Auburn Steals Another Impact Recruit from UGA Territory in 5-Star Derrick Brown

Auburn saved the best for last on national signing day by going back to a tried-and-true method—snagging a 5-star player out of the state of Georgia.

Plenty of great Auburn players, past and present, hail from the Peach State. But the commitment of 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown, the No. 9-ranked overall player in the country, on Wednesday afternoon was a little different in a great way for the Tigers.

As Tony Barnhart said on ESPN2's national signing day broadcast moments before Brown pulled out an Auburn cap at Lanier High School in Buford, the Tigers hadn't signed the No. 1 player in the state of Georgia in the past decade.

Until Wednesday, that is, when Brown announced that he would join an Auburn defensive line that should be a strength in 2016.

"My relationship that I built with the coaching staff down there is excellent," Brown said on the ESPN2 telecast of his announcement. "I felt like last night, just sitting around talking to my parents, that that was the place for me."

Auburn's outlook after a disappointing 7-6 season became brighter last month when both defensive end Carl Lawson and defensive tackle Montravius Adams announced that they would return to school instead of going pro early.

Both Lawson and Adams were Georgia-born 5-stars from Auburn's loaded 2013 recruiting class, which was Gus Malzahn's first as Auburn head coach.

The duo would later break into a veteran defensive line rotation as true freshmen, helping the Tigers make a surprising run all the way to the BCS National Championship Game.

Since then, the pass-rushing Lawson has developed into the biggest game-changer on the Auburn defense, even though he's only played in seven contests. Adams is now one of the most consistent playmakers on a defense that has seen a lot of change in the last two seasons.

Those two will spearhead a defensive line that returns plenty of players from 2015, most notably defensive end Byron Cowart. The Florida native was also a 5-star out of high school, and the pressure will be on him to live up to the hype after a slow start in his freshman season.

Auburn could start nothing but former consensus 5-stars along the defensive line in 2016, as Brown has the talent to take that role from the first game of his true freshman season.

"He can certainly help [Auburn] immediately," Bleacher Report's Michael Felder said. "He does not look like a guy that weighs almost 320 pounds ... he moves so exceptionally well, and he's got the ability to make himself a little bit skinny, get through the hole."

That ability to get through the offensive line and make plays in the backfield time and time again—he had an unreal 42 tackles for loss as a senior—is what will make Brown such an instant-impact player on Auburn's defensive line.

"[These] are the same expectations that I have for myself ... to go in and make an immediate impact and work hard and just play in the fall," Brown said.

Credit: 247Sports

According to Brandon Marcello of AL.com, Auburn ranked second-last in the FBS in stopping opposing rushers behind the line of scrimmage. The Tigers must get tougher against the run, especially considering the number of talented run-first offenses in the SEC.

"He's a humongous piece to a puzzle that they're still trying to figure out," Felder said. "I really think Derrick Brown becomes a key piece to them getting back on track on the defensive side of the ball."

The 2016 defensive line class at Auburn has the potential to be looked upon in the same regard as the 2013 class that netted Lawson, Adams and Elijah Daniel, who had solid production before his dismissal last spring.

In addition to Brown, Auburn has fellow Top 50 signees Marlon Davidson and Antwuan Jackson—both of whom are already on the Plains as early enrollees. Paul James was one of the top defensive line prospects out of the JUCO ranks, and 4-star Nick Coe will bring tremendous size (6'5 ½", 269 lbs) to the line as well.

But Brown is the crown jewel of that defensive line haul and the entire 2016 recruiting class for Auburn, another one that looks set to finish in the Top 10 nationally.

While the Tigers have gone backwards since their magical 2013 season, being able to go into Georgia and keep the state's No. 1 recruit out of the hands of the rival Bulldogs—and the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa—bodes well for the program's future.

Brown is one of six Georgia recruits who signed with Auburn in this cycle, joining Jackson, 4-star wide receiver Kyle Davis, 4-star tight end Landon Rice, 3-star offensive tackle Brodarious Hamm and 3-star safety Marlon Character.

Auburn's close proximity and recent success in the Peach State will mean more natives such as Brown and Davis will continue to suit up for the Tigers.

"Georgia is important for our success," Malzahn said Wednesday in a press conference. "Around half our players come from there, and we think [signing Brown] is going to give us great momentum."

The potential is there for a return to championship-quality football in the next couple of seasons, and that's what made an instant-impact player such as Brown choose the Tigers.

"I think that for the next three to four years, it's going to be great to watch Auburn football," Brown said. "That's why I made this decision."

All quotes from ESPN2 telecast unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.