Auburn Football: 2008 Recruiting Breakdown

The Auburn Tigers' 2008 recruiting season was solid, but not up to par with previous seasons under coach Tommy Tuberville.

It was topsy-turvy from the beginning for the Tigers, starting with the loss of offensive coordinator Al Borges before the bowl game, forcing them to introduce recruits to a brand new coordinator and new spread offense.

Then there were the rumors swirling around Tuberville when he was involved in contract negotiations about whether he was entertaining thoughts of another job.

The final blow was losing Will Muschamp to Texas in January.

Despite the distractions, Auburn still signed a solid class to fill their needs. Here's a breakdown of how Auburn fared...

Quarterback

Deron Furr 6-3, 215

Barrett Trotter 6-2, 200

Chris Todd (Junior College) 6-3, 220

Grade: B+

Analysis

Auburn needed a new kind of quarterback for their new offense and they got just that with Trotter and Furr who are both very athletic. Trotter ran the spread in high school, threw for 3,400 yards, ran for 600, and accounted for 53 touchdowns his senior season.

Furr is one of the top athletes in this class; he won a state championship in Georgia, accounted for 30 touchdowns his senior year, and chose Auburn over Florida State.

Todd, originally from Kentucky, ran the spread in high school and passed for more than 10,000 yards. He signed with Texas Tech out of high school, then transferred after one season to a junior college. Now he will be a real contender to start at Auburn next season.

Running Back

Reggie Hunt 5-10, 180

Eric Smith 5-11, 235

Onterrio McCalebb 5-10, 175

Grade: B

Analysis

Auburn is pretty set at running back this year, but will lose two backs after this season. Auburn got one of their top targets in Hunt who was the best back in Alabama this year. He has explosive speed and fits perfectly in the new spread offense. Hunt chose Auburn over West Virginia and Florida.

Smith is a versatile player who can play fullback and tailback. He rushed for more than 2,000 yards and had 37 touchdowns his last two years. He has good hands out of the backfield and will remind Auburn fans of Rudi Johnson. Smith chose Auburn over Clemson.

McCalebb is an extremely fast prospect from Florida who is also a perfect fit, but looks to be headed to JUCO before he can play at Auburn. He chose Auburn over West Virginia, Clemson, and Michigan.

Wide Receiver

Harry Adams 6-0, 180

Darvin Adams 6-2, 190

Derek Winter 6-1, 185

Philip Pierre-Louis 5-10, 180

Damion Allen 6-1, 180

Grade: B

Analysis

Wide receiver was a big need with a new offense coming in. Auburn needed some more play-makers and they got some good ones.

Harry Adams is a former track star who was the fastest player in his classification in the state of Florida in the 100 meters. He chose Auburn over Florida, LSU, and Florida State.

Darvin Adams is a player who played quarterback and safety. He had 11 TDs on offense and 100 tackles on defense. He chose Auburn over Tennessee.

Winter is one of the more under the radar guys in this class. he was All-State in 4A in Florida this year and had almost 1,700 yards receiving this year to go along with 18 TD's.

Pierre-Louis led St. Thomas Aquinas to a state championship in Florida this year and has been clocked at a 4.28 40, consistently running in the 4.3's. He should be a perfect fit for Auburn's new offense. Damion Allen is another talented receiver from Florida, but is already enrolled in JUCO and will have to be there for a couple of years.

Tight End

Vance Smith 6-4, 240

Ken Adams 6-4, 230

Grade: B

Analysis

Tight End wasn't a big need for the Tigers this year. They needed at least one, got an early commitment from a player they really liked in Smith, and they were pretty much done. Adams was a late addition but is headed to JUCO to start his career.

Offensive Line

Jermaine Johnson 6-6, 320

Freddie Smooth 6-5, 300

Grade: A

Analysis

Jermaine Johnson was the top target for Auburn this year at offensive line and is one of the top tackles in the country coming out of Hargrave Military Academy. He has only played football for two years, playing basketball most of his career, so his best days are ahead of him.

