The Tigers added another offensive weapon to the 2017 recruiting class.

Auburn’s football recruiting has been on a bit of a roll, lately. The Tigers have gotten a number of commitments and rocketed up the boards of the 247Sports composite from just barely in the Top 50 to pushing the edge of the Top 10 over the last 2-3 months.

This evening, it got a bit better. 4* Running Back Devan Barrett (6’1, 190 lbs) from Tampa Catholic High School in Tampa, FL announced he is committing to the Auburn Tigers. Barrett has been high on the Tigers for quite some time. He’s visited quite a bit this year. Auburn’s biggest competitors for him were Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

His recruiting profile is quite interesting, to say the least. According to the 247Sports Composite, he’s the 18th ranked running back in the nation. He’s ranked 13th and a 4* by Scout, 5th and a 4* by Rivals, 24th and a 4* by ESPN, but 48th and a 3* by 247Sports. It will be interesting to see how his rankings adjust during his senior season.

HIGHLIGHTS

I like him. A lot. You know what I like most? No unnecessary movements. If there was one thing that worried me about Roc Thomas in all of his highlights it was the jump cuts and spins. Trovon Reed was the same way. Barrett sees a hole, he runs for the hole. He doesn’t try to make anything look flashy, he just threads through what is there and uses his speed to get into open field. In the SEC, anything that slows you down will allow a defender to close. Barrett just keeps focused on the end zone and runs for it.

THE CLASS

Auburn only jumps up one spot with Barrett’s commitment, but that’s not surprising now that we’re approaching the top of the rankings. The Tigers are now 12th in the nation and 6th in the SEC. That’s still one of the highest rankings for a team with only 13 commitments. Two of those commitments are a 2* long snapper and a 2* place kicker. This is a very good class, right now.

There are now three players committed who could fall into the category of “running back.” That’s definitely a position of need, so that’s good. The Tigers’ offensive needs are being filled with a 4* QB/ATH, #1 JUCO RB, 4* RB, and a 4* ATH. They still need a few more linemen, a tight end, and a WR or two for the offense to be complete.