FanPost

A Review of Gus Malzahn's First Recruiting Class

With the CFB regular season ending and the 2017 recruiting cycle about to kick up to 100 mph, I thought it would be fun to look back at the 2013 recruiting class and see how it stands up 4 years later. The 2013 class was Gus Malzahn's first recruiting class as head coach at Auburn and it was a wild one. NSD saw the big time commitments of Elijah Daniel, Montravius Adams and Rudy Ford while at the same time saw AU miss on top CB target Mackenzie Alexander and lose 2 commits in Dee Liner (Bama) and Tashawn Bower (LSU). This cycle also included the infamous Reuben Foster recruitment which lead to AU missing on now possible SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Zach Cunningham. All in all it was quite the first NSD for Gus Malzahn and his staff but it also gave inclination to what type of closers this group is on the recruiting trail.

Below I discuss each signees' recruitment and production at Auburn. It's interesting to see where guys stood back in 2013 and whether or not they lived up to expectations. The rankings and ratings are all from 247 Composite. Forgive me if I get a few details wrong but considering my obsession of AU recruiting I feel pretty confident I hit the important stuff. This is a bit of a long post so grab a cool beverage and join me in a walk down memory lane....

5* DT Montravius Adams | #10 OVR | #3 DT | #2 GA

Career Stats: 142 tackles (74 solo), 19.5 TFL, 10.5 sacks, 2 INT, 3 PD, 3 FR, 3 FF

Mont was the first example of something that has become a nice new tradition for AU which is Rodney Garner stealing away late elite DL talent from the state of GA from the Dawgs. Adams always loved AU but the horrid 2012 season paired with the coaching change made it unlikely the Tigers would land the talented DT come NSD. That was until Malzahn hired Rodney Garner who had been Adam's recruiter at UGA. A late January visit sealed the deal and on NSD Adams broke out a ridiculous shirt to announce he was going to be an Auburn Tiger. He chose Auburn over Clemson, UGA and Bama and ended up being the highest rated player in Gus Malzahn's first class.

Adams has been fun to watch develop over these past 4 seasons. He came into AU with a ton of hype and added to it with a huge game against Washington State to start the season. After that things were up and down with him. Consistency became the phrase used over and over again by Garner to describe what Adams needed to improve on. He also struggled early to adjust to Garner's coaching style aka getting yelled at a lot. But he did adjust and each season displayed the ability to be more and more consistent. Will Muschamp in 2015 preached how every snap he was either adding money to his wallet or taking it out. He elected to come back for his senior season to put it all together in 2016 and play beside fellow signee Carl Lawson. That decision probably earned him a couple million dollars as Adams has emerged as possibly the best DT in the country with a strong senior campaign and has flown up draft boards. He will probably go no later than the 2nd round in the 2017 NFL Draft with a very good chance of sneaking into the backend of the 1st.

5* DE Carl Lawson | #21 OVR | #1 WDE | #3 GA

Career Stats: 65 tackles (34 solo), 23.5 TFL, 14.5 sacks, 3 FF

I don't think there has been a better example of how to handle being a top rated recruit than Carl Lawson. He committed to the Tigers early in 2013 over the summer but after the coaching change made it clear he wanted to understand why Garner had not recruited him and evaluate his options. After meeting with the new coaching staff and visiting late in January with Adams and Daniel, Lawson reaffirmed he would be a Tiger and faxed his NLI with little fanfare come NSD. Throughout the whole process he was very up front with where he stood and why giving AU fans a brief glimpse into the type of person they would see wear an Auburn uniform.

