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Auburn Recruiting: Byron Cowart New No. 1 on ESPN300, Kerryon Johnson Earns Five-Star Ranking

By Nicholas Ian Allen

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If the Tigers can sign Byron Cowart, the 2015 Auburn recruiting class will feature the nation’s top recruit according the ESPN300. Already an Auburn commit, Kerryon Johnson earned his fifth star from ESPN.

With 20 days left until National Signing Day, the final ESPN300 has been released and top Auburn target Byron Cowart is now the nation’s top ranked player.

Jan 2, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Team Highlight head coach Herm Edwards and Team Highlight MVP defensive end Byron Cowart (99) pose for photographs after the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

A consensus five-star talent, Cowart is the fourth 2015 recruit to hold the top spot in ESPN’s recruiting rankings joining two more Auburn targets defensive tackles Terry Beckner Jr. (who like Cowart is uncommitted), and Trenton Thompson (committed to Georgia), as well as Florida State commit Josh Sweat.

Cowart, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound defensive end, capitalized on his performance at the Under Armour All-American Game to rise in the player rankings. The Florida native impressed all week in St. Petersburg during practices and workouts, and earned MVP honors in the game itself.

He will be on campus this weekend for the biggest Auburn recruiting weekend in recent memory, along with Beckner and a host of other top notch recruits.

The Tigers have a legitimate chance to sign Cowart to this year’s class, and doing so would help Auburn make a big move in the final 2015 recruiting rankings, especially if one or two other five-star prospects join him on the Plains.

Speaking of five-star prospects, Auburn did not have a committed player with that status until yesterday.

Kerryon Johnson rose to No. 20 in the final ESPN300 and earned his fifth star in the process. The newly appointed Mr. Football in the state of Alabama is an impact player with the ability to play either running back or defensive back as a true freshman.

Johnson is expected to be in the mix for a starting spot in the backfield with soon to be sophomore Roc Thomas (who was Mr. Football last year) and Jovon Robinson, the nation’s top rated junior college player.

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Auburn still has a legitimate chance to sign six of the top ten players in the ESPN300: No. 1 Cowart, No. 2 Beckner, No. 3 Thompson, No. 5 Martez Ivey, No. 6 Daylon Mack and No. 9 CeCe Jefferson – all five-star prospects and four of which will be on campus this weekend on official visits.

Additionally, four-star uncommitted players Arden Key (No. 24), Jeffrey Holland (No. 49), Chidi Valentine-Okeke (No. 87), Kendrick Norton (No. 168), John Burt (No. 201), DeVante Peete (No. 213), and Ryan Davis (No. 242) are all reportedly considering Auburn.

As for current Tigers commitments in the final ESPN300, there’s Johnson (No. 20), linebacker Richard McBryde (No. 62), safety Jordan Colbert (No. 84), linebacker Darrell Williams (No. 205), guard Kaleb Kim (No. 236), athlete D’Anfernee McGriff (No. 238) and guard Marquel Harrell (No. 292).

With 20 commitments to date, the Auburn recruiting class is ranked tenth nationally and fifth in the SEC. That standing would surely rise if Cowart and some of the other highly touted recruits join by February 4.

Next: Top 12 Uncommitted Auburn Targets & Odds They Sign

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