Auburn Football Recruiting: Top Targets, Positional Needs and Predictions

The Auburn coaching staff finds itself 10 days from signing day with a host of talent left on the recruiting big board uncommitted. Auburn is still in the hunt for a number of top recruits and the Tigers need to finish out the 2012 class strong.

Gene Chizik and Co. have been known as strong closers in the past few seasons on the recruiting trail so the assumption is that this class will be no different. Auburn has numerous needs on both sides of the ball that will need to be addressed on signing day as the Tigers are still one class away from filling out the roster that was left void during the coaching transition three years ago.

Auburn has seen some of its offensive commitments waiver a bit in the past few days with the delay in the hiring of an offensive coordinator, but the Tigers looked to have found that solution as well. As the final week of recruiting closes in for college football, here is where Auburn stands with its final big name targets and how I expect the Tigers to close out the 2012 recruiting season. 

Scot Loeffler: Offensive Coordinator

Auburn has been on the search for an offensive coordinator for the past 39 days. The hire is being reported by both auburnundercover.com and auburnsports.com.  There was much speculation as to where the Tigers would find their new coordinator as the search continued to drag on, most predicted that a second NFL coach was on the way.

Chizik was looking for a hire that would be a fit for the recruiting trail and would be able to develop quarterbacks. Having a quarterbacks coach as a coordinator was a must for Chizik, and Loeffler fit the bill well.

I profiled Loeffler as a replacement candidate for Malzahn here back in November when the North Carolina job appeared to be calling on Malzahn. I was wrong about Malzahn’s final destination but correct on his replacement.

One of the most impressive numbers for Loeffler was the increase in rushing yardage for the Temple Owls this season. The Owls were 67^th in 2010 and finished seventh this past season. The passing numbers weren’t necessarily there, but Loeffler is well known at developing quarterbacks. From Tom Brady and Chad Henne to Tim Tebow, Loeffler can recruit and develop the quarterback position.

Loeffler will install a multiple type offense to include Ace, Shotgun, I-Form, Pro-Form and Wildcat formations to name a few. Gene Chizik made a great move in hiring Loeffler. 

Eddie Goldman: DL

On the recruiting trail the Tigers are set to finish incredibly strong if they can land just a few of their final targets. One of those final targets is Eddie Goldman from Washington, D.C. Goldman is ranked as the No. 7 player in the country by rivals.com, the No. 14 player according to  247sports.com and the No. 10 player in the country according to  ESPN.com.

Goldman has a host of offers from all over the country and is looking to find a home by signing day. The Tigers have been in the mix from the beginning and appear to be one of the finalists for his signature come signing day.

Goldman is in a position of need for any team at any level of football as talented defensive linemen may be the toughest position to find really good players. Goldman is 6’4”, 307 pounds, so he is ready to come in and make an impact immediately.

It is a tight race for his signature, but Auburn stands just as good a chance as any to find Goldman on campus next fall. 

Prediction: Auburn

Stefon Diggs: WR

Stefon Diggs has been a tough read on the recruiting trail. Part of the difficulty has been his propensity to flood his twitter account with comments about his recruiting visits and thoughts on the schools that are his finalist. With each new day a new front-runner seems to peek ahead.

Diggs hails from Olney, Maryland and is one of the most explosive players in the 2012 class. He will look to play receiver and will likely see the field from day one. He is a speedy player that will look to take his talents where they are welcomed immediately.

Diggs is ranked as the No. 8 player in the country by rivals.com, the No. 10 player according to  247sports.com and the No. 13 player according to  ESPN.com. A number of schools were in the race for his signature early, but at this point it appears to be down to Florida and Auburn.

Diggs had a wonderful visit to Auburn last weekend and he visited Florida this weekend. He plans to wait until after signing day to make his final decision, but if I had to guess I would say Florida is the team to beat at this point.

Prediction: Florida

Cordarrelle Patterson: WR

Cordarrelle Patterson is a JUCO wide receiver from Hutchinson Community College in Hutchinson, Kansas. Patterson was originally from Rock Hill, South Carolina but took the JUCO route for his first year of collegiate football.

Patterson is now a highly regarded recruit that is in the mix with a number of SEC schools. Auburn, Ole Miss, LSU and Tennessee are all schools that have surfaced in his recruitment. Baylor has also found itself in the mix as of late.

