Auburn Football: In-State Recruiting Strong for the 2011 Class

In 2008, none of the top 10 players in Alabama committed to Auburn.

This was not the first year this had happened. Tommy Tuberville had even made statements to the effect that Auburn could not compete for these players in state.

The landscape in Alabama has changed with the arrival of Gene Chizik. Auburn signed five of the top 10 players from Alabama in 2010. It is the single largest factor that condemns the effort of Tommy Tuberville in recruiting during his last years at Auburn.

Auburn’s recruiters have set their sights on 17 top recruits from within the state and are recruiting hard. Two of the top players in Alabama have already committed. There were three, but one has changed his mind since.

While it is certain that Auburn will not get all of these recruits, it is also certain that they will at least get its share. It has been a hallmark of the Auburn program since the arrival of Coach Gene Chizik.

Auburn has a lot of seniors that will be moving on after the 2010 football season. These players must be replaced with the best talent if Auburn is going to avoid a step back. The Auburn staff is evaluating and offering the best recruits in the nation.

There is no more of looking for recruits under the radar.

While this staff has proved very effective at this, they are going after and getting the best recruits in the nation. Here is the list of recruits the Auburn staff are targeting, according to ESPN.

While it is still very early a quick look at this list shows that Auburn will again have a very good recruiting class. Auburn is in the lead for many of these players at this point. The problem is going to be the 25-recruit limit by the NCAA.

There will only be 25 slots to fill. These slots will likely go to the recruits that are smart enough to make their choice early. Six of these spots are already gone; that leaves 19 more to fill.

Will they be filled from recruits on this list?

Only time will tell.

One thing is certain: Auburn will again pull a very strong class from the state of Alabama. There is a very good chance that Auburn will pull the majority of the top players from this state in 2011.

Here is a list of current verbal commitments, according to ESPN . While I don’t think Spencer Region should be on this list, as he is certainly not committed, the rest seem fairly solid at this point. 

I expect Auburn to take the following types of recruits for the 2011 class: one quarterback, two running backs, two offensive guards (one already committed), one offensive center (one already committed), two offensive tackles, three receivers, two defensive tackles, three defensive ends, four linebackers (one already committed), and five defensive backs (one already committed).

I do not expect Auburn to take any kickers or punters this year.

The goal for Coach Gene Chizik is to recruit an almost complete team every year. This avoids a big downturn with the graduation of key players. This will be the third year this strategy has been in effect.

This is likely the most important recruiting class since Coach Gene Chizik arrived at Auburn. This class will establish the depth and talent level for the future. The two classes before this year were filling immediate needs.

If Auburn is successful in recruiting this year, the program will have been completely restored to a healthy sustainable condition.

This will have accomplished one of the main goals that Coach Gene Chizik was hired to accomplish.