Auburn Football: No More Tommy Tuberville Recruits; Now What?

One of the most popular phrases uttered when a new coach has success in college football is “he won with the other guys' players.” Tommy Tuberville is gone and so are his recruits, what does that mean for Gene Chizik and Auburn?

It is obvious that the Tigers have won in the past few seasons with help from guys not recruited by Chizik— just look at the national title team. Auburn lost 28 seniors from the 2010 season.

Tuberville was never known for his highly rated recruiting classes, but his talent developed consistently. Under Chizik, the focus in recruiting has shifted to big-name guys.

Gene Chizik has done a great job bringing in top-rated talent in his four classes so far, bringing high hopes to the Plains as fans expect championships to continue coming.

Can the talent that is now found on Auburn’s campus come together and develop into a championship winning squad? 

Tuberville’s Classes Better Than Remembered?

When Tommy Tuberville was leading the Tigers, he was known for his player development, but very rarely for his highly rated recruiting classes.

Looking back at the recruiting rankings put together by Rivals.com, Auburn was very consistent on the recruiting trail during Tuberville’s tenure. The Tigers average class during Tuberville’s final seven seasons was No. 14 in the country.

The Tigers were very talented throughout his decade in Auburn, but a few missteps along the way killed Tuberville’s ability to keep the Auburn program on a winning path.

Tuberville’s worst season as the head coach at Auburn was 2008. The Tigers were 5-7. In correlation, Tuberville’s worst recruiting class was 2004. The Tigers finished at No. 37 according to Rivals.com.

The argument that Tuberville did a bad job recruiting was based on the lack of production from a terrible recruiting class in 2004, and the assumed lack of drive to continue to recruiting hard after Nick Saban arrived at Alabama.

Overall, Tuberville was a steady recruiter, but the Tigers needed a change.

Chizik’s Average Class Rating

Since Gene Chizik landed in Auburn, the recruiting classes have taken an obvious upswing in the national rankings.

His first season, Chizik pieced together a No. 19 ranked class in under two months. Since then, Chizik’s classes have been ranked No. 4 in 2010, No. 7 in 2011 and No. 10 in 2012, all according to Rivals.com.

The national reputation for the Tigers has risen on the recruiting trail as the Tigers' coaches have made bringing in the top recruits in the country a top priority under Chizik. Looking at the classes that Chizik has been able to produce, the Tigers are reaching a point where the talent that is on the Plains is among the top in the country.

If Gene Chizik was able to piece together a national title winning squad with Tuberville-based recruits, he should be able to build championships with the talent that is now found on campus. 

Attrition Halts Under Chizik

When Gene Chizik arrived on campus, the Tigers were short on talent and heavy on team issues. The Tigers saw a number of players leave the team for a number of reasons, mostly disciplinary issues.

Despite the early attrition that occurred, the Tigers have balanced the roster and have 76 percent of Chizik’s last two classes remaining on campus. The Tigers have 20 signees that remain from 2010 and 24 that remain from 2011.

Two signees during the 2010 class were lost to early departure and one has been lost to injury. The rest were lost to disciplinary attrition or quitting the game of football. All of the 2011 class remains.

What Chizik has done with the roster shows a focus not only on talent, but also on good fits for the program that follow the rules laid forth by the staff.

The signs are pointing toward success, it is now on Chizik to win with the talent found on the sidelines. 

Getting the Big Names to Campus

When Tuberville was at Auburn, Rivals.com rated five Auburn signees as five-star recruits. Since Chizik’s arrival, four five-star signees have signed with the Tigers.

More importantly, the four that have signed with the Tigers since Chizik’s arrival have made it to campus and been productive. Tuberville was not the best at signing talent that actually landed on the Plains or talent that ended up staying.

Raven Gray and Greg Smith were two major flops in the Tuberville tenure.

There are two five-stars signed by Chizik that have not contributed for the Tigers yet. Shon Coleman was diagnosed with Leukemia shortly after signing, and has recently been cleared for contact. Kris Frost is expected to start at outside linebacker this season.

Getting the big names on campus and on the field to contribute is another big win for the Tigers under the Chizik-era. This is a trend that the Tigers want to continue. 

Is the Future Bright, Or Dim?

At this point, leaving behind the Tommy Tuberville recruits seems like a positive for the Tigers. Gene Chizik has done a great job filling the sidelines for Auburn with talent, and now has the most complete team since his arrival in Auburn.

This year is the tipping point for Chizik's tenure at Auburn. With a team full of his guys, winning has never been more important.

The Tigers relied heavily on young contributors a year ago and came out with a mediocre eight-win season. Auburn expects more wins in 2012. It all starts on the recruiting trail.

As long as Gene Chizik continues to recruit top talent, the Tigers should contend for championships. Landing top talent that contributed was the exception under Tuberville, it has become the rule under Chizik.

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