5-Star Running Back Savon Huggins Visits Auburn: Tigers Make Huge Impression

Five-star running back Savon Huggins was at Auburn this weekend for an official visit, and according to the coveted prospect the trip couldn't have gone any better. 

"It was a 10," Huggins said when asked how the visit went.

While Auburn is new to Huggins' list of contenders, along with USC, Georgia and Tennessee, the Tigers appear to be the biggest threat to favorites Notre Dame and Rutgers. 

A New Jersey native, Huggins has long been connected to Notre Dame and Rutgers; the two schools that have arguably the recruited him the longest and hardest. 

But with Auburn's success on the field this season as well as its strong recent history recruiting, you'd be foolish to think the Tigers aren't making a strong push. 

A strong student in the classroom, Huggins appears to have been just as impressed with Auburn's academics as he was with its football.

“Academics always come first to me,” he said. “I liked how they were talking about graduating in three-and-half years. That is what I really liked about the school. I liked everything about it. They are really hands on with their players.

“I was talking to [Auburn running back] Mike [Dyer] and he said all of the freshmen are always there in study hall and that really stuck with me and my mother.”

At the moment Auburn has only 15 commitments on the books for 2011, none of whom are running backs. If the Tigers were to land Huggins, he would immediately become the top recruit from their class. 

There's no one from the 2011 class who can juke quite like he can. He has such a broad array of moves that you really never know what he's going to do on any given play.

When you watch him play, you immediately think Barry Sanders. He's got the vision, balance, change-of-direction ability and simply the unwillingness to go down.

While there are a few other backs in the class who are higher rated, Huggins might turn out to be the best of the bunch. 

With Michael Dyer, one of the top running backs from the 2010 class, already in the fold, the addition of Huggins to the mix could turn Auburn's backfield into one of the best running back duos in the country. 

There's still a long way to go in the Hunt for Huggins, but Notre Dame and Rutgers should certainly take note of what Auburn has brought to the table lately.