RB Onterrio McCalebb - This is one of our top-rated prospects and I believe he will live up to that potential. He is and absolute BLAZER who seems to have very good vision. If you want to make comparisons, I would put him in the same category as Noel Devine and Brad Lester (but much faster than Lester - McCalebb definitely has the breakaway speed Auburn was missing last year). He should contribute next year.
RB Dontae Aycock - This is an interesting sign if you ask me. After watching his tape, I'm not sure what we have planned for him. He looks to be a clone of Georgia Tech's current quarterback - which makes him a perfect triple-option quarterback. Unless I'm missing something, I wouldn't be surprised to see him make the move to safety. But then again, he is pretty highly rated as an athlete on the offensive side of the ball, so I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Plus, I believe his brother is Dwight Smith, an NFL cornerback for the last eight years or so and I think there's another NFL player in his family - that always bodes well in my opinion. I see him redshirting next season.
RB Brandon Jacobs - At 6'2" 230, he's a very big and physical back - draws the obvious comparison to former Auburn running back and current New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs and I really like his vision on the field. Also, he's a Parkview High School guy and they spit out great players (Brad Lester and Jeff Francoeur) As talented as he seems to be with the ball, I see him possibly making the move to linebacker - he fits the NFL prototype with his size and speed. He could also be a bang-up defensive end, but I doubt he would go for that move. Anyway, I'm just not sure he really fits in well as a running back in the new offense, as he is a bit more of a straight-ahead guy, but again, we'll see. With Eric Smith 2nd or 3rd on the depth chart at RB next season, if Jacobs stays as a RB, I think he'll redshirt. Obviously, if they move him to LB he will also probably redshirt.
RB Anthony Gulley - They list him as a running back, but he's really more of a scatback, slot receiver type. He's small, very quick and shifty and fast. He reminds me of Brad Lester with the ball. I think he will be a good receiver for Auburn. He has great moves and he should be able to contribute early.
***Auburn is still trying and in good shape to land RB David Oku. If he signs with Auburn, I think he'll play next year, for sure. He is one of the most impressive backs I've seen in a long time - just see the previous post. He would be my favorite player in the class if we sign him. And obviously, If RB Bryce Brown were to decide that he wants to come to Auburn, we would absolutely make room for him and he would likely start next year - he's that good.
QB Tyrik Rollison - This is one of my favorite players in this class, assuming he qualifies. And if he doesn't, we need to stay on him and get him to re-sign next year. He is the real deal as far as spreading the ball around. In my opinion, he is perfect for Gus Malzahn's offense. He reminds me of Jason Campbell with his ability to pick out the open man and get him the ball. He is very efficient and seems to make good decisions. Plus, he's a great athlete. As for passing, I don't know of any other high school quarterback who threw for more than 8,000 yards in two years, but then again, I haven't really checked. I watched a video interview of him at one of the all-star games and he is very well-spoken, so I'm quite sure he has the intelligence to be a great college football player. If he qualifies, I expect him to compete for the starting job and if he doesn't win it, it wouldn't surprise me to see him redshirt.
QB Clint Moseley - This guy is a winner, and that's very important in quarterbacks. I also think he's a great leader. He came from a 2A program, which is why a lot of schools probably shied away from him. His numbers were very impressive and he has the size at 6'4" to be a big-time quarterback. He was also Alabama's Mr. Football this year. If he can make the adjustment to this level, he WILL be a great quarterback for this team - fully expect him to compete for the starting job in a couple years, but I think he'll probably redshirt next season. He already knows the spread offense pretty well, but I think he'll need a little time to adjust to the speed of the SEC.
WR DeAngelo Benton - This guy was a huge land for Auburn. He should step in and immediately compete for a job. He has a lot of experience already and oddly enough, still has five years to play four. He should bring a lot of leadership to the Auburn receiving corp and I expect even if he doesn't win a starting job, that he'll make a big impact on the offense as a deep threat. He's not the fastest guy in the world, but all indications point to him being pretty physical and he seems to knows how to fight for the ball. Being that he is older, I don't think Auburn would consider redshirting him and I don't think he go for that anyway. However, I don't expect him to start from day-one, being that he didn't play football last year. But three to four games in, look for him to be a big player for Auburn.
WR Emory Blake - Many consider Blake to be one of the best players in this class for Auburn. He's got a great bloodline, being that he's the son of former NFL quarterback Jeff Blake. And at 6'2" 195, is physically ready to compete in the SEC. I expect him to contribute next year and compete for a starting job. He reminds me a little of Tim Hawthorne when he came out of HS, so who knows what will happen under the direction of Trooper Taylor. The difference between the two as I see it is that Blake has great moves and does special things after the catch. Hawthorne seems a little bit more like a possession receiver. Blake scored in a lot of different ways his senior year, including punt and kick returns, receiving and running from the wildcat formation. He will no doubt see some balls come his way this season.
WR LaVoyd James - I really don't know much about this guy, but at 5'10" 175, he has OK size is pretty fast at 4.4 forty. He may get lost in the shuffle, but eventually whould emerge. For some reason, I don't expect him to be a major contributor, but then again, what do I know?
ATH Travante Stallworth - He is one of the better athletes Auburn has signed in the last few years. He is going to be one of the Mario Fannin-type guys who Auburn is going to feel the need to get the ball to somehow. I don't see him winning any starting jobs at any one position, largely because of his size (not big enough to be an every-down running back) but he is too good to sit on the bench. He's listed at 5'10" but I don't believe it. He reminds me of Philip Pierre-Louis a little bit, so I FULLY expect him to contribute early.
ATH Demond Washington - This guy can absolutely FLY. He runs in the 4.2 forty range and should be a serious threat as a return man. I'm not sure about his vision when he has the ball, but I know he wants to be on offense. As a defender, he reads quarterbacks well and appears to be very physical. My fear is that he is going to be just another Montae Pitts (from 2004 - was considered the weakness of the defense). However, I'm probably just biased because both guys are/were extremely fast and came from the Loachapoka/Tallassee side of Auburn. Anyway, I expect him to contribute early wherever they put him, and I honestly expect him to be a cornerback when it's all said and done. He's an exciting player.
TE Philip Lutzenkirchen - This guy is the real deal and total package. Although he's not the most exciting player in the world to talk about, he might be the most valuable player in this class. He has really soft hands and is very intelligent and aware on the field, which can't be taught. And he can block pretty well, to boot. At 6'4" 245, he has all the physical tools to be a serious threat in the SEC and should be the tight end Auburn has really needed the past few years. He should immediately give Tommy Trott and Gabe McKenzie a run for their money as a starting TE and even if he doesn't win the starting job, don't expect him to redshirt.
OL John Sullen - at 6'5" 338, he is a really big guy who is expected to be a guard. He has the size to be a tackle, and may end up there since Auburn is fairly thin in that category. He is from Auburn High, which is a bit odd - Auburn doesn't usually sign kids from Auburn High for whatever reason. Being that he's from Auburn High, you know he's been playing against the highest quality teams in the state, but I watched Auburn High play once this year and really didn't notice him, which doesn't mean anything. However, with a 28 on his ACT and 3.8 GPA, he is very intelligent, which, from what I know about the offensive line, is important mostly for guards and centers. If he's nimble on his feet, he could turn out to be very good. I don't expect him or any other OL to redshirt this year.
OL Andre Harris - He is another guy with tremendous size, at 6'4" 327. He, along with Sullen, are physically ready to play in the SEC. He is listed as a guard, but with a 5.7 forty yard dash, I'm not sure he's nimble enough to play guard in this offense. So he may be the guy who converts to tackle.
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