by several recruiting sites that Kozan had made Iowa his choice.

The next couple of days leading up to signing day are likely to be much the same. There will be some reports of good news and some with bad news. Take it all with a grain of salt and remember that nothing is final until the ink is dry. Wednesday is likely to be another roller coaster ride, so buckle up and hold on. It's going to be a wild couple of days.

         Ricardo Louis has decommitted from FSU and reopened his commitment according to Bryan Matthews of 247sports. Louis was a long time Auburn commit but began having second thoughts about his commitment after the departure of Gus Malzahn. New OC Scot Loeffler and Trooper Taylor visited Ricardo last night and it appears that Loeffler made an impression on him, causing him to give Auburn another look. Louis now plans to make a final decision on signing day. It looks to be between Auburn and FSU battle for the athletic Florida native, but Georgia is still fighting for a visit.

With one week remaing until National Signing Day 2012, Auburn is sitting at 15 commitments and nine spots left to fill in this class. There are several highly regarded prospects who list Auburn in their top two or three that will be announcing on signing day. Either the coaches are magicians with something up their sleeve, or they are playing a very dangerous game.

All of the ups and downs since the end of the regular season have been well chronicled. But, in case you were under a rock, a quick recap: First, the (not so unexpected) departure of Ted Roof left an opening at the defensive coordinator position. Then Gus Malzahn went back to his home state to be the head coach at Arkansas State, leaving the offensive coordinator spot empty. Due to the upcoming bowl game, Chizik decided to focus his attention to bowl preparation rather than a coaching search. He took his time filling the positions.

How much of an effect did that have on recruiting? A little ... maybe a lot. There was a running back from Daphne that deceived the coaches and wound up across the state and Ricardo Louis grew leary of how long it took to fill the offensive coordinator spot, allowing FSU to gain favor. But, in the end, when Chizik finally filled the positions, he hit a homerun. Some might say it was a walk-off grand slam. Brian VanGorder and Scot Loeffler are very good coaches and very good recruiters. We will see in seven days how much of an impact they'll have on this class or if the amount of time that passed without having coordinators in place stalled any momentum Auburn may have had. One thing is for certain, the coaches are busting their tails out on the trail this week, dropping in to check on top prospects and current commits. 

Current Commitments

We currently have 15 commitments, and some very good ones. If Auburn only signed the fifteen guys they currently have committed, sure it would be disappointing, but it shouldn't be. There is a lot of talent in the group, and at positions of need. Who are they?

Zeke Pike - QB - 3 star, 6'5 220, Enrolled
Jovon Robinson - RB - 4 star, 5'11 220
Jay Prosch - FB - TR, 6'1 250, Enrolled
JaQuay Williams - WR - 4 star, 6'4 200
Ricky Parks - TE - 4 star, 6'4 235
Darrion Hutcherson - TE - 3 star, 6'7 245
Patrick Miller - OL - 4 star, 6'6 275, Enrolled
Shane Callahan - OL - 4 star, 6'6 275, Enrolled
Robert Leff - OL - 3 star, 6'6 270
Tyler Nero - DL - 4 star, 6'2 285
Gimel President - DL - 3 star, 6'4 250
Javiere Mitchell - LB - 4 star, 6'2 209, Enrolled
Cassanova McKinzy - LB - 4 star, 6'3 230
Joshua Holsey - DB - 4 star, 5'11 175
Jonathan Jones - DB - 3 star, 5'10 184
TJ Davis - DB - 3 star, 6'1 172
*Note: Star ratings from 247Sports 

Jay Prosch is a redshirt sophomore transfer from Illinois that will count towards the 25 limit for this signing class.

Who is remaining?

Nine of the current 15 commitments are on the offensive side of the ball, which makes you think that the remaining targets will be heavy on defense. There are 16 recruits left on the board that Auburn is focusing on to try and close out this class with. Of those, seven are on the defensive side of the ball. Let's look at those first.

