In the second of a three part series, we take a look at how Auburn’s 2017 recruiting class on the defensive side of the ball is shaping up, as Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn is looking to land his fifth consecutive top 10 class with national signing day nearing.
The 2016 season saw the emergence of Greenville High School product, Marlon Davidson. The freshman finished the season with 38 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. However, with the departures of Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams, Joshua Holsey, and Rudy Ford, head coach Gus Malzahn will look to the 2017 class to contribute early. The Auburn defensive unit finished ranked No. 28 in the nation this past season, and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has put in overtime on the recruiting trail to fill the big shoes left by the departing seniors.
With National Signing Day quickly approaching, let’s take a look at the key names that have committed to Auburn, and several more that Auburn will look to land on February 1.
Defensive Line
Going into 2017, Auburn will return an experienced defensive line at every position but will look to replace a starter and two reserves at the tackle position.
Leading the list of commits in this years class will be Aubrey Soloman. At 6-foot-3 288 pounds, the defensive tackle from Leesburg, Georgia, Soloman has the speed and physicality to find the ball quickly and force offenses to break down early. His ferocity will remind Auburn fans of Nick Fairley, but quicker off the line. If his commitment sticks, he will compete for playing time right away.
Alec Jackson, 6-foot-5 274 pounds, out of Montgomery, Alabama, will also compete for early playing time on the defensive line. Due to his size, he’s often a mismatch and has the ability to create havoc on opposing offenses by disrupting the passing game with his enormous reach.
Linebacker
The 2017 class of linebackers will compete for early playing time behind three returning starters. This years class is one of the best stocked linebacker classes Auburn has seen in recent history.
The highest ranked commit in the 2017 linebacker class is Tadarian Moultry out of Birmingham, Alabama. Moultry combines speed and physicality to fly off ball and disrupt offenses before plays can develop. One deadly attribute Moultry brings to the defense is the ability to read a quarterbacks eyes and maintain the patience to stay in position to make a play. Moultry, 6-foot-3 230 pounds, should see early playing time in the linebacker rotation.
Early enrollee Kenny Britt possesses unique speed at the linebacker position. The 6-foot-3, 232-pound linebacker out of Oxford, Alabama, has the ability to drop back in coverage and could also be an early contributor on special teams.
Cornerback
Josh Holsey’s leadership will be missed, but Auburn looks to build depth at the cornerback position with the 2017 class as the Tigers still have several high recruited targets at this position. If the Tigers do not make a splash on signing day at the cornerback position, depth issues could arise if they fall short of signing at least two impact players.
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Currently, Auburn has just one cornerback commit, but he’s a good one. Traivon Leonard, out of Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Florida, always seems to put himself in the middle of the play. Leonard possesses great hands similar to Jonathon Jones during his time on the plains. He comes off the corner quickly on the blitz, and is good in the open field. Look for Leonard to see early playing time to make up for the losses of Holsey and Rudy Ford.
Safety
Auburn will return four safeties in 2017 with significant playing time, one of which is Auburn’s leading tackler in 2016, Tray Mathews. Auburn is currently sitting with two commits at the safety position.
Jordyn Peters, out of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, brings athleticism to the position. At 6-foot-2 185 pounds, he get up and after the ball. One thing of note while watching him play is that he performs exceptionally well on special teams. It remains to be seen as to whether Auburn will use him in that capacity, but his ability to block makes him worthy of a look.
Carlito Gonzalez, out of Stone Mountain, GA, will provide plenty of tenacity and ferocity at safety. His style of play is similar to that of former Auburn safety, Junior Rosegreen. He hits hard and drives defenders off of their feet. At 6-foot-1 188 pounds, Gonzalez clocks in with a 40 time of 4.7 seconds.
Uncommitted Targets to Watch
Anything can happen on signing day, and Auburn is still in the mix for several highly touted defensive targets. One name of note is four star defensive end, Ryan Johnson out of St. Paul’s Episcopal in Mobile, Alabama. Johnson, an athletic playmaker with excellent size coming in at 6-foot-3 253 pounds, is leaning toward Auburn over Alabama. His speed and athleticism make him extremely hard to stop off the corners.
Cornerbacks Christopher Henderson of Miami, Florida, Chevin Calloway of Dallas, Texas, and Brad Stewart of New Orleans, Louisiana, are three targets that appear to be leaning to other schools at the moment, but as mentioned earlier, it is important that Auburn add depth at this position, which it would do if any of these targets are landed.
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From a depth standpoint, Auburn needs to finish strong on National Signing Day. As we stand today, if 2017 class sticks with their commitments, Gus Malzahn appears to be headed toward his fifth consecutive top-10 recruiting class.