Auburn's Recruiting Success: How Intimidating Is It?

Bear with me a moment, please, as this is not an article about racing. I merely wish to make an analogy of sorts and there is a lot of juicy football talk on the way. The late, great Dale Earnhardt was called the Intimidator. He earned this nickname because his driving had somewhat of a psychological affect on the other drivers. Earnhardt would ride up on another driver's bumper and he would not back off. He often gave them a slight nudge with his bumper as if to say, hello, I'm here and I'm not going away. Other drivers became so frustrated at these tactics and they often pulled up into the high groove of the race track to allow the Intimidator to pass. It is no wonder Dale Earnhardt won 7 championships and many, many races. When I relate Dale Earnhardt to Gene Chizik, I can't find many similar characteristics; except for one. If Dale Earnhardt was the "Intimidator" of racing, Gene Chizik is the Silent and Meek Intimidator of college football. Please don't misinterpret what I am saying. I am not comparing Gene Chizik with Dale Earnhardt!! Also, I am not trying to give Chizik a nick name of any type. Chizik would not like to be called the Silent and Meek Intimidator. He would, on the other hand, like to be called "successful" and that is the point I am trying to make. His successful work of the past year is a silent and meek intimidator of sorts because other people are definitely taking notice and if they are not from the Auburn family, they are intimidated by it.

I recently read an article from a writer on the site, Crimson Confidential. His article, titled, "Tiger's Recruiting Rise Not So Scary," caused me to realize that fans of other teams in the SEC, especially Alabama fans, are taking notice. I haven't read any articles lately from Auburn writers that listed the words Alabama recruiting and scary in the same sentence. In other words, it appears Alabama fans are taking the time to write about Auburn's success and from the comments I have read, it is apparent that people are worried. For example, in the aforementioned article, the writer states, "Sure, Auburn picked up some top prospects over the past year. And you can bet a lot of it had to do with flash -- stuff like the Tiger Prowl and the Big Cat Weekend. Impressionable youngsters eat that type of emotion-driven, temporary feel-good stuff up. But here's a question for Auburn fans: What happens when the novelty of the gimmicks wears off? What happens when the fluff starts to lose its fizzle?" 

The truth of the matter is this: I haven't heard from one Auburn commit that Tiger Prowl or Big Cat Weekend is the reason why they chose Auburn. I have heard many comments from Auburn commitments regarding coaches, the family atmosphere and the opportunity for playing time as the reasons they chose Auburn. Youngsters are impressionable, which is the reason why Alabama has more defensive back prospects over the last two years than positions on the field for them to play. In other words, the idea of playing for Nick Saban must be so intriguing, that players are willing to ride the bench and forfeit a chance to make a name for themselves with the hope of moving on to the NFL. Personally, if I were a top defensive back prospect, I would rather have playing time and the chance to prove myself to NFL scouts than a chance to have a championship ring. Oh....I left out the fact that they can tell their grandchildren that they sat on the bench on Nick Saban's team because so many super stars chose to go to Alabama. Please! Let's not mention "impressionable." We all know that Nick Saban and his staff paint a pretty picture with each recruit because they would rather have that player on their bench in lieu of playing on the team across the field. Saban can't play all of the stars that come his way and apparently, some of them are starting to realize that. I have just read some news about five star safety prospect, Keenan Allen. At the moment, he is committed to Alabama; however, it looks as if he is planning a visit to Clemson. If he is smart, he will go there. If he stays at Alabama, he might win a start position for 2010 but then again, he might not. If he doesn't, it might be two or three years before he gets a chance. At Clemson, he will play immediately, or worst case scenario, he will play in 2011. These super stars want to play in the NFL. If they are smart, they will choose a school that will allow them to play early and often.

Writers and fans of the Alabama Crimson Tide seem to think that some super stars have chosen Auburn because of Big Cat Weekend or Tiger Prowl. Interview them and ask them why they chose Auburn and as I stated previously, you will find that Auburn is their choice because of the coaches and because of the opportunity to play. Needless to say, Alabama fans do seem intimidated. They are not going to admit it but they are. In the back of their minds, they are wondering if Gene Chizik will be successful year after year to the point that Alabama is defeated by Auburn most of the time. The Alabama writer previously mentioned states, "Can't speak for all Bama fans. I, for one, am not worried." Maybe he isn't. Maybe he is!

Folks, Auburn football is on the rise. These recruits are not committing to Auburn because of a get together that was held for recruits back in the summer. Gene Chizik is smart enough to plan those events so that players can see the university and get to know the coaches. If it helped build relationships which led to recruits committing to Auburn, then I say do it again next year. Bottom line: Gene Chizik is, "The Silent and Meek Intimidator." He is sneaking up on other team's bumpers and giving them a nudge or two. His actions are saying, "I'm here and I'm not going away." If fans of other teams aren't intimidated yet, they may be soon!