New staff additions a big hit on recruiting trail
AUBURN | Chad Morris has already accomplished a lot in his 25-year coaching career but he’s probably best known as an excellent coach and developer of quarterbacks, and for his close ties to the state of Texas.
Both factors have been a key for Morris on the recruiting trail in his first five months at Auburn since being hired as offensive coordinator last December.
It started in January when Morris secured an official visit and then a commitment from tight end Brandon Frazier from McKinney, Texas to help finish out Auburn’s 2020 class. Frazier was originally recruited by Morris when he was the head coach at Arkansas.
Sunday, Morris landed what could very well be the next quarterback in line behind Bo Nix with a commitment from Dematrius Davis from North Shore in Houston, Texas. Davis has led North Shore to back-to-back Class 6A Division I championships accounting for over 8,000 yards of total offense and 103 touchdowns with just seven interceptions.
In addition to Frazier, Auburn signed two other players from the Lone Star state in the 2020 class in safety Chris Thompson Jr. and junior college cornerback Marco Domio, and there could be more joining Davis in the 2021 class.
Auburn is involved with a number of top Texas prospects including five-star offensive lineman Tommy Brockermeyer and his twin brother, four-star James Brockermeyer, four-star offensive lineman Savion Byrd, four-star wide receiver Bryson Green, four-star wide receiver Ketron Jackson, three-star tight end Lake McRee and four-star cornerback Ishmael Ibraheem.
A Dallas, Texas native, Morris is a Texas A&M graduate with 16 years of experience as a high school coach in Texas including six state championships. He was the head coach at SMU for three seasons before taking over at Arkansas in 2018.
TACKLING A KEY DEFICIENCY
In the previous five classes before Jack Bicknell Jr.’s was hired, Auburn signed just two true offensive tackles out of high school in Calvin Ashley and Austin Troxell in the 2017 class. Ashley has since transferred while Troxell is working to return from a third knee surgery.
In four months on the recruiting trail for the Tigers, Bicknell has already secured commitments from three offensive tackle prospects including two teammates on Friday from Trinity Catholic in Ocala, Fla. — Caleb Johnson and Garner Langlo. Both are listed as 6-foot-7.
Last month, Bicknell landed a commitment from 6-foot-8, 340-pound J’Marion Gooch from King’s Academy in Seymour, Tenn.
The three are the first high school offensive line commits listed as 6-foot-6 or taller since Ashley and Troxell. The last time Auburn signed three or more offensive tackles was the 2012 class, which included Avery Young, Robert Leff, Patrick Miller, Shane Callahan, Jordan Diamond and Will Adams.
POGUE’S TIME IS COMING
While Auburn has yet to add a much-needed pass rusher in the 2021 class, new outside linebacker coach Al Pogue has the Tigers among the leaders and perhaps THE leader for four-star outside linebacker Jeremiah Williams from Ramsay in Birmingham, Ala., and Jimmori Robinson from Monroe Community College in New Rochelle, N.Y. Williams had 14 sacks as a junior while Robinson, with three years to play three at a D-I school, had 14 sacks as a senior in 2018 at Hayfield High School in Alexandria, Va.
Pogue is also involved with a number of outside linebackers and defensive ends across the country including the nation’s No. 1 overall prospect in Korey Foreman from Corona, Calif., Smael Mondon from Dallas, Ga., Quintin Somerville from Scottsdale, Ariz., Zaire Patterson from Winston Salem, N.C., and Keanu Koht from Vero Beach, Fla.