Stanton Truitt Commits to Auburn: Tigers Land Versatile Athlete from Georgia

Stanton Truitt, a 5'10'', 180-pound athlete from Monroe, Ga., pledged his commitment to War Eagle on Wednesday afternoon—Auburn's second big commitment in two days after landing Elite 11 MVP (not gold medal-winning snowboarder) QB Sean White on Tuesday

According to Rivals.com, Truitt was impressed by the team's dedication after visiting, which helped aide his decision. Per the report:

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"Everybody that's involved at Auburn is so great," Truitt told AuburnSports.com. "When I visited Auburn last, there must have been most of the team working out in the weight room on a Saturday. That shows the dedication they are putting into the team trying to turn this thing around. And from talking to the players, they were welcoming me with open arms. Those things stood out to me."

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Truitt is a 3-star recruit and the 38th-ranked athlete in 247Sports' composite. As of his commitment, he is the fourth-highest member of that list consigned to the SEC next year, trailing No. 2 athlete Jalen Hurd (Tennessee), No. 3 athlete Bo Scarbrough (Alabama) and No. 12 athlete Jamoral Graham (Mississippi State).

He played quarterback as a junior last season, finishing with almost 2,500 yards and 28 touchdowns. According to Rivals writer Justin Hokanson, those numbers (which were good enough to win him athlete of the year honors in Region 8-AAAA) came in spite of missing four games due to injury:

Truitt, who is expected to play wide receiver and wildcat QB for the Tigers, is a huge coup for new head coach Gus Malzahn. He chose Auburn over offers from Arkansas, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Stanford, UCLA and many, many more.

Bringing in a versatile, sought-after weapon like Truitt and a blue-chip quarterback like White in back-to-back days is a big step in the right direction for a program that struggled historically in 2012. Auburn has jumped up eight spots in the latest 247Sports class rankings and now checks in at No. 18 in the country.

Big things are always expected in Auburn, and 2013 is no different. But even if things don't go according to plan in year one, Gus Malzahn has built a nice foundation for the future.