re: 2019 Football Recruiting Thread - Auburn Goes 4/7 & Land Brothers

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Auburn’s one splash landing on National Signing Day came from Caleb Johnson.

The 3-star defensive lineman from Columbus, Ga., has been on Auburn radar for a while, but the Tigers didn’t make a serious push until late. After hosting him on his official visit, the coaching staff fell in love with the human being as much as the football player, which weighed heavily on how the Tigers hoped to close out the class.

Johnson picked Auburn over Florida to become the 24th commitment in the class.

He has the ability to fill several different roles for the Tigers. Johnson is someone who can serve a variety of purposes on the defensive line because of his athleticism.

3-star defensive end Caleb Johnson

247Sports composite ranking: No. 29 defensive end, No. 61 in Georgia, No. 579 overall

Hometown: Columbus, Ga.

School: Northside

Height: 6-foot-3

Weight: 267 pounds

Offers: 13, including Auburn, Tennessee, Louisville and Florida

Commitment: Feb. 7, 2018

Senior season stats: 104 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries

Where he fits at Auburn: Caleb Johnson is one of the most versatile prospects in the country. I’ve had a couple scouts suggest they could see him on the offensive side of the ball because of his rare athleticism. He started his high school career as an outside linebacker, but has gradually transitioned into a defensive end. That’s likely where he’ll start for the Tigers. If he continues his growth — which I expect — Johnson can grow into a defensive tackle. That athleticism and versatility was impossible to turn down.

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AUBURN, Ala. — Gus Malzahn spoke to reporters after Auburn’s finish on National Signing Day.

The Tigers inked 9 new prospects to go along with the 15 guys who finalized their process during the early signing period. There were a few misses on the day — Justyn Ross, Malik Langham and Richard Gouraige — but the Tigers closed out, more or less, the way they wanted to. Auburn held onto its key commits who didn’t sign during the early signing period, as well..

Of the nine who signed Wednesday, Malzahn gave his early impressions of those prospects.

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4-star Buck Richard Jibunor

“Jibunor’s a Buck. When I think of him, I think of speed. I think of of speed, and I think of upside. For his high school team, he played offense, he played defense, he played wide receiver. He can do a lot of different things. I think this guy’s got a chance to be a dynamic player, really can be a very good pass rusher.”

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4-star defensive tackle Coynis Miller

“Coynis Miller is a guy that was a priority for us in this class, a guy that everybody in the country came after him. He hung in there with us. This guy is a very good athlete, plays wildcat quarterback, can windmill dunk it, and he’s 300 pounds. So we’re very excited about this guy.”

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3-star defensive lineman Caleb Johnson

“Caleb Johnson, 6-3, 260, is a guy that really stood out to us. He came to our camp and ran a 4.7. Plays a lot of different positions for his high school. Really feel like he’s going to give us a lot of flexibility to move him around. He’s a very good athlete for his high school. He also played some wide receiver and tight end and made some great catches. We’re very excited about him.”

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3-star athlete Kolbi Fuqua

“Kolbi Fuqua is an athlete. He’s been committed to us for a long time. Really feel like he can play both sides of the football. He’s got great ball skills and can just do a lot of different things for us.”

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3-star punter Arryn Siposs

“I did not make an in-home visit for that one. … A guy that played Australian Rules Football. You know, he’s not your average kicker. He’s an athlete. He’s got a great leg. I think this guy is really going to help us. I’m excited about him.”

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Where Auburn’s 2018 recruiting class ranks in SEC

Auburn closed out its 2018 class among the top three schools in the Southeastern Conference.

Only Georgia and Alabama have higher-ranked classes than the Tigers. The Bulldogs finished with the No. 1 class in the country, one of the best signing classes in recent memory. The Crimson Tide fell from the top spot for the first time in seven seasons and landed at No. 6 overall.

Auburn sits ahead of Florida (No. 14), LSU (No. 15), Texas A&M (No. 16), South Carolina (No. 19) and Tennessee (No. 20) as the SEC programs that fill out the top 20 in the national rankings.

For the first time under Gus Malzahn, the Tigers finished in the top 3 in the recruiting rankings in the SEC.

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Where Auburn’s 2018 recruiting class ranks historically

Under Malzahn, the Tigers have steadily produced deep, consistent recruiting classes. They don’t always have the 5-star power seen at Alabama or Georgia recently, but they do rank among the best in college football.

Auburn fell outside the top 10 this season, but as far as composite rankings go, this Tigers class was stronger than last cycle’s No. 9-ranked class.

Here is how the Tigers have finished — ranking and composite ranking — in the Malzahn era:

Year | National rank | SEC rank | Composite score

2013 | No. 10 | No. 6 | 267.46
2014 | No. 6 | No. 4 | 277.12
2015 | No. 8 | No. 5 | 278.31
2016 | No. 9 | No. 5 | 275.14
2017 | No. 9 | No. 4 | 255.92
2018 | No. 12 | No. 3 | 264.18

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