SB Nation - Trent Fisher

Clemson vs Auburn 2012 Depth Chart Comparison

FIGUREFOUR — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:00:11 -0000

Clemson opens up the season Saturday against the Auburn Tigers in the the Georgia Dome. We'll see how this squad's recruited talent compares to our Clemson Tigers. Before we get into the analysis, I'll begin with the standard housekeeping items. The depth charts for both teams were attained DIRECTLY from the Clemson website (www.clemsontigers.com). A pdf version of this can be found here. I will go ahead and tell you that because of injuries and Monday depth chart adjustments, some items here may be a little out of place but in an effort to maintain consistency, I'll use both teams' depth charts as presented on the official website.

We should not have to tell you this, but some folks debate what to take from these articles. We expect you, the reader, to form an opinion of your own. Often we will give you our take on things, but you should independently form your own thoughts based on information out there. This article shows recruiting data for the depth chart roster as referenced above. It does not weigh experience nor does it evaluate coaching, preparation, etc... We think this is an interesting and valuable tool that is useful in overall program evaluation because there is a link between these star ratings and other metrics in both college football and the NFL.

Keep in mind as you look through this data that only players who were officially signed were given a "Star Rating". Players who were not signed could not be quantitatively assessed a recruiting rating. Such players get a "NA" rating and were not included in the averaged data. Again, all data was attained from www.Scout.com and www.Rivals.com. Players whose Scout/Rivals data was not available but were signed were assigned a "NR". We picked carefully through the data and believe all is correct. However, if we've overlooked an item we apologize in advance and ask that you point it out so that we can make the correction in our database.

Figure 1 and Table I both show an average of offensive players, defensive players, and specialist listed on the two-deep roster. Tables II through IV show the two-deep roster used for analysis along with the recruiting ratings for each player on the roster. A quick glance shows you Clemson looks to be slightly behind Auburn in recruited talent, particularly if you discount special teams recruiting as you likely should--particularly when you view how most teams present special teams depth.

On average, Clemson trails Auburn both in terms of average offensive talent ratings, with the specialists, and overall. Clemson was ranked higher in terms of defensive talent based on Rivals data yet trailed Auburn by 0.03 stars in the defensive Scout rankings. Overall, the quarter point advantage Auburn has on offense is the biggest item that stands out. I don't pay too much attention to the special teams rankings for many reasons and defensively Clemson appears to have an advantage or, at the very worst, is a talent wash with Auburn based solely on the items shown below.

Table I: Overall Recruiting Information

Team	Recruiting Service	Offense	Defense	Specialists	Overall Average
Clemson	Scout	3.25	3.40	2.89	3.27
	Rivals	3.25	3.57	2.67	3.32
	Average	3.25	3.48	2.78	3.29
Auburn	Scout	3.52	3.43	3.56	3.49
	Rivals	3.60	3.43	3.22	3.47
	Average	3.56	3.43	3.39	3.48

