A Big Piece to the Puzzle: Michael Dyer Commits to Auburn

“I’m 100 percent Auburn. I'm a War Eagle now.'' That’s the word from Michael Dyer, a five-star prospect on Rivals.com and the number one-rated high school running back in the country by ESPN.

Dyer, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, is the all-time leading rusher in the state and chose Auburn after a lengthy recruiting process in which every top program in the country pleaded for his services.

The final decision came down to Auburn, Tennessee, and hometown Arkansas. Dyer told The Birmingham News' Charles Goldberg that "It was like home,” shortly after his announcement Friday morning, where he was also honored for being a 2010 Under Armour All-American.

This is another big splash for Gene Chizik and his staff, further proving his sometimes unorthodox recruiting tactics do indeed work.

After catching some criticism early for things such as “Big Cat Weekend” and recruiting by limousine, Chizik’s first five-star recruit will help put some of these cynics to rest for good. While nothing is final until February, the way Dyer has talked about Auburn these last few months surely bodes well for Signing Day.

Lache Seastrunk and Marcus Lattimore help comprise the top three running backs in the country, and both have Auburn near the top. Lattimore left the Plains very impressed last week after Auburn’s win over Ole Miss.

Trovon Reed, a prized wide receiver out of Louisiana, will make his decision next Friday, November 13th. Auburn is in the running for him as well, and the rumor mill for the last few months is that he and Seastrunk would love to play together on the college level.

While it’s not likely Auburn will land all of these recruits, it’s a possibility with Gus Malzahn’s potent and unusual offense. Either way, Friday marked a huge day for the Auburn football program, and is just another big step in Gene Chizik’s plan in restoring national credibility to the Auburn Tigers.

Dyer is just another piece to the puzzle, albeit a very big piece. Dyer told ESPN that “Auburn is on the rise." He continued with "We want it to be that team that everybody talks about, like Florida or LSU. Auburn is going to be that one day. Once we all get there and get on the same page, we are going to make history."

Those are wise words coming from a high school kid, but the scary thing is, when everything is said and done, he just might be right.

Auburn fans can catch Michael Dyer in action tonight on ESPNU when his Little Rock Christian Warriors take on Pulaski Academy at 7pm.