Will Muschamp needed only a few weeks as the Tigers' defensive coordinator to see that his defensive line, at least from a talent perspective, was well short of where it needed to be.

In lieu of superstar prospects with strong ties to Auburn, Muschamp set out to find a collection of players who were willing to hit and played with a lot of energy. He wasn't w]as concerned with technique or arm length or even speed; Muschamp wanted "football players," he often said, which loosely was interpreted as guys who run toward a difficult challenge rather then flee.

That's exactly what Muschamp saw in Paul James III.