Auburn Football Recruiting: Why the 2012 Class Won't Compare to 2010 and 2011

Over the past two years, Auburn has brought in two of the top recruiting classes in the country, and that infusion of talent will surely pay dividends in the 2012 season, as many of those talented younger players will now be experienced enough to handle playing against top notch SEC competition on a weekly basis.

Highly touted recruits from years past such as DE Corey Lemonier, LB Jake Holland, C Reese Dismukes and RB Tre Mason will all have a chance to shine in 2012 after getting their footing under them this past season.

This year, however, after a disappointing 8-5 season, it seems like the Tigers have taken a step back on the recruiting trail, as they’ve failed to land the same caliber of marquee recruits that they brought in the previous two years.

That’s not to say that Gene Chizik isn’t assembling another strong class, as Auburn will likely finish with one of the top 25 classes in the country in 2012, but after experiencing so much success in 2010 and 2011, it definitely seems like a drop-off.

The biggest blow came when star running back recruit T.J. Yeldon, who played for Alabama’s Daphne high school, reneged on his commitment to Auburn and went over to the dark side, pledging his services to archrival Alabama instead.

Losing a blue-chip prospect like Yeldon was definitely a big blow for the Tigers, especially with the depth in the backfield taking a major hit after the transfer of Michael Dyer.

Even without Yeldon, though, Auburn still has a good deal of potential impact players committed to come play for the Tigers next year, including standout prospects such as LB Cassanova McKinzy (Woodlawn HS, Alabama), WR JaQuay Williams (Sandy Creek HS, Georgia), CB Josh Holsey (Creekside HS, Georgia) QB Zeke Pike (Dixie Heights, Kentucky) and DT Tyler Nero (Escambia County HS, Alabama).

After handing out so many scholarships the past few years, it was expected that this year’s class would be a bit smaller of a haul, and because of the lack of numbers and the lack of truly marquee names, it does feel like a let down after the past two years.

Tigers fans need not worry, though. Those reinforcements from 2010 and 2011 are making their way up through the ranks, and after a year full of growing pains, it appears that if Auburn can get its quarterback situation straightened out, all of the other pieces are in place for the Tigers to make a run at an SEC West division title in 2012.