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There are booms, Booms, and then there are BOOOOOOOOMs. This is the latter.
Auburn picked up a very important player for the 2016 class in 5* Marlon Davidson from Montgomery, Alabama. Davidson is 6'4, 260 lbs according to his 247Sports profile. He's a 4* for 247Sports (as high as you can be without being a 5*), but a 5* according to their composite rankings. He's the #3 player in the state, #2 defensive end in the nation, and the #24 overall player.
Davidson chose the Tigers over offers from, well, pretty much everyone in college football. The only three real contenders for him were Auburn, Georgia, and Alabama, though. As the brother of former Auburn Tiger (and current staff member) Kenneth Carter, Davidson was always considered a bit of a Tiger lean, but there was never any certainty to his recruiting. Auburn wasn't certain until the announcement was made.
The Highlights
DAT SPIN MOVE AT AROUND 45 SECONDS. Yup. I like him. A lot.
The Class
Marlon Davidson is commitment #13 for the 2016 class. Prior to his commitment, the Tigers were ranked 22nd in the nation and 9th in the SEC. That's not very good. Davidson should vault the Tigers up to 16th in the nation, but still just 7th in the SEC. It does finally get us above Kentucky, though.
Davidson joins Daquon Newkirk as defensive end commits for the Tigers. Newkirk is only a 3*, but he's been making a name for himself already this high school season. As a running back. He's a beast. Adding a 5* DE can only help drive Auburn's defensive recruiting going forward. Carl Lawson is liable to leave for the NFL after this season. Byron Cowart will be around for at least two more years after this one, but high-quality depth on the defensive line is ALWAYS a good thing.
Auburn's class was already taking shape fairly nicely. It didn't have that flashy player, though. Last year's class didn't have it until Byron Cowart signed on signing day. Picking up Davidson now could really jump-start the Tigers as we get into the football season. If the Tigers are able to perform up to expectations on the field, I fully expect any trepidation Auburn fans may have had over recruiting to quickly fade away.