Auburn Football Recruiting: Can the Tigers Finish with a Top 10 Class in 2012?

The Auburn Tigers are heading into the final weekend before signing day with a very limited class compared to the other top programs in the country. According to Rivals.com, the Tigers are currently ranked No. 20 in the nation with 15 commitments, the fewest of any school inside the Top 25.

The Tigers are looking to bring in around nine additional players with the current 15 that are on the commitment list. Jay Prosch, an All-American fullback Illinois transfer, will take the remaining scholarship slot, finishing off the class of 25.

Auburn has closed extremely strong in the past two seasons with Chizik and Co. at the helm, and this season brings the same expectations from the Auburn fanbase. The Tigers faithful are expecting this class to finish with just as many fireworks as the past two seasons.

At this point, with only 15 commitments on the books, most would expect the Tigers coaching staff to be in scramble mode. With this being the last weekend to host recruits, the Tigers should be bringing in numerous secondary options for their positions of need. Usually, that is the modus operandi for programs at this point.

The fact that the Tigers staff has not scrambled to fill voids on the visitors list says two things. Either the Tigers are extremely confident in the way they will close with top targets, or they are comfortable signing only 15 players in this class.

Looking at the Tigers scholarship numbers, there is no way that they are looking to sign less than the full allotment of 25 in 2012. That would then point in the direction of confidence. The Tigers are in the mix for six of the Rivals 100. They have a number of other top recruits that are leaning heavily on the Tigers, but are waiting until signing day for their final decision.

Another big problem that the Tigers have faced was the extensive search for the coordinator replacements. Coach Chizik wanted to ensure that he made the right hire and took his time in doing so. That placed a lot of uncertainty over the Tigers program and may have slightly effected the recruiting game.

The absence of coordinators only saw the departure of one of the Tigers commitments when Ricardo Louis decided to de-commit and commit to Florida State. He has since de-commited from Florida State and remains open. Although there was not a mass defection, there was a pause that appeared on the recruiting trail right before the All-Star games.

Rivals 100 receiver Stefon Diggs is waiting until Feb. 10 for his decision, so that could stretch out this Auburn class until after signing day. The Tigers are also in the mix for a major JUCO receiver named Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson is ranked as the No. 4 JUCO player in the country by RIvals.com.

Auburn has been able to fill most of its needs in this class so far with the commitments on hand, but the Tigers are relying on the signatures of a few more positions of need. One major in-state recruit that the Tigers have pushed very hard for throughout the process has been Kwon Alexander.

The Tigers and Crimson Tide have battled for Alexander, but the Tigers from LSU have made a push for the linebacker from Oxford, Ala. as of late. Alexander is another one of the big-name recruits that Auburn is hoping to land on signing day, as most point in the direction of Auburn when predicting his final destination.

There are sure to be a few signatures that make it through the fax next Wednesday that are unexpected. Some may be elite-level talent; others will be names that have barely been whispered on recruiting websites and in the local sports pages.

One recruit in particular that has flown under the radar until most recently is Jordan Moore out of Lithonia, Ga. Moore is a track star that had accepted an offer to run track at TCU, but has begun to garner a ton of attention as a safety on the football field. Moore is not a highly-rated recruit, but could develop into a dangerous player with his 6’3”, 210-frame and 4.3 40 speed.

The Auburn coaching staff appears very confident that this class will close out extremely strong. Looking at the names that remain on the recruiting big board that are seriously considering Auburn, it is hard not to share in that confidence. At this point, however, the Tigers still only have 15 pledges.

Auburn can close well, but there is also the flop option that remains on the table with the drastic changes that come with the crazy cycles of college football recruiting. Auburn has pigeon-holed themselves, at least publicly, to the remaining big-name talent.

Despite that appearance, the Tigers are sure to have secondary and tertiary options for the signing class. Most projections have the Tigers not needing those options. The Tigers are favorites for at least two of the six remaining targets in the Rivals 100 and could realistically close with as many as four of the six.

Auburn should finish this class as strong as the last two seasons and find its ranking climb steadily until the Tigers rest somewhere inside the consensus Top 10 recruiting rankings for 2012.