BUFORD, Ga. — George Pickens is committed to Auburn. When he met with SEC Country’s Ben Wolk after Nike’s The Opening Atlanta regional, he described the pledge he made in July of 2017 as “very firm.”
He rates as the nation’s No. 25 receiver on the 247Sports composite standard but seems about the length of Jack’s beanstalk above that. Pickens plays for perennial power Hoover High in Alabama and looks the part. He measured 6-foot-5 and 190 pounds at the regional.
In a group with some standout receivers, his showing on Sunday was no worse than the fourth-best among a stacked group. At times, he looked like one of the top two receivers at the camp.
That is significant given that 5-star UGA commits Dominick Blaylock and Jadon Haselwood were on hand and performing well. Marietta (Ga.) High sophomore Jermaine Burton also was named the MVP at receiver at the camp in what could be called a mild surprise.
Burton, a Miami commit, eventually could be rated as the nation’s No. 1 receiver in the 2020 class. He is just that good. Burton also won the fastest man title at the regional.
Pickens was right there with the elite WRs for the balance of the camp.
North Gwinnett’s Warren Burrell, a strong 2019 defensive back with a UGA offer, shared his own evaluation.
Pickens is trying to work on other commits to join him in the 2019 class. The Tigers currently have him and quarterback Bo Nix on the board. Nix won the MVP at his position at the event.
“I still look at other colleges just to view the experience but that’s pretty much it,” Pickens said.
Yet there remain some schools that are working to subtract Pickens from the Auburn class. Which schools are coming after him the most?
“Georgia, LSU and Florida,” Pickens told Wolk.
How does George Pickens feel about UGA?
There is a lot of buzz about the Bulldogs trying to add 5-star Frank Ladson Jr. — the nation’s No. 3 receiver — to the 2019 class. That would give the Bulldogs the three highest-rated receivers for 2019 on the composite in Haselwood, Blaylock and Ladson.
While that has merit, I feel players such as Pickens and in-state standout Zion Puckett don’t show up among those conversations as nearly as they should.
New receivers coach Cortez Hankton is leading the flip charge for Pickens.
“It is a very good relationship,” Pickens said. “I talk to Coach Hankton. The receivers coach. He moved from Vanderbilt. That’s about it and then [coach Kirby] Smart. Smart, too.”
Pickens has taken two trips to UGA.
“It was a great experience,” Pickens said. “My first time we were talking to Smart and then we went down to eat and the food was very good.”
Will Alabama offer? That would be a big moment there. There is some level of communication.
He said he does not anticipate shutting down his recruitment.
“I will probably play everything out [until Signing Day] because I want to get the experience of it,” Pickens said.