Enrolling early

AUBURN, Ala. | Landon RiceClick [rl]Here to view this Link. was Auburn's first commitment for the 2016 class, announcing his decision a year and a half ago. Now, he'll be one of the first of his class to enroll.

The standout from Calhoun (Ga.) High is planning to graduate in December and enroll at Auburn in January.

"I think he's going to graduate early. That's what his plans are," Calhoun head coach Hal Lamb said. "I know he's a good student and is working hard on his academics. He'll be an early enrollee."

Rice has been a two-way standout for Lamb, playing both tight and defensive end.

"He's a really good player and even a better kid," Lamb said. "He has a high motor and he's very coachable. You don't have to tell him but once or twice to do anything and he's going to do it to the best of his ability. His technique is very good. He's just what you want in a football player. He's smart, he knows the game, he works hard, he's got a great work ethic.

"We're not doing a whole lot with him because we know he can play. We're mainly looking at our younger kids but he's had a really, really good spring."

Rice played between 245 and 250 pounds last season. He's up to 255 this spring.

"He's worked extremely hard in the offseason. He's in the weight room every day," Lamb said.

As a junior, Rice caught 13 passes for 154 yards and a touchdown, and had 78 tackles (41 solo), nine tackles-for-loss and five sacks. He plans to play tight end at Auburn.

"I think it's the perfect place for him as much as Auburn uses the tight end and H-back. I think he's a perfect fit for what Auburn does and he understands that and is excited about that," Lamb said.

Lamb has guided Calhoun to 12 Region championships, seven state championship games, the Class AA state championship in 2011 and the Class AAA championship last season.

The Yellow Jackets were 15-0 in their first season moving up to AAA capping off the season with a 27-20 win over Washington County in the title game last December.

"People really don't know how hard it is to win a state championship," Lamb said. "It was one of those years where we had a good football team but the most important thing is we had tremendous chemistry.

"Landon fit right in. He was a leader for our football team and a big, big part of our championship."

Calhoun returns seven starters on offense and six on defense from last season.

"We've got a good nucleus coming back and I'm real excited about that but we've got to keep them grounded."

Auburn linebacker commitment Tre Threat also plans to be an early enrollee.