No. 1 DE impessed with A-Day

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Greenville, Ala. (Greenville)

AUBURN | Greenville (Ala.) five-star defensive end Marlon Davidson attended prom Friday night and didn't plan on visiting Auburn the following morning for the Tigers' A-Day.

But he did, and he's glad he did.

"It was great. I had a really good time," Davidson said. "I thought I would sleep in, be tired from prom and want to lay around all day, but I woke up, prayed, got ready and went."

Davidson, ranked the No. 1 strongside defensive end, arrived in Auburn before kickoff, although it was a little later than he'd hoped.

"I missed Tiger Walk," he said. "I always like seeing that, but I got there late so I got registered and went straight to the stadium."

It didn't take long for the Auburn coaches to notice.

"As soon as I walked out on the field, Coach (Gus) Malzahn came over to me and told me he was glad I was there and to make myself at home," Davidson said.

Davidson did. He watched from the stands as Auburn scrimmaged to a 24-14 score.

"The game was actually intense," Davidson said. "I thought it would be a big blowout with the ones versus the twos, but it was a good game. It was a good game to be at because the weather was nice, the crowd was into it and seeing (quarterback) Jeremy Johnson throw the ball the way he did and (receiver) Ricardo Louis making big plays, that really caught my eye."

So did the Tigers' ability to replace departed seniors on offense, guys like Nick Marshall and Cameron Artis-Payne.

"I know they lost some people (to graduation), but they really didn't lose anything at all," Davidson said. "They had back-up players ready to come in and play. That says a lot about the coaches and them having those guys ready.

"That's a sign of a good program. I thought they looked really good. They didn't miss a beat on offense."

Davidson was impressed with the defense, too. Defensive lineman Montravius Adams stood out to him. Other defensive players did, too. The guy who caught his eye the most, however, was a coach.

"Coach (Will) Muschamp," Davidson said. "I loved watching him. It was his first game back at Auburn and he was pumped up. He was really into the game.

"I liked watching him because he was instructing his players, he was in their face if he needed to be in their face, and I was watching him thinking, 'man, this is the type of coach that everybody should want.'"

Davidson will get a chance in May to spend more time with Muschamp. He plans to return to Auburn for another visit, an overnight trip for Big Cat Weekend.

"I love the atmosphere at Auburn, the coaching staff, the structure of the program, the players and how they are like a family," he said. "It's a laid-back program, but it's intense when it needs to be. I really like that."

Davidson plans to wait until National Signing Day in February before announcing his college choice. He doesn't currently list a group of top schools.

"Everybody is the same to me," he said. "Everybody is equal."

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Davidson's junior highlights...