Lawson's career coming into 2016 was only spoken of has "potential". He had started to come on late in 2013 and was expected to take over Dee Ford's role as terror of the backfield but a freak injury sidelined him for 2014. In 2015, he was everywhere in the first half of the Louisville game but another weird injury sidelined him for half the season and he never looked 100%. So all the buzz pre season was the potential was there but could he finally stay healthy enough to produce? The answer has been a resounding yes. In 2016, Lawson has finally ascended to the level of dominance expected of him when he first signed with the Tigers. 9.5 sacks to go with TWENTY THREE QB hurries has made him one of the best pass rushers in CFB. He has also been well balanced become a solid force against the run as well. He too earned plenty of money this season by coming back and getting a full season of high level play on film. It's pretty much a foregone conclusion he will be in the NFL next season and will probably land somewhere in the 10-20 range of the draft depending on team's concerns with injury history

4* DE Elijah Daniel | #49 OVR | #6 SDE | #2 IN

Career Stats: 23 tackles (11 solo), 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks

Daniel was a late surprise win for the Tigers in 2013. He had just a month earlier committed to Ole Miss and the Rebels felt pretty good about him sticking. But on NSD the first fax to come across the wire for the Tigers was Daniel's and it kicked off what would be a wild day for AU. AU had made a late push thanks again to that late visit that included Adams & Lawson. It appeared the Tigers had landed an elite trio of DL that would anchor our defense for years to come.

Elijah Daniel was apart of the DL rotation as both a freshman and sophomore. He didn't do anything eye popping but it was clear he had some big time talent. Before the 2015 season however stupidity struck and the once blue chip recruit found himself facing theft and burglary charges. Malzahn elected to dismiss him from the team. Daniel now plays at Youngstown State though I don't see any stats recorded the past 2 seasons.

4* WR Tony Stevens | #136 OVR | #16 WR | #23 FL

Career Stats: 48 rec 730 yds 15.2 avg 5 TD

Stevens wasn't on AU's radar until Dameyune Craig landed at Auburn. Before that he had been a Florida State and Texas A&M commit. Who was the coach at FSU when Stevens was a commit? None other than Mr. Dameyune Craig. When hired by AU one of the first targets Craig set his sights on was Stevens. It worked and the 4* wideout became Gus Malzahn's first commit as head coach.

It took awhile but in 2016, Stevens finally emerged as that go to WR we had all hoped for in the beginning. It hasn't been smoothest sailing this year with some crucial drops along with nagging injuries that have kept him out of some games but at end of day he has been one of our more consistent WRs this season when on the field. I doubt anyone takes chance on him in the draft unless he tests off the scales before the draft but I fully expect he lands on an NFL roster somewhere as an undrafted FA.

4* QB Jeremy Johnson | #166 OVR | #11 QB | #7 QB

Career Stats: 174-273 (63.7%) 2130 yds 20 TD 10 INT 72 carries 200 yds 2.8 avg 9 TD

JJ was one of the center pieces of the 2013 class. He committed early in May, 2012 and stuck with AU after the coaching change. In fact he was very excited to see Gus return as it was Malzahn's offense that had first attracted the 6'5" QB to AU. Ole Miss tried to make a run but it proved for naught and Johnson enrolled early to battle for the starting QB spot.

We all know the up and down road that was Johnson's career at AU. He lost out to Marshall before the 2013 season but still made spot starts and appearances looking like the next big thing. It was amplified by the infamous 2014 opening first half against Arkansas. Then came the fall in 2015 and the carousel in 2016. I won't comment on his performance on the field at AU but I do want to say he lived up to that ranking as a person at AU. Despite losing 3 QB battles, being benched and seeing himself go from Heisman darkhorse to 3rd string we never heard him complain, throw tantrums on Twitter or do anything other than be an outstanding teammate. I honestly believe that JJ's main fault as a QB was he is too humble of a kid to play the position in the SEC. I will always appreciate the way he handled all this and 100% believe he will have a successful career in something once he leaves Auburn.

4* DT Ben Bradley | #16 JUCO OVR | #6 JUCO DT

Career Stats: 36 tackles (19 solo), 6.0 TFL, 1.0 sack

Garner wanted some DL help fast in 2013. He was landing some big time DL talent in Adams, Daniel and Lawson but wanted some more experienced help up front so the Tigers hit the JUCO ranks. Bradley was highly sought after by teams such as Oklahoma, Nebraska, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee. He committed to the Vols in June but decommitted in December. From that point it appeared either Nebraska or Missouri would land him and he planned on announcing two different times before calling them both off. That opened the door for Kentucky and Auburn who both put on the full court press. In the end Bradley ended up a Tiger.

