How Marcus Woodson's hire has already shaped Auburn recruiting

AUBURN — There aren't many football fields in the state of Mississippi — no matter the level — where Marcus Woodson goes unrecognized.

A Moss Point, Miss., native, Woodson was born and raised in the state. He's a 2003 graduate of Ole Miss where he served as a two-year letterman at safety. Woodson's coaching career kickstarted at Millsaps College, a Division-III program in Mississippi. Since that point, Mississippi has been Woodson's recruiting territory at every coaching stop he's made.

It played a big role in why Gus Malzahn hired him to Auburn. That decision has already paid dividends.

"It's not many schools in the state that I can walk into that I don't have a relationship with someone. It may be a teacher. It may be a coach. It may be a janitor. But the relationships are there in order to be able to have a chance," Woodson said last week. "Coach Malzahn and staff wanted a chance to tap into Mississippi with the talent that's in this 2019 class, 2020 and 2021 and moving forward. It's a talent-rich state. We want to do a good job of getting the brand in the state, so we can develop a pipeline and get the guys to Auburn that we want."

The future of that state's recruiting talent looks bright.

In the 2019 class, Mississippi has been a rare recruiting centerpiece. Guys such as 5-star linebacker Nakobe Dean and highly-coveted defensive linemen Nathan Pickering have given Mississippi some national clout. All in all, nine Mississippians were included in the most recent Rivals 250, a stark contrast to the four total in the last two cycles combined.

Looking ahead to the 2020 and 2021 classes, as well, Mississippi's stock is rising in terms of recruiting talent.

"I always have thought that Mississippi produces some of the best players in the country, and this 2019 class I think has made it more notarized as far as people seeing it," Woodson said. "Well, I think, quality-wise, yes [Mississippi is always talented]. Quantity-wise, this is a rare year. Historically, I always have thought — being a little biased because I grew up there and played there — that Mississippi was underrated when it came to good football. But, you know, this class has kinda put it back on the map."

So far, Auburn has two 2019 commitments from Mississippi prospects — defensive linemen Jaren Handy and Jamond Gordon.

Both pledges came as the result of flips, from LSU and Ole Miss, respectively. Also, a big reason for those 2019 addition was a spring trip taken by Woodson and defensive line coach Rodney Garner. Woodson and Garner took a multi-day recruiting road trip through Woodson's home state to zero in on the top talent.

They came way impressing many in the state — especially Handy and Gordon.

HOW WOODSON LANDED HANDY: The strongside defensive end from Hattiesburg (Miss.) committed to LSU on March 3. That news came as a major shock to the Auburn coaching staff, especially Woodson, but the Tigers knew that recruitment wasn't complete yet. Auburn stayed on Handy hard, which resulted in a de-commitment only 12 days later. It may be a little overboard to say Auburn was the reason Handy de-committed, but his relationship and conversations with Woodson were certainly a determining factor. Handy visited in March. He left with Auburn as his leader. Handy returned for a three-day stay — with his entire family — at the end of May. After that trip, Woodson and Garner had convinced him Auburn was the place for him. He committed two weeks later and hasn't looked back.

HOW WOODSON LANDED GORDON: Gordon's situation was slightly different since he committed to Ole Miss last October before Woodson joined Auburn's staff. The Tigers had a surface-level relationship with Gordon prior to Woodson's arrival. It took off with the addition of the 10th assistant coach. Woodson and Garner's round trip through Mississippi paid dividends with Gordon as much as anyone. He de-committed from the Rebels on May 22. Even at the time, Auburn was generating plenty of buzz for expediting Gordon's de-commitment and re-commitment process. Sure enough, Gordon was an Auburn commit by June 16.

Auburn doesn't plan to stop there in Mississippi recruiting. The state is loaded with talent for the rest of the 2019 class. The Tigers will continue to fight for several prospects. Auburn will pick right back up in the 2020 class, as well. And if those two classes are any indication, 2021 will be another year of college coaches stampeding Mississippi for recruiting talent.

If Woodson is to find success, here are the five guys most closely linked to Auburn.

• 1. 5-star LB Nakobe Dean

• 2. 4-star DE Charles Moore (Mississippi State commit)

• 3. 3-star ATH Derick Hall

• 4. 3-star ATH Raydarious Jones

• 5. 5-star 2020 DT McKinnley Jackson