Figure 1: Overall Recruiting Data

Table II: Offensive Comparison

Clemson Offense								Auburn Offense
Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals	Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals
LT	63	BRANDON THOMAS	6-3	305	*Jr.	4	4	LT	73	GREG ROBINSON	6-5	311	Fr.	4	4
	79	Isaiah Battle	6-6	280	Fr.	3	3		72	Shon Coleman	6-6	302	Fr.	4	5
LG	68	DAVID BEASLEY	6-4	315	*So.	3	3	LG	71	JOHN SULLEN	6-5	313	Sr.	2	3
	67	Kalon Davis	6-5	330	*So.	3	3		63	Alex Kozan	6-4	294	Fr.	3	4
C	55	DALTON FREEMAN	6-5	285	*Gr.	4	4	C	65	TUNDE FARIYIKE	6-2	301	So.	2	2
	58	Ryan Norton	6-3	270	*Fr.	3	3		71	John Sullen	6-5	313	Sr.	2	3
RG	62	TYLER SHATLEY	6-3	295	*Jr.	3	3	RG	62	CHAD SLADE	6-5	301	So.	3	3
	77	Reid Webster	6-5	285	*So.	3	3		75	Christian Westerman	6-4	298	Sr.	5	4
RT	76	SHAQ ANTHONY	6-4	265	*Fr.	3	3	RT	56	AVERY YOUNG	6-6	295	Fr.	5	4
or	70	GIFFORD TIMOTHY	6-6	310	*So.	2	3		51	Patrick Miller	6-7	288	Fr.	4	4
	73	Joe Gore	6-5	275	*Fr.	3	3	TE	43	PHILIP LUTZENKIRCHEN	6-5	255	Sr.	4	4
TE	80	BRANDON FORD	6-4	240	*Gr.	3	4		11	Brandon Fulse	6-4	249	So.	4	4
	86	Sam Cooper	6-5	250	*So.	2	2	or	81	C.J. Uzomah	6-4	250	So.	4	3
WR	6	DeANDRE HOPKINS	6-2	205	Jr.	4	4	WR	80	EMORY BLAKE	6-2	193	Sr.	3	4
	87	Matt Porter	5-11	190	*So.	N/A	N/A		18	Sammie Coates	6-2	200	Fr.	3	3
QB	10	TAJH BOYD	6-1	225	*Jr.	5	4	QB	10	KIEHL FRAZIER	6-2	226	So.	5	4
	8	Cole Stoudt	6-5	205	So.	3	3		15	Clint Moseley	6-4	229	Jr.	2	3
RB	23	ANDRE ELLINGTON	5-10	195	*Sr.	4	4	RB	23	ONTERIO McCALEBB	5-11	173	Sr.	4	4
	22	D.J. Howard	5-11	195	*So.	3	3		21	Tre Mason	5-10	198	So.	4	4
	25	Roderick McDowell	5-9	195	*Jr.	3	4	or	22	Mike Blakely	5-9	206	Fr.	4	4
FB	40	DARRELL SMITH	6-2	250	*Jr.	3	2	FB	35	JAY PROSCH	6-0	260	Jr.	2	2
WR	18	JARON BROWN	6-2	205	*Gr.	3	3		48	Blake Burgess	6-3	249	Jr.	N/A	N/A
	1	Martavis Bryant	6-5	200	So.	4	4	WR	1	TROVON REED	6-0	190	So.	5	4
WR	19	CHARONE PEAKE	6-3	200	So.	4	4	or	85	TRAVANTE STALLWORTH	5-9	199	Sr.	3	3
	16	Adam Humphries	5-11	190	So.	3	2	WR	4	QUAN BRAY	5-10	185	So.	4	4
									89	Jaylon Denson	6-3	211	So.	3	4

