Auburn late yesterday - interview with Kinchens on 247 board:
Kamren Kinchens, a top Auburn safety target from Miami (Fla.) Northwestern, is down to three.
According to the 4-star recruit, he will choose between Auburn, Miami and Texas A&M when he reveals his commitment decision July 11 at noon ET on Twitter.
“Those are my final three, you could say,” Kinchens told Auburn Undercover on Thursday.
From that group, most intel points to this being a Auburn-Miami battle.
“Right now, it’s a tight race, because I have such a close relationship with (Miami secondary coach Ephraim) Banda and (Auburn secondary coach Wesley) McGriff,” Kinchens said.
Both programs have things working in their favor.
With the Hurricanes, the program is close to home and his school has practically been a pipeline to that university for year. Kinchens has lived in Miami his entire life and has friends both on the team and committed to the Hurricanes.
Also, Miami is working the “Name, Image and Likeness” angle well. The NCAA plans to vote in Jan. 2021 whether to allow athletes to market themselves and profit off it. Most think it's all but a done deal.
“They’ve talked to me about the whole marketing thing coming in 2021,” Kinchens said. “They have a big marketing place.”
Auburn, being in a relatively small town, is not a detriment, Kinchens said. Actually, it’s the opposite. When he visited the school earlier this year, Kinchens and his parents enjoyed the Auburn and the community.
“They loved it,” Kinchens said. “For the most part, Auburn is not a flashy town. You can see they care about the football. It would be some place to go and just focus on football and school. For the most part, I felt the same things my parents were thinking. It’s easier to focus on what you need to focus on. There’s not too many distractions.”
According to Kinchens, both programs are recruiting him equally hard. He said he hasn’t told either yet where he’s headed entering his anticipated commitment date.
Which school has a more favorable depth chart?
“It’s Auburn I’d say,” Kinchens said. “I feel I can beat anyone at a spot honestly. Both of them have some good incoming juniors. The juniors should be able to get drafted. I just feel like I can beat the Auburn kids that just came in easier than the Miami kids that just checked in.”
According to Kinchens, he has not yet finalized his choice.
“I haven’t made a decision yet,” Kinchens said. “There is no No. 1 factor. Everything will come into play. Everything is a factor.”
As for his family, he said they’re open to any school..
“They don’t care.” Kinchens said. “Wherever I choose to go, they’re willing to come. That’s really not an issue.”
