Previewing decision day for Walker White
Four-star quarterback Walker White of Little Rock Christian Academy (Ark.) is one of the top 2024 offensive targets on the Auburn recruiting board. And Friday, he will make one college program and its fan base very happy.
That’s the day White will announce his commitment decision.
Thursday, White named Auburn, Baylor and Clemson as his finalists.
As his decision nears, Clemson has surged to a commanding lead in the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine.
Here’s a quick preview of White’s‘ commit announcement:
TIME: 2 p.m. CT. (or just after).
RANKING/RATING: White, who is 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, is the No. 13 quarterback in the country for the On3 Consensus. He checks in as the No. 1 recruit in the state of Arkansas and is No. 165 nationally. White holds a 91.56 On3 Consensus rating and a 90 rating from On3.
THE 411: For a long time, many in the recruiting industry believed Ole Miss led. Whether that was actually the case or not, the Rebels certainly haven’t been a factor since they landed transfer quarterback Walker Howard from LSU earlier this month.
Clemson has been in the picture for awhile. Auburn only recently became a contender.
While all the buzz is with Clemson as White’s announcement approaches, it certainly speaks to Hugh Freeze and the Auburn staff’s recruiting ability that the Tigers got into the mix despite playing catchup against the rest of the field.
Freeze was hired by Auburn on Nov. 28.
Auburn quickly got into the race with White
By early January, the Tigers had become a factor. White visited Auburn on Jan. 16 and gave that trip a “10” as he seemed to click with Freeze and offensive coordinator Phillip Montgomery. With Freeze in particular, the bond is deeper than football. That’s because to White, faith is a big part of his life — and with this decision.
“He just really expressed that he wasn’t going to hide that he was a Christ follower,” White said. “That’s something we share in common. It’s really special to me. I’d be around a like-minded head coach with the same values as me. That was very cool to hear. And to know he was very, very genuine.”
All along, Auburn Live has pointed to Clemson as being a team to watch for many of the same reasons White liked Auburn. Dabo Swinney, as with Freeze, wears his faith on his sleeve.
Also, Clemson had a big head start.
Last weekend, White visited Clemson and by all accounts that went extremely well. In the days since, almost every bit of the chatter surrounding White has been about that program.
In the end, we believe it probably came down to Auburn and Clemson.
RECRUITING PREDICTION MACHINE: The RPM favors Clemson big (68.0%)
IF AUBURN LANDS HIM: It would give the Tigers commitment No. 3 in the 2024 class.
WHY IT COULD BE AUBURN: Relationships with Freeze and Montgomery, connection over faith with Freeze, Freeze’s track record for QB development.
WHY IT COULD BE SOMEONE ELSE: Clemson’s success recruiting top-level quarterbacks, White’s bond with Swinney, Clemson’s recent hiring of up-and-coming offensive coordinator Garrett Riley.
OUR PICK: Too close to call. Auburn got a late start in this recruitment, but certainly has made this one interesting.
