By Wil Crews
sportscrews@opelikaobserver.com
The smallest SEC recruiting class of 2022 got even smaller last week.
Opelika’s Jarrell Stinson, a 2022 defensive back prospect – the first prospect to commit to Auburn in the 2022 class – announced he was decommiting form Auburn and reopening his recruitment process. Stinson declared his intentions to sign with the Tigers on Dec. 14 of last year, before Bryan Harsin and his staff were hired.
The 5-foot-10, 160-pound rising senior is rated a 3-star prospect by 247Sports Composite rankings. They list him as the 20th best recruit in Alabama and 45th best corner overall in 2022 class.
In his junior season, Stinson was a defensive leader who helped the Bulldogs reach the third round of the playoffs before ultimately losing to Saraland, 46-27. With his 95 tackles and one interception, Stinson was a big part of an Opelika defense that allowed an average of just 15 points per game to its opponents in 2020-21. Furthermore, Stinson showcased his versatility and playmaking ability with two punt returns for touchdowns over the course of the season. Stinson was later named first-team All-Area by the OA News and made first-team All-State.
Outside of football, Stinson is also a track & field athlete for the thriving Opelika program. He won the Alabama 6A outdoor 100-meter (10.52), 200-meter (21.22) and 400-meter (47.74) championships in May of 2021; the 6A indoor 60-meter (6.94), and indoor 400-meter (48.85) championships in February of 2021.
Now that Stinson is no longer tied to the Tigers, teams will be ramping up their recruiting efforts. Some possible places to keep an eye on are UCF and Florida. Gus Malzahn, the coach at Auburn when Stinson originally committed, is now at UCF; Wesley McGriff, the defensive backs coach at Auburn at the time of Stinson’s commitment, is now at Florida. Stinson has already been busy this summer with official visits to both schools in June. All told, Stinson has racked up 14 scholarship offers from various school across the country. Stinson’s brother, Jaylen Stinson, is a sophomore safety at Duke and was a three-time all-area and two-time all-state selection during his time with Opelika.