Bradley was never expected to be a super star. He was a guy AU hoped would help plug the middle of the defense as a run stuffer. Overall he did a solid job of doing that. He was part of the DL rotation both seasons for the Tigers and provided AU with much needed depth at the DT spot. It does not appear he ever landed in the NFL.

4* RB Rudy Ford | #303 OVR | #21 RB | #11 AL

Career Stats: 280 tackles (176 solo) 12.5 TFL 2.0 sacks 5 INT TD 11 PD FR 3 FF

Ford was another late flip for the staff. He started out as an under the radar 3* RB prospect that committed to Vanderbilt before this recruitment picked up in December. He ended up decommitting from Vanderbilt which upset many of his fellow Dore commits who decided to blast him on Twitter. Ford ended up narrowing his choices down to Tennessee and Auburn. Once again the Tigers beat out the Vols and landed the talented athlete.

The assumption was Ford would come in and eventually take over that OMac/Grant speed back role. Instead, AU needed help at DB and Ford wanted on the field so he made the switch late in 2013. The result could not have turned out better for both AU and Ford. Ford has lead AU in tackles the last 2 seasons and has a shot at doing it again in 2016. I don't think he really found his home until Muschamp moved him to the nickel spot halfway through 2015. Since then it seems he has found a position he was born to play and has become one of the leaders of the defense. Some NFL draft boards have him as a possible #1 FS prospect in the 2017 draft. I expect he goes somewhere between 3-5 and has a long career on Sundays.

4*WR Jason Smith | #203 OVR | #27 WR | #9 AL

Career Stats: 17 rec 263 yds 18.8 avg 2 TD 6 carries 37 yds TD

Smith jumped on board early for AU in summer of 2012. He had a big season as QB for McGill-Toolen that year and it looked like AU was bringing in an elite athlete to play in Gus's system. He shined as a WR in the AL/MS All-Star game that year which featured Jeremy Johnson at QB and at that time AU LB commit Reuben Foster.

Unfortunately Smith didn't have the grades to qualify and hit the JUCO ranks. He would later star as QB for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. The Tigers recruited him again claiming he would have shot at QB but he eventually moved to WR which everyone expected to happen from the beginning. He has shown flashes of athleticism but hasn't been able to consistently to see the field.

4* WR Earnest Robinson | #320 OVR | #46 WR | #13 AL

It was a big deal for AU when they landed Robinson's commitment in February, 2012. It sort of kicked off a strong spring on the recruiting trail and gave Auburn a possible playmaker at WR. Unfortunately he did not have the grades to get in. He landed at East Mississippi Community College where he played on their 2013 championship team and caught 7 passes. Unfortunately he was also arrested for a robbery in Birmingham and looks like he never got that 2nd chance.*

3* ATH Nick Marshall | #27 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO ATH

Career Stats: 320-532 (60.2%) 4508 yds 34 TD 13 INT 325 carries 1866 yds 5.7 avg 23 TD 3 rec 51 yds 17.0 avg

One of the first things Gus did upon landing at AU was search for an answer at QB. He had JJ in his back pocket but wanted more options and someone they felt would be more ready to play day 1. He found that in former UGA Bulldog DB turned Garden City C.C. QB Nick Marshall. To say there were question marks surrounding Marshall would be an understatement. He was kicked off the UGA football team for stealing and had a comically high INT total of 20 as a JUCO QB. But he also displayed a cannon of an arm and elite quickness. Lashlee and Gus decided to take the risk and beat out late push by Kansas State to land the JUCO QB.

Nick Marshall answered every question about him in his career at Auburn. He wasn't perfect but he was everything AU fans hoped he would become. He lead the Tigers to an SEC title in 2013 and almost carried them to another in 2014 before misfortune and bad defense lead to a late collapse. Still it's hard to find a more fun offense to watch then when Marshall was running the read option and then throwing bombs deep to Sammie Coates. Marshall now is playing as a DB and return man in the NFL.

