Jacobe Ward, highly-offered interior OL, signs with Auburn
Interior offensive lineman Jacobe Ward of Savannah (Ga.) Benedictine Military signed with Auburn on Wednesday, the first day of the early signing period.
SIGNING DAY THREAD – MEMBERS ONLY
The Ward File
Position: Offensive line – Guard
Height/Weight: 6-foot-4 / 340 pounds
Notable trait/Auburn fit: Ward carries his weight incredibly well, and he has feet good enough to play tackle if the situation called for it. Ward is capable pushing people around at any time on the interior.
On3 Industry Ranking: (87.33) No. 716 overall, No. 63 interior offensive lineman, No. 84 in Georgia
Commitment date: July 6, 2024
Chose Auburn over: LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee
Time of enrollment: May
Notable: Ward was going to be an SEC offensive lineman no matter what. He was recruited heavily by South Carolina, Tennessee, and LSU, who made a big run before his commitment. Auburn earned his commitment in July and Ward never took another visit elsewhere.
Quoteworthy: “I like everything at Auburn. I was impressed by the people, the environment of the school and the coaches. My relationships with coach Jake Thorntonand coach Hugh Freeze are great. Those are the guys who I am trusting to develop me into a very good person off the field and a very good football player.”
Film Breakdown
***Film breakdown written by Auburn Live Analyst Cole Pinkston..
— Ward is 6-foot-4 340 pound interior offensive lineman. He holds his weight incredibly well and does not look like a 340 pounder, nor does he move like one.
— Ward is strong when he gets his momentum going. He looks to be at his best when on the move/as a puller. He can track well and finds his target with good, strong hands.
— Auburn likes Ward on the interior. As his strength and power continue to come along, he will have an easy transition to playing guard for the Tigers.
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— Ward has been used primarily as a run blocker, but seems to be able to pass set pretty well while playing tackle, which is probably not his position on the next level.
— For Auburn’s RPO/zone run scheme, the guards must be able to move and win with quickness. Ward fits that profile perfectly. Then, he can also be a good gap-scheme guard to help move defenders off of the ball.
— Ward knows how to throw his weight around and is light on his feet. However, he is still learning leverage at this point. He is not great about digging deep and getting his pads under a defender. Leverage is everything on the next level. When he learns to get his pad level under defenders, he will be an issue for opposing defensive linemen.
— Ward is tailor-made to play interior offensive line on the SEC level. That’s why it was all SEC schools that wanted him the most (South Carolina, Auburn, Tennessee, LSU). He plays with the right mentality but also has the right build to play early on in the SEC–his frame is already where it needs to be.
