Auburn Commitment Alvin Henderson Turns Recruiting Jedi

Auburn Tigers commitment Alvin Henderson's recruitment game has no quit, and he believes they have a 'Hot Chance' to get Star QB, Julian 'Ju Ju' Lewis"

Auburn Tigers head coach Hugh Freeze takes is going big game hunting and he has help from running back commitment Alvin Henderson. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY

In the cloak and dagger game of high stakes college recruitment - new Auburn Tigers star recruit Alvin Henderson is learning pretty fast that smokescreens come in handy.

Henderson's dramatic decision to pivot from Penn State to Auburn last month caused some serious ripples, but apparently it was already in the post.

Furthermore, Henderson is using his own tool set of social media tricks to make sure he's getting a direct line to the cream of talent he would like to join forces with him at Auburn. 

"So really and truly, like, man, I'm gonna be honest. I was recruiting for Auburn while I was committed to Penn State," Henderson told host Zac Blackerby on the Locked On Auburn podcast. "So a lot of the dudes that's supposed to be committed this month, like, I was telling. Telling them, like, I was texting them on Instagram. Advantage. More like, bro, like, Auburn is the spot."

Before Henderson even takes to the field in any official capacity - it's been fascinating to watch him spring forth with some additional and concerted arm twisting on the recruitment front.

Just how committed Henderson is to making the Tigers a better team has also meant that he's not been afraid to bang the drum for a superstar quarterback to join him either.

Julian "Ju Ju" Lewis has a catchy nickname, a No. 1 national ranking from Rivals, and a prodigious skill set to back up all the razzle dazzle when he gets under center. Make no bones about it, the native of Carrollton, Ga. has the kind of star power that often serves to propel a program to the next level.

Rare attributes and natural talent in abundance for "Ju Ju", all of which are undoubtedly going to be enough to start a serious bidding war if he happens to jump ship from USC.

So, it's a high profile recruitment battle royale, but it's a contest Henderson feels the Tigers have got a real chance to prevail in.

"To be real, you know, I talked to Julian," Henderson insisted. "Like, me and Julian talked when he was a freshman and I was a sophomore (Lewis has since reclassified).  I think I was a sophomore, he was a freshman, and I was considering going to Carrollton. But really and truly, I feel like Auburn has a, you know, a great chance. Like, I don't really speak on the dudes that's going to commit and who I know coming, but we got a hot chance at getting Julian, for sure. Like, you know, he been around Auburn a lot, and coach Freeze."

Funny thing is, Henderson is also suggesting that his head coach Hugh Freeze should also continue to chase down Choctaw County five-star wide receiver, Caleb Cunningham. Now, wouldn't that start to beg suggestions that the Tigers would suddenly have managed to assemble their very own set of super talented, "Triplets".

"Like, especially Caleb Cunningham. Like, I hit him up," Henderson said. "As soon as I saw that tweet that Auburn was his number one school, like, I started hitting him up."

On a cautionary note, Auburn's dreaded rivals Alabama are circling the smooth skills of Cunningham right now, therefore, closing the deal really matters. 

Indeed, Henderson is all too aware how heads can be turned at any stage, and especially if you're the highly sought after No.1 ranked player in the entire state of Mississippi. 

Perhaps it's wishful thinking at this stage to believe that such gold standard recruits will simply drop everything for Auburn, but if you don't shoot - you don't score.