Auburn welcomes in 16 signees
It was an up-and-down recruiting cycle for Bryan Harsin and Auburn. But, when it mattered most, Harsin and the staff finished strong.
Auburn landed seven new players this week and signed 16 of its 18 commits. The two that did not sign are Caden Story and Tre Donaldson — Donaldson already signed to play basketball at Auburn and Story will wait until February.
"Great day for Auburn," Harsin said. "Excited about the class we signed."
Austin Ausberry — DB
Ausberry is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
The highest-rated signee in Auburn's class and straight out of LSU's backyard. Auburn had to hold off the legacy school in LSU and a late push from Corey Raymond at Florida, but got a commitment from Ausberry on Monday and Ausberry signed with the program on Wednesday.
"Austin Ausberry, a young man we got from Louisiana, excited to have him in the secondary," cornerbacks coach Zac Etheridge said. "The guy brings a lot of skillset in playing corner, safety or nickel. Looking forward to having him. Excited about what he can do. Welcome to the family."
Robert Woodyard — LB
Woodyard is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
Auburn's first-year staff was able to complete the first Alabama-to-Auburn since Stephen Roberts in 2014. It was a Signing Day splash that captured some national attention and turned heads for this recruiting class.
"When I first started recruiting him, the first thing that jumped out was his love for the game of football," inside linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding said. "That’s something that we’re looking for, a kid that truly lives and breathes the sport. He is a physical presence when you watch him play and that’s what you can expect going forward.
"This is a young man who has played the game in the box. Who has been one of the highly-recruited players in this state for a long time. He understands the game and what he brings to it, and that is a physical presence in the middle of the Auburn defense for years to come."
Damari Alston — RB
Alston is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
Probably the most vocal of the class, as soon as Auburn got a commitment from Damari Alston in the summer he went to work. He was a vital part in helping Auburn's staff and bringing in other recruits to Auburn.
"I’m super excited for this young man to be joining the Auburn family," running back coach Cadillac Williams said. "He’s a guy who’s humble, a guy who works hard and a guy that’s going to fit into out culture. Now, what he brings on the football field, I’m telling you he’s a downhill runner, a one-cut guy.
"A guy with great vision, great balance. I just love the way this guy breaks tackles and bounces off people. So the Auburn people, we’re getting a really good back in Damari Alston."
JaDarian Rhym — CB
Rhym is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
A late flip in the class, Auburn was hot in the pursuit of the former LSU commit for awhile. Zac Etheridge, Derek Mason and Trovon Reed all worked hard to get Rhym and were able to land a commitment from him Tuesday and the official signature on Wednesday.
"Really excited about what he can do," cornerbacks coach Zac Etheridge said. "Great student-athlete with a 3.6 GPA. Really excited about what he can do playing that corner nickel. He’s a guy we’re expecting to be a great addition early."
Micah Riley-Ducker — TE
Riley-Ducker is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
Auburn went into the Midwest and went head-to-head against Iowa, a program with heavy success at the tight end spot, and won. Riley-Ducker joined the class over the summer and has the frame and ability as a blocker and pass-catcher to be an impact at tight end.
"A big, long, physical tight end that really can get on the field and do it all," tight ends coach Brad Bedell said. "Had an unbelievable senior year to go along with a junior year, and we saw a lot of upside and improvement through his senior year. We’re really excited to have Micah for two reasons: One he’s a great young man and two he’s just a great, physical tight end that’s going to bring a lot of value to our room, that fits in our room personally and we’re excited to have him."
Keionte Scott — CB
Scott is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
Auburn got one of its three Signing Day commitments from the JUCO ranks in Scott. Out of Snow College, Scott has four years to play three seasons. Tennesee tried to make a late push, but Auburn held on.
"This guy brings a lot of versatility in the backend," cornerbacks coach Zac Etheridge said. "Really excited about what he can do. Has a great skillset. Has return ability in the kicking game. Excited to have him as part of the brotherhood we are building at Auburn. Welcome to the family."
Omari Kelly — WR
Kelly is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
With a combination of size and speed, the in-state receiver has a chance to come in and make an immediate impact in Auburn's WR room. While some other schools pursued Kelly as a DB, Auburn was all in on the idea of adding him to the class as a WR.
"Omari Kelly, really excited to have him here for the Auburn Tigers," receivers coach Eric Kiesau said. "He’s a local kid here from the state of Alabama and I’ll tell you what, he’s very electric, playmaker with great hands, can go vertical down the field but I think the one thing you’re really going to like about him that you’ll see is that he’s got that competitive nature just the way he carries himself. Like I said, really good player, can’t wait to get him out here and get him going, have a chance early."
Marquise Gilbert — S
Gilbert is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
Auburn was looking to add someone that can step in and play right away at safety and did just that in landing Gilbert. The JUCO safety can immediately step in with Bydarrius Knighten gone and likely Smoke Monday gone, too.
"Marquise Gilbert is what you want in a long safety," defensive coordinator Derek Mason said. "Man, he’s played corner so his ability to go outside, play inside, tremendous ball-skill and range, but physical tackler. His impact will be felt immediately in this secondary. Especially with some of our older guys leaving.