Patterson is a tall and big bodied receiver that can make big plays on the outside over defenders. Auburn is looking for impact players on the outside to throw the ball to and Patterson would be a great fit and a player that would come in ready to play from day one.

Patterson is a 4-star prospect according to rivals.com and is considered among most to be an elite JUCO talent for 2012. Patterson has not been filling the news wires with his recruitment but whichever team lands his signature should be extremely happy with the production value of this receiver. 

Prediction: Auburn

Avery Young: OL

Young is a tall offensive tackle that has a motor that never stops on the field. Young is from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. He has quick feet and hands at the point of attack showing the ability to control the defender and make it off of the line explosively.

Young will need to add some weight at the next level, but most offensive linemen will look to take a redshirt season anyway. Young is ranked as the No. 74 player in the country according to rivals.com, the No. 61 player according to ESPN.com and the No. 32 offensive tackle by 247sports.com. He was also an Under Armour All-American participant.

Young named Auburn and Georgia his leader back on December 12, but he did take an official visit to Miami (FL) this past weekend. Young appears to be another signing day decision. Auburn is likely to be a very strong contender for his signature and will likely finish with Young being a part of the 2012 class. 

Prediction: Auburn

Leonard Williams: DL

Leonard Williams is a talented defensive lineman from Daytona Beach, Florida. Williams has the power to play on the interior of the line as well as the quickness and speed to play on the edge. Williams is ranked No. 53 nationally according to rivals.com, No. 50 by ESPN.com and the No. 47 recruit by 247sports.com.

Williams has kept his recruitment at the forefront for a number of schools but Florida and Auburn appear to be the leaders for Williams’ services. Williams has a wealth of offers, but the Gators and the Tigers have been leading in his recruitment for quite some time.

Williams is likely to end up at the end position in college and has all of the tools to be a major player for whichever team he signs with. He has taken some late visits to Florida State and USC, but at this point I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up in orange and blue on signing day, Tigers orange and blue that is. 

Prediction: Auburn

Arik Armstead: DL

The recruitment of Arik Armstead has been one of the more peculiar stories of the 2012 recruiting season. As if the Brent Calloway fiasco and signing day commit then de-commit of Cyrus Kouandjio from last recruiting season wasn’t enough for Tigers fans, 2012 brings T.J. Yeldon and the Armstead brothers.

Armstead planned to make a decision early and enroll with his brother Armond Armstead for spring semester and Auburn had become one of the strong finalists. Auburn, Cal and Notre Dame all appeared to be in the running.

When Tosh Lupoi departed from Cal and headed to Washington just five days ago, Cal fell to the back burner for the Armstead’s. The Armstead’s visited Auburn and Notre Dame with Notre Dame receiving the final visits and speculation of eventual attendance as the SEC would have to clear a waiver to allow Armond to play a final senior season inside the conference as a transfer student.

While no such waiver was needed at Notre Dame, the Armstead brothers have decided to wait on signing day for their decision. Armond has re-enrolled in spring semester at USC according to ESPN.com and Arik is now rumored to have Oregon amongst his list of schools. If Oregon is in the mix for Arik, Armond could not follow as no Pac 12 schools have been cleared for him to transfer from USC to.

At this point, it is anyone’s guess as to where the brothers may end up or even if they get the chance to play a season of college football together. As good as Auburn’s chances looked early, the longer the wait the worse the chances appear to be for the Tigers to land the signatures. If the brothers are not able to play together, I see no reason for Arik to leave the West coast hence killing the chances of him ending up a Tiger. 

Prediction: Cal or Oregon

Kwon Alexander: LB

Kwon Alexander is one of the few elite linebackers in the state of Alabama this season. Alexander is the No. 29 recruit in the country according to ESPN.com and the No. 104 recruit according to  247sports.com. Alexander injured his knee early in the 2011 season (as reported by the The Anniston Star.)

Auburn has a huge need for playmakers at the linebacker position and Alexander would be a great fit for what the Tigers new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder is looking to do. The Tigers already have two in-state linebacker commits with Cassanova McKinzy and Javiere Mitchell already on board.

Alexander would fill out the linebacker class for Auburn in 2012 and provide a great future at the position. The Tigers have been rumored to be the leader for his signature for quite some time, but Alabama and LSU have made heavy pushes late for his services. Nonetheless, I expect Alexander to end up at Auburn. 

