Wednesday, February 4, 2009

Auburn's New Offensive Prospects Don't Suck At All.


all those The Sky Is Falling and Auburn Is Fucked Forever posts might have been a little premature, at least when it comes to the recruiting front. the Tigers new staff was able to put together a pretty damn respectable group of kids during their first couple of months on the job and as of now the Tigers are ranked #14 by Rivals.com. the biggest surprises on signing day were the staff landing Texas wide receiver Emory Blake (son of former NFL QB Jeff Blake) and former LSU commitment and 4/5 Star receiver (depending on who you ask) DeAngelo Benton. both of these guys have good size and break away speed to be deep threats in the new Spread Eagle Part 2 offense. i wouldn't be at all surprised if they both see a lot of playing time next season. Auburn also nabbed former Georgia Tech commitment Dontae Aycock who the Jackets were hoping to use as a QB, but Rivals has him rated as a 4 star runningback and that's pretty much what Auburn sees him being as well. add him to the list of other four star offensive recruits that we already knew about with QB Tyrik Rollinson (#2 Dual Threat QB in the nation), Tight End Philip Lutzenkirchen (#3 TE recruit in the nation & #1 pass catcher and athlete at the position), and RB Onterio McCalebb (Rivals # All Purpose Back) and Auburn has itself a nice collection of weapons coming on board to help make the Gus Malzahn version of the Spread Eagle work a lot better than the Tony Franklin FAIL-Offense.

Auburn also added a number of 3 star players on offense in QB Clint Mosely (Mr. Alabama Football), Runningbacks Anthony Gulley (4.4 speed)& Brandon Jacobs (6 foot 1 and 230 pound wreckingball), and shifty little receivers Desmond Washington, Travante Stallworth, & LaVoyd James (all with 4.4 speed) who will all battle each other for time in the slot position.

the biggest negative for this incoming offensive class is the lack of BEEF. Auburn only landed 2 offensive line prospects and both of them are of the 3 star variety.

all in all this class gives me some hope for the future, as long as we can get these guys in school and keep them on the Plains. it also gives me faith in the recruiting abilities of this new coaching staff. if this is the sort of group that Auburn can put together at the last minute following an unpopular coaching hire and the worst season in a decade then i am excited to see what they can do with an entire season to recruit.

sorry to the defensive kids that i didn't give any love to. Auburn landed a couple of defensive tackle prospects that i am excited about and they also snagged a 4 star JC transfer at cornerback who may be able to come in a play right away next season which is fucking awesome with the Tigers lack of depth at cornerback. i'll leave the experts and the people who actually know what they are talking about to break down the rest of the defense. besides Auburn's defense is never something i worry about, it's the offense that will decide if Auburn is a 4 or 5 win squad next year or a Bowl team.

War Damn Eagle everyone. now off to do something productive.

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