Auburn football: Tigers look to finish with a flourish on national signing day
AUBURN, Ala. — Auburn enters national signing day with a solid 2015 class. By the end of the day, it could end up being a spectacular haul for the Tigers.
Auburn is still in the running for five of the top uncommitted prospects in the country, all who are set to make their decisions Wednesday. This group includes a trio of defensive linemen (ends Byron Cowart and CeCe Jefferson along with tackle Terry Beckner Jr.), an offensive tackle (Martez Ivey) and a linebacker (Jeffrey Holland).
If the Tigers can land a few of those highly-regarded players, they are set to leap up the final team rankings.
"Auburn and USC out west. They're the two teams that I see putting themselves in a position to maybe have the biggest signing day splash when it's all said and done," ESPN recruiting analyst Tom Luginbill said in a conference call Monday. "At the end of the day I think those two teams will find themselves in a really good situation."
While Luginbill thought it was possible Auburn could get at least one among the group of Ivey, Cowart and Jefferson, he thought it was unlikely all three would cast their lot with the Tigers.
"I think two out of three would suffice in terms of what they want and what they want to come away with," he said.
The Tigers' late push for the defensive line trio is due in large part to the addition of Will Muschamp as defensive coordinator. Prior to his hire, Auburn wasn't on the radar for any of them. Now, they're finalists for all three.
“What Will’s done (is that) he’s been a breath of fresh air," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said of Muschamp's recruiting prowess. "He’s a great defensive mind, he’s a great staff guy. We’re really looking forward to him next year running our defense.”
And they're not the only new faces on the defensive staff. Both defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson and linebackers coach Lance Thompson are known as recruiting aces as well.
"I think they’re both at the top of the line in what they do," Malzahn said. "T-Rob’s been with Will, so has Lance — I thought that was very important, that he knows what he’s getting. They’re also very good recruiters and we’re glad to have them.”
And it hasn't taken Robinson long to prove his merits, as he has already helped the Tigers land a pair of 2015 defensive backs from South Florida in Tim Irvin and Jeremiah Dinson.
But the quintet of players who are going to make their announcements on ESPNU are far from the only players the Tigers are still recruiting heavily. After decommitting from Ohio State, Auburn is reportedly the favorite for four-star Miami cornerback Carlton Davis. The Tigers also could flip another Buckeyes' commitment in athlete Torrance Gibson, who has the ability to play either quarterback or receiver.
But arguably the biggest steal Auburn might pull off today would be swiping Terry Godwin away from Georgia. The Callaway High School star has been committed to the Bulldogs since December, but the Tigers haven't given up on trying to get him in orange-and-blue.
How much does Auburn value Godwin?
Malzahn made an in-home visit with Godwin last weekend and spent most of the day around the five-star receiver — even though the Tigers had a handful of prospects in Auburn for on-campus visits.
Needless to say, Wednesday could go down as an all-time great signing class for Auburn.
No one is more aware of this than Malzahn.
"We have a chance. We're in a good spot," the coach said. "We just have to finish. We're trying to go after some of the better players in America and we're in a good spot."
This story was originally published February 3, 2015 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Auburn football: Tigers look to finish with a flourish on national signing day."