Auburn Football Recruiting 2012: The Latest on the Tigers Top Remaining Targets

College football is now less than 24 hours from signing day, the new national holiday for college football fanatics. Recruiting has become an inexact science that has led to an overwhelming following in the past decade as fans have become more knowledgeable of the game and how their teams are developed.

The Auburn Tigers head into signing day with only 15 commitments on the books, the smallest class inside any current Top 25 recruiting ranking list. What does that mean for the Tigers? Did the coordinator search hurt the recruiting efforts as the Tigers were looking to secure a class and a new set of play-callers?

Numerous things go into what develops a signing class, so yes, all those things mattered this year. One of the bigger ingredients for the Tigers' lack of commitments also has to do with the talent they are targeting this season. With Auburn closing with so many top recruits, signing day has become more important than ever for the Tigers.

As we look forward to signing day, here are the top five recruits left on Auburn’s big board. These recruits are holding out until the final hour, but Auburn looks to close with at least two of these five. Here are the projections of how Auburn looks to close with these top five talents. 

Follow @ianb1448 

Eddie Goldman: DT, Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington, D.C.

Rankings

Rivals: No. 2 DT, No. 7 Overall

247sports: No. 3 DT, No. 14 Overall

ESPN: No. 1 DT, No. 10 Overall

Scout: No. 4 DL

Goldman is an elite defensive tackle from the D.C. area. He has played his high school career in a program that has lacked cutting-edge equipment to develop his talents beyond raw skill and technique. That is what makes this prospect so scary. In a college-level weight program, he will become a beast in the trenches.

Goldman has all of the traits that you look for in a stud defensive tackle. He has aggression at the line and uses his big body to leverage his opponent well. Goldman is said to be down to just two schools, Auburn and Florida State. The Auburn coaches have applied a full-court press visiting his home this past week.

The last coaching staff to visit with Goldman was Florida State, so that apparently gives the Noles the edge. Auburn has always thought to have been a dark horse in this race, but at this point, they appear to be at the front of the pack.

Maryland is also making a late push, but it may be too late for a third party to enter the equation.

Considering: Auburn, Florida State, Maryland

Prediction: Florida State

Ronald Darby: DB, Potomac High School, Oxon Hill, Md.

Rankings

Rivals: No. 2 CB, No. 68 Overall

247sports: No. 1 CB, No. 16 Overall

ESPN: No. 3 CB, No. 38 Overall

Scout: No. 1 CB

Ronald Darby is a very unique prospect in this year’s class. He brings elite speed and athleticism to the field, as well as great field awareness. He started out his recruitment with a commitment to Notre Dame, but has since pulled away from that commitment.

The Auburn coaches have been pushing hard for his signature, as Darby will look to be an instant-impact type guy at the very least on special teams. He will have to touch up on his coverage skills and build on his aggression at the point of attack, but as a cover corner, he shows a lot of promise.

Darby is down to three schools—Auburn, Florida State and Notre Dame—with the Irish looking from the outside in. It looks like Auburn is in good shape with Darby, but there is always a strong competition with Florida State, as they have some of the best recruiters in the country.

Considering: Auburn, Florida State, Notre Dame

Prediction: Auburn

Stefon Diggs: WR, Our Lady of Good Counsel, Olney, Md.

Rankings

Rivals: No. 2 WR, No. 8 Overall

247sports: No. 2 WR, No. 10 Overall

ESPN: No. 3 ATH, No. 13 Overall

Scout: No. 2 WR

Diggs has been one of the more elusive recruits throughout the recruiting process. Not elusive in a sense of lack of exposure—Diggs loves the spotlight—but elusive in who he will choose on the 10th of February. He has bounced between a few schools, but through the fog, most expect Auburn and Florida to be the leaders.

Maryland has come on strong late in the process for Diggs, but it still looks to be an SEC team that will render his signature next week. Diggs plans to take all of his official visits before the process is finished, although he has likely made his decision between one of the two he has already taken to Auburn and Gainesville.

Diggs will bring elite speed and athleticism to the slot position and could be a game changer for any offense. Both Auburn and Florida could likely find roles for him to put his talents on display. Diggs is a toss-up that changes with the wind, but at this point, it looks to be the Gators.

Considering: Auburn, Florida, Maryland, Ohio State

Prediction: Florida

Kwon Alexander: LB, Oxford High School, Oxford, Ala.

Rankings

Rivals: No. 20 OLB, NR Overall

247sports: No. 9 OLB, No. 104 Overall

ESPN: No. 3 OLB, No. 29 Overall

Scout: No. 3 OLB

Kwon Alexander has had one of the more interesting recruitments of any stud linebacker out of the state of Alabama in some time. Alexander injured his knee this past September, which made his recruitment cool just a bit.

Alexander is a rangy linebacker that could make an instant impact on special teams and possibly in a reserve role on defense. He has a great wrap tackle and finds the holes well on a blitz call. Look for Alexander to be very impactful at the next level no matter what team lands him.

That is where the discussion gets interesting. Auburn has been high on Alexander and vice versa for the majority of the process. Alexander has played things quite closely to the vest, but Auburn has been very comfortable with their position in his recruitment.

As of late, LSU has made a strong push for the Oxford High School linebacker. Auburn has been relentless on the trail and has made it apparent that Alexander is a top priority, as Auburn has two linebacker commitments to LSU’s five. Where he lands is anyone’s guess, but the in-state Tigers get the nod.

Considering: Auburn, LSU

Projection: Auburn

Avery Young: OT, Palm Beach Gardens High School, Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

Rankings

Rivals: No. 9 OT, No. 74 Overall

247sports: No. 29 OT, NR Overall

ESPN: No. 8 OT, No. 61 Overall

Scout: No. 5 OT

Auburn is in need of elite linemen. They have three already committed in this class, with two that are already on campus, but the Tigers are looking to finish this class with five to six total offensive linemen. Avery Young would be a great addition for the Tigers in this class.

Young is a big and athletic lineman. He is aggressive at the point of attack and has the build that could add more weight without affecting his speed and athleticism. Young has been extremely quiet on the recruiting trail, even going so far to say that his mother doesn’t even know which school he will attend, as reported here by auburnundercover.com.

Young will announce his decision on ESPN’s family of networks at 1 p.m. CST. Florida, Miami (Fl), Auburn and Georgia are the leaders at this point, with any of the schools being a choice that would not surprise those that have followed his recruitment. Young has the chance to be an instant impact-type guy, and that may factor in his decision.

Considering: Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Miami (Fl)

Projection: Auburn