Arik Armstead - 5-star athlete, wants to play DE and that is where Auburn is recruiting him. Could also be a monster at offensive tackle. A lot will depend on whether his older brother, Armond, is granted a waiver from the SEC. Notre Dame, Cal, Oregon, and USC are also in the mix. Signing Day decision.
Eddie Goldman - The big defensive tackle from Washington DC has narrowed his list down to Auburn, FSU and Alabama. It is likely going to be an AU/FSU battle all the way until signing day for the 5-star. Signing Day decision.
Ronald Darby - This 5-star defensive back was committed to Notre Dame but recently opened it up. Now it seems like it will come down to an Auburn/FSU battle. Signing Day decision.
Leonard Williams - It's going to come down to Auburn or Florida for this athletic 4-star defensive lineman. Signing Day decision.
Kwon Alexander - 4-star in-state linebacker will decide between Auburn, Alabama or LSU. Signing Day decision.
Deon Bush - Auburn was thought to lead big at one time, but the 4-star defensive back committed to Miami. Auburn coaches have not given up trying to flip him. One to watch on Signing Day
Jordan Moore - Has exploded on the scene late. Played wide receiver primarily, but injuries to a teammate forced him to play safety in the playoffs. Has received over a dozen big-time offers based on those three games alone. It's down to Auburn or TCU for the 3-star. Signing Day decision.

Are you seeing a pattern? Let's continue with the offensive players left on the board.

Cordarrelle Patterson - The top JuCo wide reciever is a 5-star. He has narrowed his list down to Auburn, Georgia and Tennessee. Playing time is a factor, and that may work against UT. Signing Day decision.
Menelik Watson - The 4-star JuCo offensive lineman will be another Auburn/FSU battle. Has not set a decision date, but could come before Signing Day.
Avery Young - 4-star offensive tackle will decide between Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Miami. Auburn and Georgia are neck and neck with Florida making a strong late push. Signing Day decision.
Alex Kozan - 3-star offensive lineman has a top 3 consisting of Auburn, Iowa and Michigan. A decision is expected later this week.
Beniquez Brown - A 4-star athlete who is being recruited to play running back by Auburn. He is also atheltic and big enough to play linebacker if needed there. Mississippi State and Tennessee are probably the leaders, but if Auburn pushes, the Tigers could get in there late. Probable Signing Day decision.
Jeremy Liggins - Big 4-star athlete is being recruited as a quarterback. His top four consist of Ole Miss, Miss State, Auburn and Alabama. Possible Signing Day decision.
Ricardo Louis - A one time Auburn commit, flipped to Florida St. after a visit while Auburn was searching for its offensive coordinator. Loeffler made Louis one of the first players he visited after being hired, and the 4-star wide receiver could flip back by Signing Day.
Jordan Diamond - 4-star offensive tackle has a top 5 of Auburn, Arkansas, Michigan, Ohio State and Wisconsin. Has said he has a top three, but won't say who they are, except that Auburn is one of the 3. Has said he will notify the coaches of his decision before signing day but will not announce his decision until Friday, Feb. 3.
Stefon Diggs - 5-star wide reciever has been hard to read. Auburn, Florida, Ohio State and Maryland are on top of his list. It's believed to be an Auburn/Florida battle. He has said he won't have a decision until Friday, Feb. 10.

The first thing that jumps out is that there is a lot of talent on the board. There are a lot of stars listed above. If Auburn can fill the 9 open spots with any combination of the sixteen players listed above it will be very good. Possibly a top 5 class. There is also the chance that we miss on a majority of those guys on signing day. If that happens, most fans would feel very disappointed, and I would fully expect to see a message board meltdown. Would it be warranted? Absolutely not! We are still looking at signing at least 10 4-star or better prospects, all at positions of need. That will be a top 15 signing class. Not bad at all considering Auburn spent a month without a defensive coordinator and even longer without an offensive coordinator. Auburn's coaches are known to be strong closers. They are going to be put to the test this year. I won't sunshine pump and tell you that we're going sign all of the 5-stars. But, I won't tell stories of doom and gloom either, because, well ... it's just not accurate.

Here is another breakdown as we head into the final week from friend of the blog, Kyle Kolumbus.

National Signing Day has become somewhat of a holiday for diehard college football fans in recent years. Depending on how this one turns out, it could have Auburn fans celebrating, or it could leave the fans feeling a little disappointed.  

War Eagle!