5 years of Auburn recruiting under Gus Malzahn: How they've panned out

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/aldotcomSports/status/828943352267685888

A review of the 105 players to sign with and transfer to Auburn from 2013-16 - two failed to qualify, though Jason Smith later did out of junior college - shows players from outside the three southeastern states where the Tigers traditionally find their most talent have been comparatively far more likely to leave the program.

There were 17 players from outside Alabama, Florida and Georgia to come to Auburn from 2013-16, of which two (Blake Countess and T.J. Neal) were graduate transfers. Of the remaining 15, five left the program, with Elijah Daniel (Avon, Ind.), D'haquille Williams (LaPlace, La.) and Jovon Robinson (Memphis, Tenn.), the latter two prominent junior college transfers, each failing to complete their college career on the Plains due to disciplinary issues.

Those figures compare to 16 players from outside the three southeastern states who did not complete their eligibility at Auburn for one reason or another.

Of the nine quarterbacks to sign with Auburn over the past five years - Jason Smith was never truly considered a candidate at quarterback and switched to wide receiver after less than a week - Stidham is the first from outside the program's recruiting footprint.

Both running backs from outside Auburn's hotbed, Artis-Payne and Robinson were junior college transfers.

Auburn has signed 23 defensive linemen with Rodney Garner on staff, including four of the program's eight five-star recruits in that time. The first two in that group, Carl Lawson and Montravius Adams, are headed to the NFL.

changes on Auburn's coaching staff are detectable in the recruiting patterns at those positions, yet no offensive lineman or linebacker signee has left the program over the last four-plus years.

While former wide receivers coach Dameyune Craig recruited all of Auburn's wide receivers prior to this year, he did so mostly in Florida and Georgia and did his in-state recruiting at other positions, mainly linebacker. This year's two receiver signees both being from in-state, while a small sample, shows what could be a different approach on the recruiting trail from Kodi Burns.

Former offensive line coach J.B. Grimes focused more in Georgia and to points west than Herb Hand, who has three of five signees from the southeast, though Ashley moved.

Defensive back has seen the most personnel turnover, which comes of little surprise given Greg Brown is Auburn's fifth secondary coach in four years.

Of the 49 players to come to Auburn in 2013 and 2014 combined, 17 did not complete their careers with the program. Of that group, six are defensive backs with the next largest group of departures coming at receiver (four) and defensive linemen (three).