Will Ignont has made a silent commitment somewhere. Is it Alabama? Is it Auburn? What about UGA?
The nation’s No. 6 inside linebacker definitely feels a connection to Georgia. He named UGA as his leader at one point during the spring.
“I really like coach (Glenn) Schumann and coach (Kirby) Smart and coach (Mel) Tucker when they were at the University of Alabama,” Ignont said. “I feel like they are going to do something special at Georgia.”
Yet there is a but.
“But at the same time, I feel like why go out of state if I don’t have to?” Ignont said. “So those are really things that I am putting into my conclusions about where I want to go to school.”
That was on his mind when he answered a recent “leaders” question last Saturday at Auburn’s biggest recruiting event of the offseason. He said Auburn was tied for him “neck and neck at No. 1” with two other SEC rivals.
“Auburn, Georgia and Alabama — those three schools are really at the top for me but Auburn is sticking out right now,” Ignont said.
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Ignont, who checks in at 6-foot-2 and 238 pounds, is rated as the nation’s No. 185 overall prospect for the Class of 2017. He also said he has the best time hanging out with the Georgia commits in relation to players from his other top schools. He said that was because of his relationships with UGA commits Breon Dixon and Richard LeCounte III.
“But they know at the end of the day (my decision) is ultimately what I want and they can’t play for me,” Ignont said. ‘I am going to be the one strapping up those pads come next year so it is my decision ultimately.”
The four-star prospect called his recent Auburn trip “one of his best unofficial visits.” He contemplated a return trip to Auburn this weekend with his mother. He regards the Auburn coaches as father figures.
“Anything I need I feel like they are always there for me,” Ignont said. “I feel like if I came here and God forbid I got hurt I would just be happy here at school at Auburn. That’s big for me and something I’ve been thinking about.”
He said Auburn is recruiting him the hardest at this time and that tops constant communications from Alabama, Florida State, Georgia and LSU.
“I feel like it is genuine,” Ignont said. “I feel like it is not a copy-and-paste type thing. A lot of coaches just (direct message) people and (direct message) everyone and will say the same thing.”
Ignont, who tallied 101 tackles and six scores on offense as a junior, made a silent commitment a few months ago.
“It is hard because a lot of guys don’t do it,” Ignont said. “I promise you a lot of guys in my class I know where they are going. They’ve told me where they are going but they want the attention. That attention-seeking thing. So that’s why I silently committed and told the coaching staff so they know if I want to take an official visit to UCLA or if I want to take an official visit to USC then they know I’m just taking that visit. They know where my heart is.”
Ignont has established he will take official visits to Auburn and UCLA at this time. He wants to take an official visit to Auburn for the Clemson game in the opener. He said he will probably take an official visit to Georgia, too.
He hopes to go public with his college decision soon. It sounds like it could be next month at the latest. He’s also thinking of enrolling early.
“I’m ready to just play my senior year and not have anything to worry about,” Ignont said.
Jeff Sentell covers UGA football and UGA recruiting for AJC.com and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Follow him on Twitter for the latest on who’s on their way to play Between the Hedges. Unless otherwise indicated, player rankings and ratings are from the 247Sports Composite.