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Chicago Tribune

Jordan Diamond is the sixth OL to sign with the Tigers this year.

Hey everyone.

Gene Chizik said on Wednesday that he hoped Auburn’s 2012 signing class would continue to grow. He got his wish Friday night.

OT Jordan Diamond of Chicago (6-foot-6, 290 pounds) signed with Auburn after considering Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas during the past month. Is this is a big deal? You bet. He’s rated a five-star prospect by Scout.com while 247Sports and Rivals.com see Diamond as a four-star guy. One could make the argument that Diamond is the crown jewel of this class so far.

Recall that WR Stefon Diggs and OL Alex Kozan remain uncommitted.

You think Auburn targeted OL depth in this class? Six signees are offensive linemen. None of them are shrimps. Check this out:

• Jordan Diamond — 6-6, 290
• Avery Young — 6-6, 275
• Patrick Miller — 6-7, 265
• Shane Callahan — 6-6, 275
• Will Adams — 6-5, 280
• Robert Leff — 6-6, 270

Diamond’s decision bumped the Tigers’ position in the recruiting rankings as well.

• SCOUT: Auburn moved from 14 to 9.
• 247Sports: Auburn moved from 17 to 13.
• RIVALS: Rankings haven’t yet been adjusted.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Pre-game fireworks always leave the arena smoky during the first five minutes.

Hey everyone.

Georgia is playing at Auburn today. Both teams are in desperate need of a league win after slow starts. I’ll be following along here — with more attention paid after halftime. (Still finishing up National Signing Day coverage for Thursday’s editions of the Montgomery Advertiser.)

FINAL: Auburn 59, Georgia 51
• PG Varez Ward scores a game-high 17 points, buoyed by a 12-for-12 performance at the line.
• Georgia shot 13-of-52 from the floor.
• Auburn was 26-of-32 from the line (versus UGA’s 19-of-23)
• F Kenny Gabriel goes for 16 points and 8 rebounds.
• Auburn now is 13-9, 3-5.
• Auburn resumes play Saturday afternoon at Mississippi State.

FIFTH TIMEOUT @ 3:49 — Auburn 47, Georgia 42
• Same ol’ song … Georgia can’t hit from outside. Auburn zone is gnarly.

FOURTH TIMEOUT @ 6:57 — Auburn 42, Georgia 39
• OK, maybe I was wrong. Maybe Georgia can string together a few good possessions. I still don’t think they’ll get over this deficit. Auburn’s zone is locking down everything inside of 15 feet. It’s been real useful.

THIRD TIMEOUT @ 11:43 — Auburn 38, Georgia 31
• Georgia is content to keep firing away from long range. It has missed four in a row since Ware’s make a few minutes ago. Can’t win like this. Auburn’s offense comes and goes, but this lead will be difficult for the Bulldogs to overcome. They can’t string together good possessions.

SECOND TIMEOUT @ 13:49 — Auburn 36, Georgia 27
• Auburn built a little run there by taking advantage of Georgia’s weak, long-range shots. They got out in transition and attacked the rim. Well, the rim wasn’t a victim per se, but Auburn made it an emphasis to get much closer to the basket that we have seen previously this evening. Consecutive buckets from Adrian Forbes, Frankie Sukllivan and Chris Denson.

FIRST TIMEOUT @ 15:43 — Auburn 30, Georgia 25
• Georgia opened the second half shooting much better from the floor. It has scored on three of its first six possessions and guard Dustin Ware hit a three. Is that enough to snap Auburn out of that zone? No way. I’ll be Barbee thinks it’s a fluke. Auburn doesn’t yet have a bucket, but four free throws has helped things.

HALFTIME: Auburn 26, Georgia 15
• Tigers ended the half on a 26-8 run. Tony Barbee has his team locked into a zone defense and Georgia simply doesn’t have the shooters to make it work from the perimeter. The Bulldogs are 4-for-23 from the floor. Holy cow. Auburn is 10-for-28, which isn’t exactly great. Anyway …

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

Auburn has won another hotly contested battle … this one for another offensive lineman.

CLASS OF 2012 SIGNEE TOTAL: 20

UPCOMING COMMITMENTS OF AUBURN INTEREST:
• OL Alex Kozan, whereabouts unknown
• OL Jordan Diamond, Friday night
• WR Stefon Diggs, later this month

(UPDATED @ 1:55 p.m. CDT) CB Ronald Darby has chosen Florida State over Auburn.

(UPDATED @ 1:05 p.m. CDT)
OL Avery Young, 6-6, 275, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla./Palm Beach Gardens HS
Young is an unusually quick tackle who spent his high-school career in a system that accentuated his speed. The Gators asked Young to pull across the line for many running plays and he became one of the best blockers in south Florida. He’ll need to gain some strength to hold blocks against SEC defenders and his pass-protection footwork needs sharpening. Both issues are easily solved. Young, who was pursued doggedly by Florida and Georgia, is a five-star prospect according to Scout.com. The others have him listed as a four-star guy.

TALK ABOUT IT IN THE FORUMS

Hey everyone.

Keepin’ on, we are.

WR Ricardo Louis, 6-2, 200, Miami Beach, Fla./Senior H.S.
What sticks out about Louis is his speed relative to how quickly his legs move. He’s a classic long-stride guy who covers ground quickly, but isn’t known for lateral acceleration. He’s a big kid who can break through tackles. Louis was committed to Auburn for several months before de-committing and pledging his allegiance to Florida State in late January. That lasted a few days. Louis then spent the week leading up to National Signing Day deciding what to do. He is a consensus four-star prospect.

Memphis Commercial-Appeal

Hey everyone.

Let’s continue to continue.

(UPDATED @ 11:45 a.m. CDT)
RB Jovon Robinson, 6-1, 215, Memphis, Tenn./Wooddale H.S.
Robinson was a forgotten element of this class for most despite being a consensus four-star prospect. Why? T.J Yeldon had a higher profile and was committed to the Tigers until he flipped to Alabama in December. Robinson is a top-tier tailback in his own right and brings plenty of power and shiftiness to the position. He doesn’t have elite speed. Robinson is an intelligent, focused and driven player whose allegiance to Auburn never wavered. He wasn’t upset about being second fiddle behind Yeldon. Instead, Robinson said he’ll use that as motivation to become the franchise back everyone expected Yeldon to become. Robinson committed in July.