Recruiting Offers of the Week

It’s hard to imagine that Auburn was a program whose football team won only three games in 2012. Since that time, Gus Malzahn has transformed the Tigers into a powerhouse.

Despite last weekend's loss at Mississippi State, the Tigers are starting to become a force nationally on the recruiting trail.

Last week, Malzahn and his staff offered a pair of 2016 standouts in 4-star running back Antonio Williams and 4-star receiver Stephen Sullivan.

It’s safe to say that the offer to Williams—who also earned an offer from Notre Dame last week—was a big one for the former North Carolina commitment.

"It's probably the most excited I've ever been about an offer," Williams told Keith Niebuhr of AuburnUndercover.

Considering the Tigers have a trio of talented running backs committed in their 2015 class, adding Williams would give the Tigers backfield a ridiculous level of talent and depth.

Through six games, the North Carolina native has rushed for 1,703 yards and 21 touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Sullivan—who is currently committed to SEC West rival LSU—is a 6’6”, 200-pound wideout who ranks as the No. 72 player overall in the 2016 class.

With his size, Sullivan is in the mold of bigger pass-catchers and current Tigers star receivers Duke Williams and Sammie Coates.

While he would be tough to pull away from his home-state school, Malzahn’s offense has to be appealing to a playmaker of Sullivan’s caliber.

Flip Season?

Nothing is official in recruiting until prospects enroll early at their school of choice or when they put pen to paper on national signing day.

A host of 2015 recruits who have made commitments are still being pursued by other programs hoping to swipe them away.

Three-star Nebraska athlete commitment Kendall Bussey picked up offers from SEC members Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

According to Rusty Mansell of Dawgs247, 3-star Cincinnati corner pledge Joshua Norwood earned an offer from Ohio State.

Texas offered 4-star Penn State defensive tackle commit Adam McLean, while TCU offered 4-star Michigan tight end pledge Chris Clark, per Adam Friedman of Rivals.

Finally, according to Ryan Bartow of 247Sports, Oklahoma State, West Virginia and Wisconsin offered 3-star Louisville running back commit James Allen.

With signing day rapidly approaching, this trend will only increase as teams jockey to fill out the remainder of their 2015 classes.

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Penn State Active With 2016 Studs

James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions suffered a huge blow to their 2015 recruiting class when 4-star quarterback Brandon Wimbush decommitted in favor of Notre Dame last week.

However, he and his staff shook off that news and turned their focus to the 2016 class.

The Lions went across the country to California to offer 5-star linebacker and the No. 14 player overall in the 2016 class, Caleb Kelly, per Adam Gorney of Rivals.

Franklin and his staff also offered 3-star Georgia defensive end Chidi Okonya, according to Sean Fitz of Lions247.

Finally, they offered New Jersey 4-star athlete Ahmir Mitchell—who also added another offer from Virginia Tech.

The Lions are casting a wide net with offers to prospects across the country, and with Franklin’s recruiting prowess, that move could pay dividends in next year’s haul.

2016 California WR Nets Trio of Pac-12 Offers

Perhaps the most popular recruit in the country last week was California junior 3-star receiver Theo Howard.

Pac-12 stalwarts Arizona State, USC and Washington all jumped into the race for Howard by tendering the 6’0”, 170-pounder.

Howard also holds offers from Michigan, San Diego State, UCLA and Washington State.

With his stock seemingly on the rise, Howard’s mailbox may get a little more crowded in the coming weeks and month.

Best of the Rest

• Wiltfong reports that USC offered 2016 4-star defensive end Josh King.

• Tennessee offered 2016 4-star defensive end Terrell Hall, per ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren. Per Friedman, Ohio State also offered Hall last week. Finally, UCLA tendered the talented Washington D.C. pass-rusher.

• Woody Wommack of Rivals reports that Notre Dame has tendered 2016 4-star running back Elijah Holyfield.

• Oklahoma has offered 2016 4-star linebacker and current USC commit Daelin Hayes.

• According to Chris Smith of 247Sports, Duke offered 2016 4-star linebacker Tre Lamar. Per Paul Strelow of TigerIllustrated.com, Boston College also tendered Lamar last week.

• Clemson is the newest offer for 2016 4-star offensive lineman Clark Yarbrough.

• Stanford offered 2016 defensive end Bo Peek. The Cardinal also tendered 4-star receiver Brandon Burton.

• Arizona State offered a pair of 2016 teammates in 4-star corner C.J. Pollard and 3-star defensive end Oluwole Betiku.

• Gorney reports that Washington and Arizona State are the newest offers for 2016 4-star receiver Tyler Vaughns.

• Wommack reports that Texas offered 2016 4-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown.

• Miami offered 2016 4-star running back Robert Washington.

• Per Wommack, Mississippi State offered 2016 4-star safety Joejuan Williams. Williams also picked up an offer from North Carolina, per Smith. 

• Louisville and North Carolina offered 2016 offensive lineman Tyler Pritchett. Per Bartow, the Cardinals also offered 2016 defensive back Jamel Cook.

• Nebraska is the latest offer for 2016 4-star defensive tackle Michael Williams, per Bartow.

• 2016 4-star receiver Justin Layne picked up an offer from Ohio State, according to Wiltfong.

• Pittsburgh offered 2016 4-star quarterback Jarrett Guarantano. Per Friedman, Maryland also offered Guarantano last week.

• Ole Miss offered 2016 wideout Tre Nixon, per Corey Bender of Scout.

• Virginia Tech offered 2016 4-star corner Patrice Rene. The Hokies also offered 4-star wideout Brad Hawkins. 

• According to Greg Biggins of Scout, UCLA offered 2017 4-star running back Greg Johnson. 

• Maryland is the latest offer for 2017 4-star running back Anthony McFarland. 

• According to Bill Kurelic of Bucknuts, 2017 offensive lineman Jordan McNair picked up an offer from Ohio State.

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow @SanjayKirpalani