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A day after announcing he planned to update his recruitment, Phillip O’Brien Jr. is no longer an Auburn Tiger.
The Deerfield Beach, Fla., native committed to Gus Malzahn’s program all the way back in February, but following the coaching change on The Plains, O’Brien decided to reevaluate his options and did not sign with the Tigers during the Early Signing Period.
Following the hire of Bryan Harsin at Auburn, O’Brien has made his decision, he’s now committed to Pat Narduzzi’s Pitt program. The Deerfield Beach native shared the news on Friday morning.
The 6-foot, 169-pound O’Brien is rated as a three-star prospect, the No. 40 safety and the No. 78 overall prospect from the state of Florida in the 2021 recruiting cycle by 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Auburn’s 2021 class, which features 11 signees and one commit, ranks No. 12 in the SEC for the 2021 recruiting cycle. We’ll see if Harsin has the ability to elevate that ranking heading into National Signing Day in early February.
With O’Brien no longer committed to Auburn, the Tigers are down to just one safety prospect (Ahmari Harvey) in the program’s 2021 recruiting class. However, Auburn did sign two cornerbacks during the Early Signing Period in Kamal Hadden and Armani Diamond.
Here’s an updated look at Auburn’s current class following this news.
Auburn’s 2021 Recruiting Class
| Player | Rank/Position | Stars | State |
| Lee Hunter | #6 defensive tackle | 4-star | Alabama |
| Ahmari Harvey | #14 safety | 4-star | Florida |
| Dematrius Davis | #8 dual-threat QB | 4-star | Texas |
| Marquis Robinson | #22 defensive tackle | 4-star | Florida |
| Tar’varish Dawson *** | #25 athlete | 3-star | Florida |
| Hal Presley | #75 receiver | 3-star | Texas |
| Tobechi Okoli | #33 strong side DE | 3-star | Missouri |
| Landen King | #27 tight end | 3-star | Texas |
| Garner Langlo | #33 offensive guard | 3-star | Florida |
| Ian Mathews | #42 defensive tackle | 3-star | Kansas |
| Ian Mathews | #42 defensive tackle | 3-star | Georgia |
| Armani Diamond | #115 cornerback | 3-star | Alabama |
*** Dawson has not yet signed with Auburn but remains publicly committed to join the program.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com
