Meet the New Tigers: Omari Kelly
The highest rated of our three freshmen receivers
The series keeps chugging along! Catching up with the incoming recruits brings us to Omari Kelly; the highest rated of three Auburn receivers coming out of high school. Kelly is our 10th highest-rated commit. An Alabama native and one time Alabama lean, Kelly was a massive win for this recruiting staff and the receiver position. His talent and experience against solid competition in high school are promising.
4* Wide Receiver | Omari Kelly | 6’1” 175 lbs. | Hewitt-Trussville H.S. | Trussville, AL
Finally, we reach a 4* prospect in this class. Kelly is a player that was highly sought after in this recruiting class by some of the best programs; including Alabama, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, and almost every other key power 5 programs. Auburn came on late in his recruitment and succeeded in virtually flipping the prospect away from the Tide.
Out of the three new Auburn freshmen receivers, Omari Kelly is the most well-rounded receiver with a balanced skillset. Ranked #364 nationally, #17 athlete, and #16 player in Alabama he is a great addition to the receiver group that desperately needed some fresh blood.
Omari Kelly is a former track athlete and sprinter that looks like a more polished receiver than many of Auburn’s past freshmen. Additionally, he played many reps at running back and wildcat quarterback. The versatility and athleticism he has should help him shine early.
Pros & Cons of Omari Kelly’s Film
Pros:
Fast. I keep repeating this positive but Auburn’s 2022 recruiting class is definitely loaded with speed. Kelly has the burner speed to take the top off a defense. He helps quarterbacks by turning small plays into big ones.
Subtle route runner. Kelly does a really good job of using subtle movements to throw off defenders. His routes aren’t necessarily sharp but instead smooth like butter. He flows really well and proves to be difficult to match in man coverage.
A versatile player with a diverse skillset. As mentioned before, Kelly is listed as an athlete for a reason and that’s because his high school staff used him in almost every spot on the field. This bodes well for Kelly’s chances to contribute early in his career.
Cons:
Not massive. He is not a huge player physically speaking. Coming in one inch shorter and five pounds lighter than his high school listed size makes him an interesting tweener. This isn’t a major issue.
The incoming competition will be steep. It is obvious that Auburn’s staff wasn’t confident in the receiving group they had after the signing class was completed. Adding three receivers from the portal has to send a clear message.
Frankly, there isn’t much to critique in Kelly’s game. I would like to see him playing inside more and to watch his short game. Most of his receptions are deeper down the field or at least in the intermediate range.
2022-23 Impact Projection
The Wide Receiver position is probably one of the hardest to predict outside of super senior Shedrick Jackson there aren’t any guaranteed starters. This bodes well for Omari Kelly but there is a lot of experience ahead of him; including the two previously mentioned transfers Koy Moore and Dazalin Worsham. Add in returning players like Malcolm Johnson, Ta’Varish Dawson, Ja’varrius Johnson, and others.
It is fair to assume that Kelly will get a shot. Auburn would be wise to rotate through the stockpile of receivers early in the season to find their best combination of receivers. With so many of Auburn’s scholarship receivers being upperclassmen it would behoove them to develop the younger players as much as possible.
With the current climate, I expect a lot of the guys who are entering their last few seasons to consider the transfer portal after this season. Ja’varrius Johnson, Maclolm Johnson Jr., Ze’vian Capers, and JJ Evans are all guys at the “put up or shut up” point in their careers.