Table III: Defensive Comparison

Clemson Defense								Auburn Defense
Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals	Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals
DE	97	MALLICIAH GOODMAN	6-4	270	Sr.	4	4	DE	95	DEE FORD	6-2	246	Jr.	4	3
	6	Tavaris Barnes	6-4	275	*So.	3	4		13	Craig Sanders	6-4	257	Jr.	4	4
	98	Kevin Dodd	6-5	280	Fr.	3	3		94	Nosa Eguae	6-3	268	Jr.	2	2
NG	50	GRADY JARRETT	6-1	290	So.	3	3	DT	98	ANGELO BLACKSON	6-4	308	So.	3	3
or	91	JOSH WATSON	6-4	285	*So.	4	4		92	Kenneth Carter	6-4	289	Jr.	4	4
	48	D.J. Reader	6-3	335	Fr.	3	3		96	Devaunte Sigler	6-4	291	So.	3	3
	92	Roderick Byers	6-3	275	*Fr.	3	3	DT	54	JEFFREY WHITAKER	6-4	307	Jr.	4	4
DT	99	DeSHAWN WILLIAMS	6-1	285	So.	3	3		90	Gabe Wright	6-3	299	So.	4	4
or	91	JOSH WATSON	6-4	285	*So.	4	4		91	Tyler Nero	6-2	277	Fr.	4	4
	94	Carlos Watkins	6-3	300	Fr.	4	4	DE	55	COREY LEMONIER	6-4	246	Jr.	5	4
DE	93	COREY CRAWFORD	6-5	270	So.	4	4		10	LaDarious Owens	6-2	260	So.	4	4
or	3	VIC BEASLEY	6-3	225	*So.	3	3	SLB	35	JONATHAN EVANS	5-11	231	Sr.	3	3
SLB/NB	34	QUANDON CHRISTIAN	6-2	225	*Jr.	3	3		26	Justin Garrett	6-1	215	So.	4	3
or	11	TRAVIS BLANKS	6-1	190	Fr.	4	4	MLB	5	JAKE HOLLAND	6-1	241	Jr.	3	4
	20	Lateek Townsend	6-2	215	So.	4	4		56	Ashton Richardson	6-1	218	Sr.	N/A	N/A
MLB	12	STEPHONE ANTHONY	6-3	235	So.	5	5	WLB	25	DAREN BATES	5-11	215	Sr.	2	2
	33	Spencer Shuey	6-3	230	*Jr.	3	3		17	Kris Frost	6-2	233	Fr.	4	5
	44	B.J. Goodson	6-1	240	*Fr.	2	3	CB	11	CHRIS DAVIS	5-11	200	Jr.	3	3
WLB	46	JONATHAN WILLARD	6-2	225	*Sr.	3	4		6	Jonathon Mincy	5-10	190	So.	3	3
or	42	CORICO WRIGHT	5-11	230	Sr.	3	3	SS	9	JERMAINE WHITEHEAD	5-11	202	So.	4	4
	7	Tony Steward	6-1	235	So.	4	5		12	Demetruce McNeal	6-2	187	Jr.	3	3
CB	21	DARIUS ROBINSON	5-10	175	Jr.	3	4	FS	24	RYAN SMITH	6-2	204	Jr.	3	3
	26	Garry Peters	6-0	195	*So.	3	4		31	Trent Fisher	6-1	200	So.	N/A	N/A
SS	5	JONATHAN MEEKS	6-1	210	Sr.	4	4	CB	19	RYAN WHITE	5-11	198	Jr.	3	3
or	31	RASHARD HALL	6-2	210	*Gr.	3	3		22	T’Sharvan Bell	6-0	190	Sr.	3	4
FS	9	XAVIER BREWER	5-11	190	*Gr.	4	3
or	31	RASHARD HALL	6-2	210	*Gr.	3	3
	27	Robert Smith	5-11	210	So.	3	3
CB	17	BASHAUD BREELAND	6-0	195	*So.	4	3
	29	Cortez Davis	6-3	200	*Fr.	3	4

Table IV: Special Teams Comparison

Clemson Specialists								Auburn Specialists
Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals	Pos.	#	Player	Hgt	Wgt	Cl.	Scout	Rivals
PK	39	CHANDLER CATANZARO	6-2	195	*Jr.	N/A	N/A	PK	36	CODY PARKEY	6-0	194	Jr.	4	3
	36	Ammon Lakip	5-10	175	*Fr.	3	2		39	Alex Kviklys	6-2	180	Fr.	N/A	N/A
P	13	SPENCER BENTON	6-1	195	*Sr.	2	2	P	30	STEVEN CLARK	6-5	232	Jr.	2	2
	92	Bradley Pinion	6-6	230	Fr.	3	3		37	J.D. Strawbridge	6-0	171	Fr.	N/A	N/A
KO	13	Spencer Benton	6-1	195	*Sr.	2	2	KO	36	Cody Parkey	6-0	194	Jr.	4	3
LS(PK)	75	Michael Sobeski	6-2	205	*So.	N/A	N/A	LS	59	Jake Lembke	6-2	245	Jr.	N/A	N/A
	52	Phillip Fajgenbaum	6-0	220	*Jr.	N/A	N/A	or	64	Forrest Hill	6-1	242	So.	N/A	N/A
LS(P)	52	Phillip Fajgenbaum	6-0	220	*Jr.	N/A	N/A	H	19	Ryan White	5-11	198	Jr.	3	3
	75	Michael Sobeski	6-2	205	*So.	N/A	N/A		30	Steven Clark	6-5	232	Jr.	2	2
H	13	Spencer Benton	6-1	195	*Sr.	2	2	PR	4	Quan Bray	5-10	185	So.	4	4
PR	6	DeAndre Hopkins	6-2	205	Jr.	4	4		1	Trovon Reed	6-0	190	So.	5	4
	16	Adam Humphries	5-11	190	So.	3	2	KOR	23	Onterio McCalleb	5-11	173	Sr.	4	4
KOR	18	Jaron Brown	6-2	205	*Gr.	3	3		4	Quan Bray	5-10	185	So.	4	4
	1	Martavis Bryant	6-5	200	So.	4	4

