DE Carl Lawson Is the Key to Will Muschamp's Auburn Success

Auburn bought the coordinator equivalent of a muscle car when it announced late Friday night that former Florida head coach Will Muschamp had agreed to a three-year deal worth somewhere between $1.6 million and $1.8 million, according to Chris Low and Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com.

If Muschamp is the muscle car, defensive end Carl Lawson is the fuel additive.

The 6'2", 261-pound Alpharetta, Georgia, native had a stellar freshman campaign in 2013, notching 20 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks while serving as a rotational defensive end. In the 2013 Iron Bowl, Lawson made a key fourth-down stop on Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon in the red zone late in the fourth quarter. That stop kept Auburn in the game, which it eventually won on a "kick six."

2014 was supposed to be the season in which he stepped up from "situational star" to "every-down stud." But an ACL injury ended Lawson's season before it started, which hampered the Tigers pass rush all year. 

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Under former coordinator Ellis Johnson, the Tigers managed just 20 sacks—tied for the third-worst mark in the conference. Despite that fact, Muschamp is excited about the future of the front seven on the Plains.

"I think the front seven is very strong," he said in his introductory press conference. "Just looking at some of the guys up front, I recruited a bunch of them. I'm looking forward to coaching some of them that turned me down."

One of the players he specifically mentioned is Lawson, according to Ryan Black of the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer:

According to Justin Hokanson of 247Sports, the "burst" off the edge returned in December, and Lawson will practice this month as the Tigers prepare for a showdown with Wisconsin in the Outback Bowl. He could play in the bowl game, but that would burn his redshirt, and Muschamp would probably prefer to have Lawson sit and return in 2015 as a redshirt sophomore.

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His return would be huge for the 2015 Tigers.

Lawson can be the next Dante Fowler.

Fowler made waves in Gainesville under Muschamp, racking up 31 tackles for loss in three seasons and earning first-team All-SEC honors from the SEC's coaches as a junior in 2014. The 6'3" 260-pounder was stout against the run but also quick off the edge, and he made a living in opponents' backfields, which caused mistakes from quarterbacks and put opposing offenses behind the chains.

If Lawson can come back and be a Fowler clone, it will complete the defensive puzzle for the Tigers.

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More of a punch line than a power, Auburn still has quality players on that side of the ball—it just never seemed to come together for all of them at any point over the final two months of the season.

Cornerback Jonathan Jones was a second-team All-SEC defensive back and finished the season with six interceptions—the second-most in the conference. Linebackers Cassanova McKinzy and Kris Frost had up-and-down seasons, but when they shine—like they did in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game—they're two of the best. Defensive tackle Montravius Adams is a monster in the middle of the line who not only takes up space but is also quick on his feet and tough to block.

The foundation is already there for Muschamp to orchestrate a dramatic turnaround in 2015 as long as he can find a way to get pressure on the quarterback. Lawson should be that guy.

If he comes back at or near 100 percent, Muschamp's new defense could become a power sooner rather than later.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a co-host of the CFB Hangover on Bleacher Report Radio (Sundays, 9-11 a.m. ET) on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of cfbstats.com, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.