AUBURN | With Patrick Suddes leaving Auburn for Georgia Tech, Gus Malzahn loses his “right-hand guy” and the staff assistant whose main duties included roster management.

With the second signing day less than four weeks away, I thought I’d step into the void for a little free and probably unwanted advice on the best way to fill out the remaining spots in Auburn’s 2019 class.

For the purposes of this analysis, we’ll assume the Tigers have room to sign a full class of 25, which leaves eight spots available having signed 16 in December with 5-star wide receiver commitment George Pickens waiting until Feb. 6 to sign.

Here’s how I would round out the remainder of the class if I was in charge of roster management: Defensive line (1), linebacker (1), offensive line (2+1), running back (2) and best available (1). For that plus-1, I’d save one spot for a transfer offensive lineman, preferably one that has two years of eligibility or has to sit out a year before being eligible in 2020.

Let’s start with defense:

DEFENSIVE LINE (1)

Auburn signed three defensive linemen in December including two — Derrick Hall and Colby Wooden — that project as defensive ends or Buck linebackers and a third — Jaren Handy — that could play defensive end or grow into a defensive tackle. It’s another terrific job by Rodney Garner, who knows how to recruit, develop and coach his position at a high level. He also does a great job of planning ahead and when you look at AU’s depth on the defensive line, you can see the starters and key backups already in place for the next couple of years. That’s quality roster management.

As far as rounding out the 2019 D-line class, I think Auburn could use another Handy-type player that has the athleticism to play defensive end with the frame to eventually develop into a tackle like Charles Moore, or perhaps just a big-bodied defensive tackle like Le’Darrius Cox.

LINEBACKER (1)

With December signee Owen Pappoe enrolling in January, Auburn should have six scholarship linebackers available for spring drills. That’s a solid three-deep when you take into account that Auburn and most teams are in nickel or dime for the majority of defensive snaps, which leaves two or less linebackers on the field most of the time.

When you look at Auburn’s six linebackers, there’s a lot of versatility and athleticism, which you need to keep up with fast-paced, spread offenses. But there’s just one true thumper to man the middle in K.J. Britt. I’d like to see the Tigers add another bigger bodied, physical linebacker that can play between the tackles and be a quality backup and future replacement for Britt. It looks like a lot of Auburn’s remaining linebacker targets fit that profile.

OFFENSIVE LINE (2+1)

Auburn signed two in December, but for me, this remains the most vital area that needs improvement when it comes to roster management. Just from a numbers standpoint, Auburn is well behind its top rivals. The Tigers have signed just eight offensive linemen in the last 3.5 classes (2016, 17, 18 and early 19). LSU has signed 18, and Alabama and Georgia 17 apiece during that same period. That should be unacceptable to anyone being paid to recruit or manage Auburn’s roster.

Left tackle has to be addressed immediately. In my opinion, Auburn doesn’t have a viable future starter on its roster right now to replace senior Prince Tega Wanogho, which is pretty frightening considering Wanogho was close to declaring for the 2019 NFL Draft. This position needs to be addressed with an incoming player, preferably a transfer or JUCO signee or both. Auburn could also use a talented high school player that projects as a left tackle but I’m not sure how many of those are still available.

Auburn signed a guard and tackle in December and Kamaar Bell, who projects as a guard, is visiting this weekend. If AU takes Bell it needs to complete the 2019 class with two tackles.

RUNNING BACK (2)

I’m sure many will disagree, but I feel strongly that Auburn needs to add two more running backs in this class in addition to D.J. Williams, who enrolled for spring semester. Why? Well, what happens if JaTarvious Whitlow gets injured early in the season? Do the Tigers have the horses on the roster to make it through a three-week stretch at the end of September/early October that includes Texas A&M on the road, Mississippi State at home and a trip to Florida? No disrespect intended, but I don’t think so.

In addition, Auburn’s got to start doing a better job of spreading the carries around and not relying on just one workhorse. It’s better for developing depth and keeping your running backs healthy, and it’s better for recruiting.

The way I look at Auburn’s running backs right now, they’ve got a few guys that can fill roles -- Shaun Shivers is explosive, Kam Martin reliable and Malik Miller strong on 3rd down -- but just one — Whitlow — who is really built to handle 20+ carries through a difficult SEC stretch. They need a couple more and you can’t always depend on a freshman to be ready to contribute. Bringing in two more freshmen or one more and a transfer/JUCO running back would increase the odds of AU having enough quality depth.

Top target Mark-Antony Richards looks like he could develop into a very good running back, but he’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds right now, which may limit how much he can contribute early in his career. Williams was listed by Auburn as 5-foot-11 and 205 pounds and adding another 200-plus pounder like Jamious Griffin would be a big plus.

BEST AVAILABLE (1)

For starters, I should point out that although I’m basing this on eight additional scholarships being available, the actual number is a well-guarded secret and could end up being a little more or possibly less. But sticking with the eight, this final one could really go in a lot of different ways. If Auburn could get both Cox and Moore on the defensive line, would you really turn one of those down. And in today’s game, you really can’t have enough quality defensive backs and it’s clear Auburn is still recruiting some good ones. You can also make the case to sign Kameron Brown as a linebacker or an H-back. And you certainly can make a case for Auburn signing as many quality offensive linemen as they can identify.