Smooth is a big prospect from Louisiana who chose Auburn over Oklahoma. He can play both offensive and defensive lines at Auburn. Smooth is extremely athletic for his size and could help Auburn immediately at DT if they choose to move him there.

Defensive Line

Raven Gray 6-5, 265 (DE)

Cameron Henderson 6-6, 240 (DE)

Jomarcus Savage 6-3, 265 (DE/LB)

Andre Wadley 6-2, 245 (DE)

Derrick Lykes 6-4, 270 (DE/DT)

Grade: B+

Analysis

Auburn loaded up on some impact defensive linemen this year—a position where you can never have enough good players. Gray might be the top prospect in this entire class. He signed with Auburn out of JUCO this year and is a dominating player who will have a chance to start this season.

Henderson has a great motor, rare size, and quicks. He had 90 tackles his senior year from the end spot.. Henderson chose Auburn over Tennessee.

Savage is a player who, at 260, actually played some LB for his team this year as well. He had a big senior season with 24 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. He chose Auburn over Tennessee and South Carolina.

Wadley was dominating at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game and showed why he was one of the best prospects from the state of Mississippi. He chose Auburn over Miss. State.

Lykes was a real steal for Auburn. He was injured only three games into his senior season and didn't play again.. He had 10 sacks as a junior and has good speed for his size, running a 4.8 last year.

Linebacker

Deshaun Barnes 6-2, 210

Spencer Pybus 6-1, 210

Grade: C+

Analysis

Auburn didn't need a bunch of linebackers this year, just a few impact guys. They missed out on some top targets and will really need a solid LB class next year.

Barnes, from Tallahassee, actually played safety in high school. He is very athletic and hits hard.

Pybus got a late offer because of the Tigers missing out on some other guys. He wasn't highly recruited, but his numbers are extremely impressive. He had 270 tackles his last two years in high school and, at a recent combine, he ran a 4.5, had a vertical jump of 40 inches, and had 39 reps on the bench press. He actually recorded the highest SPARQ/combine rating in it's history.

Defensive Back

Neiko Lipscomb 6-2, 185 (CB/S)

T'Sharvan Bell 6-1, 190 (CB)

Drew Cole 6-0, 180 (CB)

D'Antonie Hood 5-10, 185 (CB)

Marcus Jemison 6-2, 190 (S)

Christian Thompson 6-1, 200 (S)

Grade B

Analysis

Defensive backs were a big need for Auburn this year since they are losing three corners and a safety. Lipscomb was selected to the Under Armour All-American game.. He is a big player who could play corner or safety. He chose Auburn over Georgia and Alabama.

Bell was high on Auburn's board and is a really athletic player who played quarterback on his high school team, as well as corner. He had eight interceptions as a senior. Bell chose Auburn over Clemson and Georgia Tech.

Cole was one of Auburn's earliest commits.. He runs a 4.4 and had 170 tackles and seven interceptions his last two seasons. He also played running back for his team and rushed for 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns the last two season.

Hood was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game and more than held his own against the top receiver in the nation, Julio Jones. He is the cousin of former Auburn cornerback and current Arizona Cardinal, Roderick Hood.

Jemison is one of the better all-around athletes in this class. He played quarterback and safety in high school and had six interceptions as a junior. He chose Auburn over Clemson and Arkansas.

Thompson could play safety or outside linebacker. He has ideal size and great speed.. He had 76 tackles and 14 tackles for loss his senior season. Thompson chose Auburn over Miami and LSU.

Recruiting Awards

Top Offensive Player: Barrett Trotter, QB

Honorable Mention: Reggie Hunt, RB

Top Defensive Player: Raven Gray, DE

Honorable Mention: Marcus Jemison, S

Most Underrated: Christian Thompson, S

Honorable Mention: Derrick Lykes, DE

Immediate Impact: Chris Todd, QB

Honorable Mention: Jermaine Johnson, OT

Best Athlete: Deron Furr, QB

Honorable Mention: T'Sharvan Bell, DB