Hard Work Pays Off for Three Tigers

TrueBlueAU — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 01:02:55 -0000

College athletes from coast to coast work extremely hard from the time they are young enough to catch a football, throw a baseball, kick a soccer ball or shoot a basketball. College athletics is a 24/7/365 job.

I've never played major college athletics. I played baseball at Gardner-Webb University for a year (read "caught bullpen sessions and kept the best scorebook in the Atlantic Sun conference"). That in no way can compare to playing a major sport for a major college program, but it was still very demanding.

So when a kid's hard work pays off, it makes me pretty happy. It doesn't matter if the kid plays for our most hated rival or the East Birmingham Community College Basket Weavers.

Auburn's Trent Fisher, Corey Grant and Jake Lembke were rewarded for their hard work on Wednesday night when they each received scholarships from head coach Gene Chizik to play football for their university. It's not only free education for the three young men, it's a sign of trust that they will represent Auburn in a way that the university deserves. It's a sign to others that the hard work they have put in year round has not gone unnoticed.

Fisher has been touted for his football smarts. He is the son of St. Louis Rams head coach, Jeff Fisher, and his play at safety in the spring and early fall has been applauded.

Grant is a transfer from Alabama who decided he wanted to come back home and play down the road from his native of Opelika. It's been said that he could be the fastest north/south runner on the team. He obviously has talent but he could have easily stayed at Alabama and kept his scholarship there. He sat out a year, practiced hard and earned a scholarship.

Lembke is this year's long snapper, which is such an thankless job. Long snappers mostly get noticed when they mess up, and I'm sure Lembke appreciates getting the notice for doing all the good things.

Good things happen to those who work hard. These three men believe in a phrase with which most Auburn folks are familiar -- "work, hard work." It got them a free education. Congratulations, and War Eagle to them.

Related: Want to see an awesome video about someone receiving a scholarship? James Franklin gets some bro points for this:

Auburn in 2012: Defensive Backs

TrueBlueAU — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 01:28:23 -0000

The past few years have not been very bright for the Auburn secondary. Every team in the Gene Chizik era has been blistered by quarterbacks. Remember Northwestern's Mike Kafka torching the Auburn defense for 532 yards (!!!!) in the 2010 Outback Bowl? How about Tyler Wilson having his coming out party for Arkansas at Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2010? Or perhaps you recall Tajh Boyd putting his name on the map against Auburn last season. You're probably getting the point. The secondary hasn't been anything to brag about, and those types of performances led to former secondary coach Phillip Lolley being put back into an office position. New defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder brought in former Georgia defensive coordinator Willie Martinez, who also served as secondary coach under VanGorder at UGA, to straighten the Auburn secondary out.

Were all those passing yards given up the secondary's fault? Not completely. In 2011, there was hardly ever any push up front from the defensive line, which gave opposing QBs all the time in the world to find a receiver. It doesn't matter if you're Deion Sanders in his prime, you aren't staying with a receiver that knows where he is going on the field when you don't for five seconds or more. The frustrating thing about the secondary was lack of coverage and tackling fundamentals. Not turning around when the ball is in the air to find it, leaping at ball carriers and not wrapping up when tackling were fundamental problems that plagued Auburn last season.