Prediction: Auburn

Ronald Darby: DB

Darby is tough as nails lockdown corner for the class of 2012. A previous Notre Dame commit, Darby is looking to find the right fit for his services. Two schools appear to have the lead right now with Auburn and Florida State making the hardest impressions on Darby. Notre Dame appears to be a distant third.

Darby is ranked as the No. 16 player in the country according to 247sports.com, the No. 38 player in the country according to ESPN.com and the No. 68 player in the country according to rivals.com. Darby has seen his stock continue to rise as signing day approaches.

Darby is from Oxon Hill, Maryland and played in the Under Armour All-American game. He showed a good ability to cover but can have trouble against upper level competition while attempting to break out of his back pedal. He has played some running back in high school but projects in the secondary in college.

Darby will take his recruitment to signing day with the Tigers and Seminoles looking to be the teams to beat. Auburn would like to have Darby on board, but the way that Florida State has been able to close it would be hard to put the Seminoles out of the game. Darby looks to end up in the garnet and gold.  

Prediction: Florida State

Deon Bush: DB

Deon Bush is an elite safety in the 2012 class. The Tigers pushed hard for his services and appeared to be the leader for a while until the absence of a defensive coordinator pushed him into the waiting arms of the hometown Miami (Fl) Hurricanes.

Bush, who is from Miami, committed to the Hurricanes back on January 7, but has also kept the door open to Auburn and new defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder. VanGorder has already had a visit with Bush and Bush appears to remain as a top priority for the Tigers in 2012.

Bush is ranked as the No. 152 prospect in the country according to 247sports.com, the No. 83 player according to rivals.com and the No. 101 player in the country according to ESPN.com.

Bush was an Army All-American and is likely to finish his collegiate career with an award or two. He has a good frame that could add bulk in college and the ability to cover in both man and zone scenarios very well. Bush will be an elite safety at the next level.

Despite his current commitment to Miami (Fl), look for the Tigers to continue to make a strong push and possibly earn a signing day flip when Bush puts his name to the letter of intent. 

Prediction: Auburn

Offensive Position Needs

Auburn lost a wealth of seniors and playmakers from the 2010 team last season. A number of young Tigers had to earn their stripes early this season as they were thrown out early to learn by living. The Tigers are looking to the 2012 class for a few different positions of need offensively, but none that are necessarily needs that will be immediately met by this class.

Auburn is looking to fill needs at the quarterback, offensive line and receiver position. Finding playmakers for the tight end role was a big ticket item as well as the Tigers filled that role with two very talented players.

The Auburn staff will need to finish these last few weeks strong as numerous big name players have the Tigers still in the mix for their services. Here is a list of Auburn’s current commits for the 2012 offensive class.

Quarterback

Zeke Pike 6’5” 220 – 3-star

Running Back

Jovon Robinson 5’11” 220 – 4-star

Receiver

JaQuay Williams 6’3” 204 – 4-star

Tight End

Ricky Parks 6’3” 230 – 4-star

Darrion Hutcherson 6’7” 247 – 3-star

Offensive Line

Shane Callahan 6’6” 277 – 4-star

Patrick Miller 6’7” 270 – 4-star

Robert Leff 6’6” 255 – 3-star

Fullback

Jay Prosch 6'1" 250 - All-American Transfer from Illinois, scholarship will count to this class' limits

Defensive Position Needs

Auburn played numerous young players across the defensive front in 2011. Auburn had a number of ups and downs, but the development that occurred over the past season was priceless for this team. The Tigers defense left a lot to be desired, but there are a number of returning playmakers this coming season.

Auburn does have some needs on the defense that will need to be addressed in this year’s recruiting class. The Tigers have recruited very well at every defensive position in the past few seasons but there is still a wide need on the defensive side of the ball.

The Tigers are looking to close the 2012 class as strong as ever with some of the Tigers' biggest recruits remaining on the board are defensive players. Auburn hopes to close with some of the classes’ top talent on signing day. Here is a look at Auburn’s current defensive commits.

Defensive Line

Tyler Nero 6’2” 290 – 4-star

Gimel President 6’3” 240 – 3-star

Linebackers

Cassanova McKinzy 6’2” 224 – 4-star

Javiere Mitchell 6’2” 197 – 4-star

Defensive Backs

Joshua Holsey 5’9” 171 – 4-star

T.J. Davis 6’1” 170 – 3-star

Jonathan Jones 5’10” 165 – 3-star