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Auburn didn’t secure any more commitments on Wednesday, but they are still checking in with the No. 10 class, according to 247Sports. That makes the Tigers’ haul the third-best in the SEC behind Georgia (No. 2 nationally) and Alabama (No. 5) after the first Early Signing Day.
Of the team’s 20 current commits, 15 signed their name on the dotted line to start the early signing period, which goes through Friday.
Auburn has finished with a recruiting class that ranked between Nos. 8-11 in five of the past six years, so this year’s class is right on track with that same mark at No. 10. There is still time to improve on that ranking with the regular Signing Day coming in February, however.
Top player in the class
Name: Joey Gatewood
Position: Athlete
Rank: 4-star (No. 107 overall)
Hometown: Jacksonville, Fla. (Bartram Trail)
Skinny: Technically, wide receiver Matthew Hill is Auburn’s top rated commitment (No. 98 overall), but he isn’t planning to sign during the early signing period.
So the Tigers’ top-rated commit to sign Wednesday is Joey Gatewood, a 6-4, 232-pound athlete out of Florida.
While he’s listed as an athlete, Gatewood is expected to get a shot at playing quarterback, a position for which he has the raw tools. In fact, head coach Gus Malzahn went as far as comparing him to former star quarterback for Auburn.
Gus Malzahn to SEC Network about his latest QB signee: “Joey Gatewood is the closest thing to Cam Newton physically that I’ve seen. He can run. He can throw. He’s a big-time athlete.” #Auburn
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) December 20, 2017
How we’ll remember this class
This class has a lot of versatility. Of the 20 commitments, four are listed as athletes: Gatewood, Quindarious Monday, Richard Jibunor and Kolbi Fuqua.
We already know Gatewood is going to get a shot at quarterback, but the other three could fill multiple positions.
That abundance of versatility is important because these guys can fill in where they’re needed over the next couple of years.
Biggest need filled
We still don’t know whether junior Kerryon Johnson is going to leave early for the NFL draft. He’s expected to, however, and that leaves a sizable hole to fill at running back.
Sure, starting Kamryn Pettway and then bringing in Kam Martin as a change-of-pace runner seems like a solid option. But Pettway has not been able to stay healthy and Martin (5 feet 10, 182 pounds) isn’t big enough to be an every-down back.
The good news for the Tigers is that they added two 4-star running backs (Asa Martin and Shaun Shivers) to the current class.
Still need …
Surprisingly, Auburn should be returning a large portion of the team that made it to the SEC Championship Game this season — meaning they won’t have a ton of immediate needs.
The class could use a couple of quality offensive linemen after losing three starters (center Austin Golson, guard Braden Smith and tackle Darius James).
As of right now, the only two commitments along the offensive line are Jalil Irvin (4-star/No. 365 overall) and Kameron Stutts (3-star/No. 675 overall).
Overall early class grade
Grade: B+
Reasoning behind the grade: A top 10 recruiting class is always going to earn a good grade. But Auburn only gets a B+ because it is not in any better position than in recent years.
It’s an excellent class with room to grow, but the lack of additions at offensive line could hinder the Tigers’ depth heading into the 2018 season.
With the second signing period coming up in February, there’s still time for the Tigers to add more players at the position — which could improve this grade.
Clint helps cover the SEC West for Saturday Down South. His work can also be found on USA TODAY Sports, The 'Bama Beat podcast and The Bullpen with TonyMac and The Lamb. Previous stops include SEC Country, 247Sports and Touchdown Alabama Magazine.
