Auburn football RB commit Damari Alston defends Bryan Harsin from AL.com

Auburn football started over this season with a new coaching staff, and one of the biggest things that impacts aside from the game itself is recruiting. Since taking over the role in late December, first-year head coach Bryan Harsin has been working to improve recruiting relationships and build the first class that will truly be his own in the class of 2022.

However, building those recruiting relationships takes time, and it’s to be expected that Harsin would be behind the curve in comparison to coaches like Kirby Smart and Nick Saban. Unfortunately, that means that the Tigers’ recruiting class of 2022 is currently the second-worst in the SEC, only ahead of Vanderbilt.

Naturally, the haters have emerged to cast doubt upon next year’s team without even having the full class signed. Auburn football class of 2022 running back commit Damari Alston has a message for those making judgment calls on the roster:

The main reason for Auburn football’s low-ranking recruiting class is the small number of commits. With early signing season right around the corner, the Tigers’ class of 2022 is expected to grow and the value of the class to rise, but Alston reminds fans to remember the talented commits that have already bought into the Auburn family.

Of the 13 commits, five are 4-star athletes and the remaining eight are 3-stars, including several who are pushing to add another star to their status before the end of the cycle. Harsin’s ability to recruit talented 3-stars is a huge asset to the Tigers right now–see Jarquez Hunter.

Things could change at any moment, from LSU commits flipping to Auburn or prospects like Darrius Clemons choosing to commit to the Tigers. Either way, Damari Alston is right about the amount of talent on the roster–we just have to wait for it to grow.