3* LB Cameron Toney | #432 OVR | #28 LB | #15 AL

Career Stats: 7 solo tackles

In the 2013 cycle, one of the recruiting leaders for this class despite the coaching turmoil was Cameron Toney. He committed in April, 2012 and immediately became one of AU's more vocal leaders in the class. I don't believe he visited anywhere other than Auburn and lead a pretty quiet recruitment that ended with his NLI coming in on NSD for the Tigers.

Toney has yet to find his way into the rotation at either LB or DL. He has bounced between the Buck position and the MLB spot. He is a guy I might tab as a graduate transfer possibility or he could emerge as a contributor up front in his final campaign. I believe he got some work at the Buck leading up to the Iron Bowl but I am unsure how much he played.

3* OG Deon Mix | #461 OVR | #25 OG | #7 MS

Mix was a prized OL commit for Mississippi State until the Tigers put pressure on late and the big man decided to flip on NSD. It was a big blow to the Bulldogs OL class and at the time seemed like a great fit for what AU was attempting to build up front. He was also only 1 of 2 OL that AU landed that cycle.

Mix has yet to crack the starting lineup at AU and has seen limited action in mop up work. He has bounced between all 5 positions at Auburn. Depending on NFL attrition the Tigers could be replacing up to 3 or 4 OL spots next season. At a minimum there will be a battle for Kozan's guard spot and Leff's RT position. I expect Mix to compete at the guard spot but is probably behind someone like Mike Horton at this time. He too could be a transfer this offseason but if enough guys bolt to NFL he might be able to earn a starting position in 2017.

3* RB Peyton Barber | #482 OVR | #30 RB | #41 GA

Career Stats: 248 carries 1071 yds 4.3 avg 13 TD 11 rec 112 yds 10.2 avg

A bad knee injury in high school kept Barber under the radar for much of the 2013 cycle. His teammate Carl Lawson would always say that if he had stayed healthy he could have been a 5*. I don't know about that but it was clear Barber had talent. He moved well for his size and brought some pop to the run game. For most of his recruitment he was committed to the Ole Miss Rebels, however with the coaching change AU made Barber a priority. With the help of Lawson and the prospect of possible early playing time Barber decided to flip to the Tigers. It ended up being a trade of sorts as Jordan Wilkins in turn flipped to the Rebels. It appears AU won that trade.

Barber redshirted his freshman year before playing some mop up time in 2014. In 2015 though he quickly became a star. After the RB apocalypse in first half against Louisville that saw Roc Thomas & Jovon Robinson both leave the game with injury and freshman Kerryon Johnson entered game hobbled, Barber emerged as that steady force in the backfield. It was his tremendous effort that save AU late against Jacksonville State. He went on to share starting time with Jovon before deciding to make the surprising decision to bolt early for the NFL. Turns out his mom was homeless and he decided it was better to try and earn some money now instead of playing another year at AU. That proved smart as the Tampa Bay Bucs took a chance on him as an undrafted FA and found himself starting just a few weeks ago due to the numerous injured RBs for TB.

3* CB Kamryn Melton | #540 OVR | #39 CB | #18 AL

Melton was an instate kid that some thought was flying under the radar. After a visit for Junior Day in February, 2012 Melton committed to the Tigers and never wavered. He entered AU as a guy many thought would need time to develop but could become a talented CB in our defense.

Muschamp's arrival to the Plains coincided with a max exodus of DBs as well. Melton was one of the first electing to transfer to Troy. He had to sit out the 2015 season due to transfer rules but is now a starting CB for the Trojans and seems to be having a decent season.

3* WR Dominic Walker | #560 OVR | #73 WR | #82 FL

Walker was a kid that couldn't seem to make up his mind. He started off as a Vanderbilt commit in June, 2012 only to flip to Nebraska later in December. When Craig landed at AU he set up a visit pretty quickly for Walker and the Tigers were able to get a flip in late January much to the chagrin of the Nebraska coaching staff. He and Tony Stevens were high school teammates and both excited to play with each other at AU. However, Walker never really could get on the field and before the 2015 season transferred to Itawamba C.C. He signed with Troy as part of the 2016 recruiting class and currently has 4 receptions for 25 yards.