Defensive Back Roster Entering 2012

T'Sharvan Bell (6'0-182-Sr); Chris Davis (5'10-192-Jr); T.J. Davis (6'1-180-Fr);

Adam Dyas (5'9-192-So); Trent Fisher (6'0-189-So); Erique Florence (6'2-190-So);

Joshua Holsey (5'11-175-Fr); Jonathan Jones (5'10-184-Fr); Demetruce McNeal (6'1-188-Jr);

Ikeem Means (6'0-209-Jr); Jonathon Mincy (5'10-186-So); Blake Poole (6'0-188-Jr);

Ryan Smith (6'1-200-Jr); Jordan Spriggs (5'9-182-So); Anthony Swain (6'2-205-Fr);

Robinson Therezie (5'10-195-So); Ryan White (5'10-195-Jr); Jermaine Whitehead (6'0-187-So);

The Departed

Neiko Thorpe (drafted); Jonathon Rose (sent home for personal reasons)

Projected Starters

CB: Davis, Bell

SS: Whitehead

FS: Florence

CB: Therezie

Nickel: Davis

Also in the playing rotation will be McNeal, Fisher, White, Mincy, and Holsey.

The first observation to take away when looking at the players who will be in the defensive backfield this year is that these guys are young. However, youth cannot continue to be an excuse as many of those in the projected playing rotation saw significant amounts of time on the field in 2011. The young'ns will look to Bell for leadership. By all accounts, his injured knee has come back fine, and he should be as close to his old self as he is going to get come Sept. 1. We listed Davis as the starting nickelback (not the band) because it has been said all spring and early fall that Auburn will be playing a lot of nickel this season. In those instances, Davis will shift over to Nickel and Bell will be the corner.

Therezie has been a pleasant surprise and should play a significant role at cornerback opposite Chris Davis, who missed a good chunk of last year after suffering a concussion against Clemson in Week 3. Florence has a knack for finding the ball, and he should be locked into that free safety spot for the next few years. Whitehead has been getting solid reviews from the coaches and seems to be the favorite to start at strong safety.

Brian VanGorder's style of defense has been described as "attacking." To be a successful attacking defense, a defensive coordinator must trust his corners on an island in man-to-man coverage so the linebackers and linemen can get upfield. Davis, Therezie, and Bell have shown they are more than capable of playing sufficient man-to-man defense, and Joshua Holsey, although a freshman, has been lauded for his man-coverage skills. We wouldn't feel comfortable putting him up against the SEC's best quite yet, though.

If the defensive backs can improve on the fundamentals under Martinez, the secondary can become a solid group by the end of the year, but they'll have to grow up quickly. Even without Sammy Watkins, Clemson's stable of receivers is more than capable of producing big games. We all know what type of receiving talent LSU and Arkansas will bring to the Plains this year, and the Bayou Bengals may finally have a QB that can get their receivers the ball in Zach Mettenberger, as well.

We'll give the Auburn defensive backfield a grade of C+ to begin the year, based solely on the lack of production the last few years. This group is more than capable of becoming a B+ secondary by the end of 2012.

Five Burning Questions for A-Day.

Acid Reign — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 08:49:00 -0000

War Eagle, everybody! A Day is almost here, and we'll get to see our Tigers in action for the first time since New Year's Eve! The day's festivities begin early this year, with a 10:00 AM unveiling of statues of Auburn's three Heisman Trophy winners on the east side of the stadium. Gates open for this event at 8:00 AM. Gates open again at 12:00 AM, and the game will kick off at 2:00 PM Central Time. The game will be broadcast on about a dozen Auburn radio network affiliates, and will be broadcast on CSS television on tape delay, at 8:00 PM Saturday night. Check out the official information, here. The weather for this one should be absolutely delightful. Skies are expected to be very clear, and the high temp should be about 80 degrees. Bring your sunblock!

