Five-star forward E.J. Montgomery renounces his verbal commitment to Auburn
Matthew StevensAUBURN — The first recruiting domino has fallen following the arrest of Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person.
According to a report from Scout.com national recruiting analyst Evan Daniels, five-star forward E.J. Montgomery has pulled his verbal pledge to Auburn’s 2018 recruiting class and will open up his recruitment again.
Daniels reportedly acquired this breaking news in an interview with Montgomery’s father saying that “we are going to open E.J.'s recruitment back up" and “he hasn't really gone through the process of being recruited and he wants to experience that.”
More:Five-star PF E.J. Montgomery verbally commits to Auburn’s 2018 class
Montgomery, a 6-foot-10, 210-pound forward from Marietta, Georgia, quickly became a priority recruit for not only Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl but Person as well. Montgomery transferred to Wheeler High School in Marietta after spending his first two years of high school at Montverde Academy near his hometown of Fort Pierce, Florida.
More:Auburn assistant coach Chuck Person charged with six felonies in 'pay-for-play' scheme
Person was arrested Tuesday morning and charged with six federal crimes including bribery conspiracy, solicitation of bribes and gratuities, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and travel act conspiracy.
Person’s arrest was part of four NCAA assistant basketball coaches arrested by federal authorities in a fraud and corruption scheme that included managers, financial advisers and representatives of a major international sportswear company.
According to the FBI complaints made public, the four coaches involved were Person, Southern California assistant Tony Bland, Arizona assistant Emanuel Richardson and Oklahoma State assistant Lamont Evans. Beyond the four assistant coaches charged, 10 people are also facing federal charges in U.S. District Court in New York in a FBI probe into bribes and fraud in college basketball that has been ongoing since 2015.
The identities of two unnamed Auburn players in the FBI complaint have not been revealed.
Montgomery, who is ranked No. 31 in ESPN’s rankings of players in the 2018 recruiting class, was the only verbal commitment in Auburn’s 2018 recruiting class. Montgomery is the younger brother of Brandy Montgomery, who was a player on Auburn’s women’s basketball team.
The only prospect in the 2018 or 2019 recruiting classes verbally committed to Auburn is 2019 four-star forward Jared Jones from Jacksonville, Florida.