AUBURN | Another weekend home game for Auburn and another five-star visitor.
Jabari Smith, the No. 5 overall player in 2021, is expected to be in Auburn on Saturday for the Tigers’ game against Tennessee.
Smith will be on an unofficial visit.
Smith, who is the No. 2 power forward in the class, is looking hard at both Auburn and Georgia. LSU, where his father played, also is in the mix, as are Alabama, Florida State and Tennessee.
Ira Bowman is Smith’s lead recruiter and has done a good job getting in early on him, which has put Auburn in a strong spot. Getting Smith back on campus Saturday will only help.
As of Thursday, Smith is the only recruit expected to visit.
CLASS OF 2020
Auburn continues to work to fill its 2020 recruiting class. The Tigers have three signees (point guard Sharife Cooper, sharpshooter Justin Powell and forward Chris Moore) and are looking to sign two more in April. Auburn would have another spot to fill should Isaac Okoro decide to leave for the NBA.
Five-star shooting guard Jalen Green, five-star power forward Greg Brown and four-star center Cliff Omoruyi all are Tier-1 targets. So is Jonathan Kuminga, who currently is a 2021 guy (the No. 1 2021 guy), but expected to reclassify to 2020.
A new name to track is Kuminga’s teammate, four-star center Adama Sanogo. Like Kuminga, Sanogo is 2021, but could move up to 2020. Kuminga and Sanogo could visit Auburn in two weeks for the Texas A&M game. However, if they are still playing their high school season, it would be later in March or early April. Regardless, Auburn is a major player for both.
LATEST ON GREEN
Auburn remains cautiously optimistic about its chances of landing Green. It feels good about where it stands, no doubt. But it also felt the same about Walker Kessler. Auburn doesn’t consider this a slam dunk by any means, especially when going up against Memphis.
When could Green announce his decision? No date has been set, but he will be playing in the McDonald’s All-American Games on April 1. It likely won’t be before then.
HOW AU WILL FINISH
With two spots remaining, Auburn would like to fill them from the group of Green, Omoruyi, Brown, Kuminga and Sanogo. Auburn has a realistic shot with each. Five-star guard Josh Christopher would be in the group, but Auburn has an outside shot at-best with him.
Should Auburn not fill the class from its Tier-1 group, it would turn to guys like Dylan Cardwell and Jayden Stone. I don’t think Auburn will get to Stone because of Green, but Cardwell could be an option if Auburn misses on Omoruyi, Brown, Kuminga and Sanogo. Kai Sotto has been mentioned with Auburn, but sources close to Sotto say he’s likely to stay in the 2021 class or sit out 2020. He appears to be off the board.
The regular signing period begins April 15.