3* S Mackenro Alexander | #584 OVR | #41 S | #84 FL

Career Stats: 4 tackles (2 solo) 1.5 TFL

One of the more memorable recruitments that cycle was that of the Alexander brothers. It was assumed much of the time that they were a package deal. Auburn recruited both hard and tried to make them feel like priorities. Mackenro was talented but the prize was 5* CB Mackenzie Alexander. Come NSD it was still unsure if Auburn or Clemson would land the brothers. Turns out they both would. On NSD Mackenro announced he was going to AU. That made all AU fans feel pretty confident about Mackenzie but turns out they weren't a package and the Clemson Tigers landed the 5*. Still Mackenro had a reputation as a hard hitter and figured to slot in as a SS or at Ellis Johnson's infamous 'star' position.

Alexander got some playing time in 2013 at the star spot before redshirting in 2014. When Muschamp arrived he was one of many that left the program. He enrolled at a JUCO and signed with Iowa State in the 2016 class. He hasn't played a ton this year from what I can tell.

3* RB Cameron Artis-Payne | #60 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO RB

Career Stats: 394 carries 2218 yds 5.6 avg 19 TD 14 rec 151 yds 10.8 avg

RB depth was a concern heading into the 2013 season. Mike Blakely had transferred away, Corey Grant got limited work in 2012 and there were questions about whether Tre Mason could the guy moving forward. AU looked to the JUCO ranks for help and found Payne. He was mostly getting interest from western schools like Utah, Utah State and Washington. When the SEC came calling it was hard for him to say no and he enrolled early for AU.

CAP was the story of the 2013 A-Day game and got some early work in 2013 before Mason took over. After Mason left for the NFL it was CAP's time to shine and he continued the tradition of AU backs rushing for at least 1,000 yards. CAP was the bellcow in 2014 and earned his way on to the Carolina Panthers where he now backs up Jonathan Stewart

3* S Khari Harding | #632 OVR | #46 S | #6 AR

Career Stats: 4 tackles (1 solo)

You are probably noticing a theme with all these late commits? Harding is another guy that jumped on AU's radar with the coaching change. The Tigers were looking for safeties and guys they could play at the "star" spot and Harding emerged as a top target. He was a hard hitter in high school and could even grow into a LB if needed. He had been committed to Arkansas since June but after a late January visit decided to switch to AU.

Harding saw limited actions in his first 2 seasons at Auburn. Then tragedy struck his family as his father was diagnosed with cancer. Harding elected to transfer out before the 2015 season to be closer to him. Unfortunately the NCAA sucks and did not grant him a hardship waiver so he had to sit out. He has moved to OLB for the Golden Hurricanes but looks like he has yet to see the field.

3* LB Kenny Flowers | #67 JUCO OVR | #3 JUCO LB

Career Stats: 9 tackles (4 solo) TFL FF

Flowers was one of the recruits I was most excited about when he committed to Auburn. He was teammates with Ben Bradley and Devonte Danzey at Hutchinson Community College where he was a tackle machine. AU was in need of some immediate LB help and Flowers seemed like a good target. Before Ellis Johnson pushed for Flowers he was an Aggie commit. But only a month after committing to Texas A&M he decommitted and a month later in January commited to AU.

Unfortunately Flowers never really panned out. I am unsure if it was just talent, inability to learn to scheme or injuries but he never made the impact hoped for. He proved a solid ST contributor and rotational LB but outside of that was not all the memorable.

3* OG Devonte Danzey | #106 JUCO OVR | #2 JUCO OG

Hutchinson Community College was good to AU's new coaching staff in 2013. Danzey was the 3rd player from that team to sign with AU. His recruitment had been somewhat quiet before AU jumped into the fray. Most of his interest came from Big 12 schools Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia. After officially visiting AU in early December he named AU leader a few weeks later then committed to Auburn on Christmas.

Danzey was a glue guy for AU. He started 8 or 9 games as a Tiger and played in all of them in 2014 & 2015. Whether it was filling in for Alex Kozan or being used as a backup C after Dampeer went out, Danzey was a do it all guy that helped fill holes left by injury and or attrition. He was exactly what you want out of a 3* JUCO OL. Someone that can be productive and give you great depth to survive the SEC schedule. I do not believe he is playing in NFL right now.

