Several of Auburn's top targets made the trip to Auburn over the summer for official visits. Now the question is, can the Tigers close the deal on some of them?

Here are the top defensive players to keep an eye on that are most likely to land at Auburn.

1. Keldric Faulk, DE

Auburn is in need of an edge rusher in the 2023 class. The Tigers want Faulk to fill that role and they've put a lot of emphasis on him as a recruit.

He's visited campus six or seven times, once for an official visit at the beginning of June. It was a "10 out of 10," for the 6-foot-5 defensive end.

He's built up a good relationship with edge coach Roc Bellantoni, who explained how the Tigers want to use him in certain defensive schemes during his official visit.

Faulk narrowed his schools down to four — Auburn, Clemson, Florida and Florida State — and will make a decision July 5 at 11 a.m.

2. Naquil Betrand, DL

Listed as an offensive tackle, Betrand is being recruited to play nose tackle for Auburn. He's currently a Colorado commit, but after his Auburn official visit, there's a solid chance the Tigers flip the Philadelphia native.

In fact, Betrand said there's an "85-90 percent chance" that he's flipping schools and that it's "likely" to be Auburn.

He likes the opportunity for early playing time at Auburn, it's a big factor in his recruitment. Betrand is trying to play his three years of college ball and get to the NFL as soon as possible.

He'll make his final decision August 27. Other schools in the mix to flip him are Kentucky and Penn State.

3. Lewis Carter, LB

Carter's relationship with linebackers' coach Christian Robinson is a storied one that dates back to Robinson's days at Florida.

Given that relationship, an enjoyable official visit and ties to Auburn through his high school coaches, Auburn's got to like its chances to land Lewis.

After his official visit at the beginning of the month, Auburn is sitting "real high" for the 4-star Tampa native. He's considering Auburn, Oklahoma, North Carolina, UCF and Clemson

4. Jaiden Ausberry, LB

Ausberry made Auburn one of his first official visits, taking the first weekend of June to explore campus and get a more in-depth look at the program.

His older brother, Austin, signed with the 2022 class and is pushing for younger brother to join him on the Plains. Still, Jaiden is looking to make a name for himself.

Auburn knows this and its emphasized how much the Tigers want him to join their 2023 class. That means a lot to the No. 80 overall player in the nation.

Linebackers' coach Christian Robinson has always been Jaiden's "guy," the two have a strong relationship and have since Robinson was at Florida.

Jaiden took his other official visits to Michigan, Notre Dame and Texas A&M.

5. Qua Russaw, DE

Russaw took the final weekend of June to visit Auburn with his high school teammate, James Smith, who the Tigers are also recruiting.

Ideally, the two want to go as a package deal, but it's not guaranteed.

The coaching staff made a serious impression on him during his official visit, especially edge coach Roc Bellantoni. Bellantoni's emphasis on family and hard work ethic stuck out to Russaw.

His player host during his official visit, Marcus Harris, is also in his ear about Auburn. The two train together at Madhouse in Montgomery and Harris is consistently emphasizing the family feel at Auburn.

That's what it's about to Russaw — family.

A decision won't come until December and he plans to drop a top five schools at the end of the summer.