re: 2018 Football Recruiting Thread -- Final OP Update Edition

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After losing three interior linemen to graduation in Montravious Adams, Maurice Swain and Devaroe Lawrence, Auburn had a need to add more depth to the position down the road. The Tigers believe they got some of that in Truesdell, who developed the reputation as a run-stuffer during his high school career.

Truesdell, who was rated as the No. 37 defensive tackle in the nation according to the 247Sports Composite rankings, finished his senior season at Lucy Laney with 39 total tackles, including seven for a loss and 2.5 sacks.

"(He's a) big, stout nose guard, three-technique type," Auburn defensive line coach Rodney Garner said during an appearance on the Tigers' in-house National Signing Day broadcast.

Garner believes Truesdell can be more than just that at Auburn, however. The Tigers' defensive line coach, who is entering his fifth year on staff with Malzahn, believes Truesdell's athleticism could make him a more versatile interior lineman down the road.

Garner noted that before Truesdell's senior season, the defensive tackle performed well at various camps and combines, even running the 40-yard dash in the 4.8-second range. That, Garner noted, was when Truesdell was about 20-25 pounds lighter, weighing in at about 310-315 pounds.

It's also where Garner would like to get him back to once he arrives on campus this summer and gets on strength and conditioning coach Ryan Russell's program.

"We're going to shake it back down, trim him down to about 300-310, but he's a kid that's a big, powerful, explosive, quick-twitch guy that should be able to hold the point in this league," Garner said. "And then he has the athleticism that he may even get some value on third-down situations because he does have some skillset."

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