Although the coaches haven't said, the game almost certainly will follow the script from the past three A-Days: offense vs. defense. Too many players are banged up, especially on defense, to divide the team into two squads. Next year, maybe. Missing on defense this year are Kenneth Carter, Gabe Wright, Nosa Eguae, Jonathan Evans, Jawara White, T'Sharvan Bell, Erique Florence, Demetruce McNeal, and Ikeem Means will all miss A-Day. That leaves sophomore Jermaine Whitehead and junior Ryan Smith as the starting safeties, with only sophomore Trent Fisher as a reserve. I'd expect to see some corners lining up back there as the game wears on.

Burning questions, after the jump!

Question One: How much will Auburn be improved on the defensive line? If the Tigers are to build on last year's 8-5 record, the team must win more battles up front. Regardless of how vanilla the coaches run things on A-Day, we'll get a good look at Auburn's defensive strength up front. Frankly, I feel like the starters should dominate. With junior Jeffery Whitaker in the middle, and Dee Ford and Corey Lemonier on the ends, a starting offensive line that has only one upperclassman should struggle. I'd expect the coaches to play the starting D-line sparingly, and there are two potential starters who won't play, Nosa Eguae and Kenneth Carter. I'd expect plenty of minutes for reserves LaDarius Owens, Craig Sanders, Devaunte Sigler, Angelo Blackson, Justin Delaine, and others. Even so, those reserves played a lot of minutes last fall, and should be stronger this year. If the O-line pushes this group around, expect trouble next fall.

Question Two: How will the quarterbacks look? I don't think we'll see offensive playbooks opened up much Saturday, but I don't think they'll hand off every play. When the quarterbacks throw, do they lock in on one receiver? Do they stuff it into coverage? Does the ball hit the target, and is it catchable? What we want to see is the quarterbacks doing the little things right. The good news is that returning starter Clint Mosley is expected to play. He's been limited all spring, and has possibly fallen behind sophomore Khiel Frazier. A good, healthy competition can only help. Personally, whether it's Frazier, Mosley or true freshman Zeke Pike, I'd like to see one or more of these guys really have a good day!

Question Three: Can the Tiger offense really run the ball? We know that they've worked a lot on it this spring, and we know Auburn has fast, dangerous running backs. The critical thing about running when the defense knows it's coming is blocking, including the job done by the fullbacks, tight ends, and even the receivers. With star tight end Phillip Lutzenkirchen missing this spring, we'll see some new faces on A-Day. Fullback Jay Prosch has transferred to Auburn from Illinois, and he's a proven commodity having been selected as an All-America fullback as a sophomore last season. Who's working behind him? We'll find out. Tight ends Brandon Fulse and C. J. Uzomah were great athletes in high school. Can they block SEC defenders as tight ends? A-Day will tell us. Also important is how well a young offensive line matches up with a deep, veteran defensive line.

Question Four: Can a pair of young offensive tackles protect the quarterback's blind side? We saw first hand last season at LSU and Georgia how failing to protect the quarterback can lead to some pretty miserable performances. It's a tall order for redshirt freshman Greg Robinson and sophomore Chad Slade. The team has also worked true freshman Patrick Miller extensively at right tackle. We'll be watching the offensive tackles closely.

Question Five: Can the receivers catch the ball? Last spring, aside from Phillip Lutzenkirchen and Emory Blake, the answer was resoundingly "no!" The Tigers have some pretty fast and athletic corners, and it will be rare to see receivers running free. Can they make the grab in traffic, and with contact from the defender? I'd expect Blake will only play a few snaps, if that much. It's time for the young guys to step up and make some plays!

War Eagle, folks! It's great to have a football Saturday in the offing. We'll be sure to enjoy it! There will be surprises, and disappointments, as there are any A-Day. During the Chizik Era, guys that have shined on A-Day have tended to do well on the field in the fall. We'll see who makes their debut as a star this Saturday.

Auburn Football - Recruiting Edition

KoolBell777 — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 20:00:02 -0000

Recruiting...

