Eric Mack Commits to the Auburn Tigers

Eric Mack has given his verbal commitment to play football for Auburn University.  Mack, the 6'4", 315-pound offensive lineman from Calhoun County High School in St. Matthews, South Carolina, made the choice Wednesday between Auburn and the Florida Gators.

His decision comes just one day after decommitting from the in-state favorite South Carolina Gamecocks. 

But was South Carolina really ever the favorite for the Under-Armour All-American?  Looking back on his recruitment, it looks as though Auburn might have been the team to beat all along.

Last summer, Mack listed the Tigers as his top school, but later committed to play for Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks.

In September, he proceeded to re-name Auburn as his leader, while staying verbally committed to play football in Columbia. This may seem a bit perplexing, and rightfully so. 

But remember, Mack is a home-grown South Carolina kid who must have been (and still is) under immense pressure to stay in state. Mack is also a father, and the idea of staying close to home was surely something that weighed heavily on his decision.

Another well documented occurrence that certainly affected his choice was the departure of S.C.'s offensive line coach, Eric Wolford. Wolford had been a big part of Mack's recruitment, and Mack stated that his leaving left a huge question mark as to the direction of the Gamecock offense.

However, the decision to play for Gene Chizik's Auburn Tigers could prove to be more beneficial in the long run than anything he could have accomplished at South Carolina.

South Carolina ranked dead last in rushing in the SEC in 2009, averaging just 121.2 ypg.  Auburn rushed for 212 ypg. 

The Gamecocks had a decent passing game, with 226.2 ypg. That was good enough for fourth in the conference, just ahead of Gus Malzhan's offense, which logged 219.8 passing yards per contest.

Did I mention that Malzhan put these numbers up running a new offense with a new quarterback?

As it stands, Auburn's offensive attack only seems to be in infantile stages, while "The Old Ball Coach" has been running his fun & gun show for years.

These numbers and trends, the good possibility of early playing time, and Mack's repeated good feelings about Auburn's family atmosphere made the difference at the end of the day.

And while Auburn's offensive line will still be in desperate need of depth, his addition will bring much needed talent to a very thin group.