Auburn turned in a top-10 class at the conclusion of Wednesday's national signing day, but head coach Gus Malzahn may be looking to add more pieces to his 2020 roster.
Malzahn's staff signed 26 new Tigers in its 2020 class. With the departure of No. 1 running back Boobee Whitlow on Tuesday, Auburn is now projected to have 84 scholarship players on the roster for next season. So there's certainly space available, and Malzahn said he'll have a few positions in mind when surveying the transfer market.
"We possibly could still take a grad transfer offensive lineman or a corner," Malzahn said.
Auburn loses four of its five offensive line starters from a unit that struggled in run-blocking last season, and it welcomes in a new offensive line coach in Jack Bicknell Jr. for 2020.
Malzahn signed five offensive linemen this class, including two junior college players, but he and Auburn's staff missed on 5-star offensive tackle Broderick Jones late in the recruiting period. Jones was committed to Georgia for two years, but he started taking more visits once Bulldogs O-line coach Sam Pittman left to become Arkansas' head coach. Ultimately, Jones stuck with his commitment and signed with Georgia on Wednesday after cancelling an official visit to Auburn last weekend at the last minute.
Auburn also went in a different direction and did not sign JUCO offensive tackle Jonathan Buskey, who committed a year ago.
Legitimate competition is expected at all four vacant spots along the line except for center, where rising junior Nick Brahms reprises his starting role from last season. The introduction of a grad transfer could help to fill a gap along the line where Malzahn feels another year is needed to develop a younger player.
"There's going to be some good competition," Malzahn said of the offensive line Wednesday.
In the defensive backfield, Auburn also loses four of its five starters. Safeties Jeremiah Dinson and Daniel Thomas and cornerback Javaris Davis were seniors, while corner Noah Igbinoghene left early for the NFL draft. That leaves just rising junior Christian Tutt as the lone returning starter at the nickel position.
Rising junior Roger McCreary, who took a big step as the No. 3 corner last season, figures to be the top option there, and safeties Jamien Sherwood and Smoke Monday will look to fill Dinson and Thomas' shoes after being groomed by the veterans for two seasons.
But past McCreary, there isn't much certainty as to who will step up at the No. 2 and No. 3 corner spots.
Youngsters Nehemiah Pritchett and Zion Puckett played sparingly last season, and the Tigers also added a JUCO corner this class in Marco Domio. There are also reserve seniors Jordyn Peters and Devan Barrett, as well as juniors Traivon Leonard and Malcolm Askew.
Malzahn added later in his press conference that Auburn's staff has an idea as to how they'll replace two-year starting punter Arryn Siposs, who declared after his junior year for the NFL draft.
"We feel like we’ve got a real good plan already," Malzahn said. "I’m not ready to sit here and say what that is. But we have thought through that very extensively. Losing Siposs was obviously a big surprise toward the end. But we’ve got a plan, and probably be better off to say that at a later date."
Auburn signed Evan McGuire as a preferred walk-on this class, as the only other player on the roster who punted at all last season was quarterback Bo Nix in pooch-punt situations. McGuire played both kicker and punter in high school.
Spring practice for Auburn begins March 16.
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