3* K Daniel Carlson | #1 K | #5 CO

Career Stats: 140/140 (100%) XP 67/81 FG (82.7%) 8 punts 317 yds 39.6 avg

I think we can all agree that Carlson not being a 5* is a shame... The now dubbed Legatron was the top K recruit in the 2013 cycle. As I am sure you know after the numerous stories on it this past week Carlson grew up in a Bama family but never got the Tide offer. AU however made him a priority hoping to find a replacement in Cody Parkey. He committed to AU when Chizik was the head man but stuck with his commitment after the coaching change.

AU has been on a run of outstanding kickers. John Vaughn, Wes Byrum, Cody Parkey were all outstanding but it could probably be argued that Carlson is the best of the bunch. He did it all for AU in 2014: punting, kicking, kickoffs. He gave over punting duties last season and saw his accuracy climb to 85%. This season he is 86% with 2 misses being blocks. I don't think there is a doubt that this was a scholarship well used and can we all just thank our lucky stars that Bama did not offer this kid. Good news is part 2 is on the way...

3*CB Marcus Davis | #88 CB | #167 FL

Career Stats: 83 rec 650 yds 7.8 avg 3 TD 29 punt returns 283 yds 9.8 avg

Davis was a low ranked CB that didn't have a ton of offers. 247 lists 10 total with Mississippi State being the best non Auburn one but still Dameyune Craig liked what he saw in Davis as a slot WR option. The Tigers pursued and landed his commitment in January. What was interesting about MD's recruitment is he was teammates with a top RB recruit Greg Bryant that AU was trying hard to land but missed on in the end.

Marcus Davis was never expected to be a superstar. The hope was he would contribute some kind of way. I think he did just that playing for 4 seasons at WR, being the punt returner the past 2 seasons and one of the senior leaders on the team this season. Unfortunately I feel like he peaked in 2013 but he was still a valuable member of our WR core the past 4 seasons. When you can get that kind of production from a low 3* in the SEC you have to be happy.

3* P Jimmy Hutchinson | #1 P | #108 GA

Career Stats: 9 punts 317 yds 35.2 avg

AU loaded up on special teams in 2013. They landed the #1 K in Carlson and the #1 P in Hutchinson. While Carlson has become godlike the same can not be same for Hutchinson. He redshirted in 2013, saw limited action in 2014 and has lost punt competition the past 2 seasons to Kevin Phillips. With Phillips being a senior good chance Hutchinson steps into the P role in 2017 unless Anders Carlson or another walkon step up and win the battle.

3* S Brandon King | #176 JUCO OVR | #14 JUCO S

Career Stats: 19 tackles (11 solo) FR

King was one of the top targets for the "Star" position when Ellis Johnson took over. Not many teams were after him at the time. He had been committed to South Alabama before AU offered. At AU he never seemed to find a home. He played some star, some LB & some S. He was a quality ST player and occasional fill in. However he has found a future in the NFL. New England liked his athleticism and now he is one of their premier special teams cover guys. Kind of cool that the lowest rated kid in this class with very few offers is now being well payed in the NFL

Final Thoughts

The Tigers signed 25 players in the 2013 class. Of those 25, 22 qualified (Jason Smith, Earnest Robinson & Jovon Robinson the non qualifiers). Two of the non qualifiers eventually landed at AU after JUCO so in all honestly only Earnest Robinson was a miss. This class was ranked #10 and produced 2 possible first round draft picks, some quality starters and some quality depth. In a short period of time Gus's staff was able to put together an outstanding first class that has helped lay the foundation to Gus Malzahn's program. What's impressive to me is this was the worst class from a qualifying standpoint. Since 2013, only 1 player has not qualified (Daquon Newkirk) and he plans to sign with AU in 2018. The staff has done a great job of bringing in quality talent to AU over the past 4 seasons. I expect they do it again in 2017.

We're all just trying to have a good time here. Don't be a jerk, and we won't have a problem with you. War Eagle!

Trending Discussions