"We definitely expect him to impact this roster immediately and are really looking forward to this junior college phenom stepping on our campus and right into our lineup."
Camden Brown — WR
Brown is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
Brown's recruitment was a little wild from an Auburn standpoint, but ultimately, he ended up an Auburn Tiger. The St. Thomas Aquinas receiver is a big, physical presence on the outside. Something Auburn lacked this season.
"A big, strong, physical receiver that can really run, stretch the field," receivers coach Eric Kiesau said. "Really excited about him and his development as he gets through the process here. He's going to have a great career here at Auburn University."
Holden Geriner — QB
Geriner is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
Auburn's high school QB in the class, Geriner was an Elite 11 QB and just finished his high school career as a 4A state champ in Georgia. He's a pro-style quarterback that fits the system Harsin is looking to run.
"First of all, he played his best game in the state championship and won," Harsin said. "But go all the way back to when he committed to us and chose Auburn as his school of choice. All he's done from that point on is gotten better. Every single game, every time I've seen him, he's just been on this steady climb of just improving and getting better.
"And you can see it; not just physically. Physically, he's gotten better; his understanding of the game has improved; his leadership has gotten better. He's had a chance to come to multiple games and be in this environment and watch our team play. I think he's got a presence about him. He's got a wonderful family. I think there's a strong relationship there and a lot of trust. So he's just been continually improving."
EJ Harris — OL
Harris is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
The lone offensive line addition in the class so far, Auburn High's very own is going from the "Baby Tigers" to the Tigers. Harris has the body to play tackle down the line, but will start at guard under Will Friend's system and be developed into a tackle.
"Excited about having EJ," Friend said. "Athletic, smart, tough player. Plays extremely hard. Brings the athletic ability to the room that we need. Excited to have him. Great to have a local player that grew up here in Auburn. His family’s about Auburn. Can't wait to see him here in the spring."
Powell Gordon — LB
Gordon is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
Another Auburn High product, Auburn brought in Gordon early in the class. As time went on, with big performances against Central and IMG Academy, the commitment looked better and better. He's going to start out as linebacker, but can play some edge, too.
"A local player that’s right down the road starting in our backyard," inside linebackers coach Jeff Schmedding said. "Got to know him through the recruiting process and his family. Came up to camp. What you’re going to get out of Powell is No. 1 a high motor player. This kid goes full tilt every single play.
"Very versatile player whether he’s in the box rushing off the edge. We are so excited to have he and his family become a part of our family and the best is yet to come with Powell."
Jay Fair — WR
Fair is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
Fair is a blazing fast wide receiver out of Texas. But don't let his size fool you, he can go up and get it, too. As an early enrollee and with Auburn's departures in the receiver room, don't rule out an immediate impact from Fair.
“Very, very excited for this young man," receivers coach Eric Kiesau said. "He's from Rockwall, Texas. He brings a nature and a competitive side to him. He's 5'10", 180 pounds and he's very explosive, very smart. The things you can't see on film are the things you're really going to like about this young man.
"Just a great competitor, studies the game, asks great questions, like I said very competitive. He has a demeanor about him that I'm really excited to get on the field and represent Auburn for us here. He'll be a great Tiger for us.”
Enyce Sledge — DT
Sledge is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
A somewhat late addition to the class, Sledge was offered by Nick Eason just a few weeks ago. The former Baylor commit hopped onboard on Tuesday and can be a versatile piece along the defensive line for Auburn.
"Enyce is a big nose tackle that brings toughness," Eason said. "He brings the ability to stop the run, plug the A-gaps, he can push the pocket in the passing game. Great character kid, he loves football. We’re really excited to have him at Auburn."
Caleb Wooden — S
Wooden is an early enrollee and will report to Auburn's campus in January.
After committing to Auburn in the summer, Wooden put together a strong senior season to build himself some momentum before signing with the Tigers. The younger brother of current Auburn DL Colby Wooden, Caleb has the potential to make an impact in the secondary and on special teams.
"Caleb Wooden is a long, dynamic safety with great range," defensive coordinator Derek Mason said. "We feel like his ability to play match coverage, show range in deep defense as well as fit the box is exactly what we’re looking for here at Auburn.
"He’s speedy, he’s long and extremely athletic, but more than anything else he’s got a great football IQ and comes from a great football pedigree. So we are excited to have Caleb as part of the Auburn family. He’s going to make a dynamic impact as soon as he hits campus and we feel good about his ability to play on this big stage."
Alex McPherson — K
McPherson is not an early enrollee and will arrive in the summer.
The top kicker in the country, McPherson projects as the next starting kicker for Auburn. While he's not a Carlson, he has a legacy of his own to live up to with his brother Evan McPherson in the NFL. Alex has broken his brother's high school state records and is the No. 1 kicker for a reason.
"Alex McPherson is a kicker who really does it all," special teams coordinator Bert Watts said. "He’s got incredible strength in his leg. I’ll never forget the first time I watched him kick a football on film and see it absolutely rocket off his foot. He comes from a kicking family.
"A lot of pride and tradition there with his family and his brothers. So we are extremely excited to have him here. He can really do it all and he brings that kind of attitude you want from your kicker and will fit great into the Auburn family."