Auburn's coaches are concentrating on recruiting this week, in between practices in preparation for the Chick-fil-A Bowl game against the University of Virginia Cavaliers. Rest assured this coaching staff knows where the "most needed" positions on this team are, and they are working diligently to shore up the weaker areas.

We were told in the spring, and again in the fall, that this year would be a test of our patience. Boy, was that ever the truth. I will try and take an in depth look at each position, and give you as much information as possible on Auburn's efforts in recruiting them.

Let's start on defense.

Defensive Backs...

At defensive back Auburn has plenty of young faces. Most of those have only one season under their belt, and now will face a new defensive coordinator with new terminology and schemes. The Tigers have 16 names on the roster listed as DB, of those only two are Seniors- Neiko Thorpe, Drew Cole, and two Juniors- T'Sharvan Bell, Ikeem Means. 5 true Freshmen- Erique Florence, Robinson Therezie, Jonathan Rose, Jermaine Whitehead, and Anthony Swain. There are 3 Redshirt Freshmen- Jonathan Mincy, Trent Fisher, and Jordan Spriggs. Leaving us with four Sophomores- Chris Davis, Demetruce McNeal, Ryan White,and Ryan Smith.

Auburn currently has three verbal commitments at DB and may look to add one other, but only if they are a very good prospect. I don't see Auburn going after many other prospects in this area. It is the one place on defense that has the numbers and the talent needed, already on the roster.

Defensive Line...

At times this past season on the defensive line, Auburn showed weakness and inexperience. Experience they gained, and weakness can be overcome. This off season the workouts should yield tremendous results and have the Tiger defensive front ready to compete with the best of the SEC going forward.

Defensive line coach Mike Pelton has 17 bodies to work with at this position. Starting with the fact that there are ZERO Seniors and only 3 Juniors- Jamar Travis, Joel Bonomolo, and Dee Ford all of whom saw very limited playing time, it's no wonder this was the biggest area of concern for the Tigers in 2011. It continues to be an area of extreme importance in recruiting this year.

With only two linemen on the defensive side of the ball so far as verbal commitments, Auburn may be looking for a big time prospect to finish this class. There are only a few defensive ends that aren't already verbally committed, with higher ratings according to rivals.com, but many more tackles are in this class, and several have Auburn as a high interest. This area is a concern for these coaches.

FRESHMEN	REDSHIRT FRESHMEN	SOPHOMORES	JUNIORS	SENIORS
Brian Walsh	LaDarius Owens	Craig Sanders	Jamar Travis
Angelo Blackson	Justin Delaine	Jeffrey Whitaker	Joel Bonomolo
Devaunte Sigler		Corey Lemonier	Dee Ford
Gabe Wright		Kenneth Carter
Zach Rawlden		Nosa Eguae
Keymia Harrell

Linebacker...

At linebacker this season we were witness to some spotty play throughout. Very few times were AU linebackers involved in big time plays. We were spoiled by the play of Josh Bynes in his Senior campaign, and a big time play maker never really materialized this year. This is not to take away from some good play at times, more a reflection of the season as a whole defensively.Time and again, we saw poor angles taken to ball carriers, and apathetic pass coverage from this unit.

It's no secret that former DC Ted Roof coached this unit, and now that he is gone, an upgrade is needed here more than anywhere else on the team. Graduation will take arguably the most energetic player on the defense in Eltoro Freeman, and seldom used Ashton Richardson leaving only ten bodies to fill three spots plus the rotation.

FRESHMEN	REDSHIRTS	SOPHOMORES	JUNIORS	SENIORS
Justin Garrett	Jawara White	Jake Holland	Daren Bates	Eltoro Freeman
Daniel Pond		Harris Gaston	Jonathan Evans	Ashton Richardson
Chris Landrum
Clay Finkelstein
Kris Frost

This position is by far and away the primary concern for Auburn in this years recruiting class defensively. I look for Auburn to try and add at least 4 linebackers, of which two are already verbally committed. There are still two Inside Linebackers (ILB) and two Outside Linebackers (OLB) that are highly rated and as of yet uncommitted.

