Auburn still at the top for Mike Blakely, but he's in no rush to make a decision soon

Mike Blakely is one of the most sought after running backs in the country, and with good reason. After amassing 1,400 yards on the ground and 23 total touchdowns for Manatee High in Bradenton, Fl. last season, Blakely’s stock has been through the roof. He has offers from almost every major program in the country, but for awhile, he’s liked one school more than the rest.

That school is Auburn. Despite his roots being in Florida, Blakely had Auburn at the top before Big Cat Weekend, and has Auburn at the top now. “They were definitely at the top going in. I had fun again, and really enjoyed myself. They definitely didn’t hurt themselves, and they actually went up,” said Blakely.

With Auburn at the top, it’s no surprise that in-state Florida is after Blakely hard. Blakely said that Florida, Clemson, USC, Tennessee, and North Carolina are all behind Auburn.

With another Florida prep running back, Mike Bellamy, committing to Clemson today, the Gators may go after Blakely even harder. However, that doesn’t discount the lead Auburn has right now.

Blakely really likes Auburn, and it’s very evident. “The time I’ve spent there has been awesome. It’s just a great place to spend time at. Out of all my visits, it’s not like anywhere else I have seen. The coaches are so family oriented, and they stick together. They’re all like one, and that’s not how it is everywhere,” Blakely added.

The coaching staff has made quite an impact on him thus far. “Coach Boulware, I talk to him a lot. He has a great personality and he’s a funny guy. I really like that it’s not always about football. He wants to know how my family is, how school is going, if I have a girlfriend, things like that. He’s a really open person,” said Blakely.

Blakely says there a few things he’d like to work on before getting to the college ranks. “I think it’s big for me to work on my blocking, as well as a lot of conditioning to be physically fit to come in and be able to play at a high level.”

There’s no doubt he’ll put in that work, because he wants to contribute immediately. And that was with, or without Dontae Aycock on the depth chart, he said. “Playing time is a big thing to me. The coaches told me they can use me in a lot of packages. I know I could at least get a few snaps. It doesn’t matter who’s already there or who’s committed, I just know I want to go in and compete,” Blakely said.

As far as committing, he’s in no hurry at all. “I don’t really have a date set at all. I’m just going to sit back and let it all come to me. I’m gonna take all my visits and see who I really like at the end,” he said.

Blakely also said that he’ll be at the Clemson and South Carolina camps coming up soon, which will be sure to draw lots of attention from Clemson, who is also after him hard.

With Auburn holding a lead for awhile, it appears that they are definitely the team to beat. Florida and Clemson could make a run, but after this summer, we should have a pretty clear read on Blakely.