My take....

We all want and expect Auburn's defenses to be of championship caliber. Our past has been built on quality defenses that stop the run, and seldom gets beat by the deep ball. We could do neither on a consistent basis this year. Blaming the style of offense as the cause of this, is an opinion based on complete ignorance of the mindset of most defensive players. It is and will always be the responsibility of the defense to stop the opposing offense at all costs, every single time they are on the field.

Statistically, Auburn was horrendous in stopping third down conversions in 2011, an area that must be addressed by whomever is tabbed to replace Ted Roof. The amount of time that Auburn's defense had to spend on the field was directly linked to that specific problem. Had this unit been able to get able to get off the field at a 64% average***, the outcome of at least two other games could have been different.

Regardless of how many times, regardless of how much time it takes, the defense must stop the opponent and force either a turnover, or a punt. I would argue that every player, on every top defense in the country will tell you the same thing. "My job is to stop their offense". Period.

***that is the average opposing defenses had against us-editor

WAR EAGLE!

Poll

Which position on defense do you feel needs the most attention in recruiting this class?

defensive end

26 votes

defensive tackle

57 votes

Linebacker

215 votes

defensive back

32 votes

330 votes | Poll has closed

Depth Chart For Utah State Released

KoolBell777 — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:51:47 -0000

Thanks to Andy Bitter for the breakdown. Read Andy's analysis on the release HERE.

OFFENSE

QB
Barrett Trotter, Jr., 6-2, 207
Clint Moseley, So., 6-4, 213
Kiehl Frazher, Fr., 6-2, 220

RB
Onterio McCalebb, Jr., 5-11, 174
Mike Dyer, So., 5-9, 210
Tre Mason, Fr., 5-10, 190

HB/TE
Philip Lutzenkirchen, Jr., 6-5, 250
Brandon Fulse, Fr., 6-4, 238
Ladarious Phillips, rFr., 6-0, 291

WR
Emory Blake, Jr., 6-2, 197
DeAngelo Benton, Jr., 6-2, 203

WR
Quindarius Carr, Sr., 6-1, 185
Trovon Reed, rFr., 6-0, 183
Quan Bray, Fr., 5-10, 185

WR
Travante Stallworth, Jr.5-9, 190
C.J. Uzomah, Fr., 6-4, 236
Jaylon Denson, Fr., 6-3, 197

LT
Brandon Mosley, Sr., 6-6, 305
Greg Robinson, Fr., 6-5, 305

LG
Jared Cooper, Sr., 6-4, 296
Christian Westerman, Fr., 6-3, 277

C
Reese Dismukes, Fr., 6-3, 285
Blake Burgess, So., 6-3, 285

RG
John Sullen, Jr., 6-5, 333
Erick Mack, rFr., 6-3, 315

RT
Chad Slade, rFr., 6-5, 320
A.J. Greene, Sr., 6-5, 295

DEFENSE

DE
Corey Lemonier, So., 6-4, 240
Dee Ford, Jr., 6-2, 240
LaDarius Owens, rFr., 6-2, 237

DT
Ken Carter, So., 6-4, 290
Gabe Wright, Fr., 6-3, 316 OR
Devaunte Sigler, Fr., 6-3, 263

DT
Jeffrey Whitaker, So., 6-4, 312
Angelo Blackson, Fr., 6-4, 325 OR
Jamar Travis, Jr., 6-0, 294

DE
Nosa Eguae, So., 6-3, 258
Craig Sanders, So., 6-4, 260
Justin Delaine, rFr., 6-5, 238

OLB
Daren Bates, Jr., 5-11, 205
Harris Gaston, So., 6-2, 236

MLB
Jake Holland, So., 6-1, 235
Eltoro Freeman, Sr., 5-11, 221

OLB
Jonathan Evans, Jr., 5-11, 225
Justin Garrett, Fr., 6-1, 205

CB
T’Sharvan Bell, Jr., 6-0, 180
Ryan White, So., 5-11, 192
Jonathon Rose, Fr., 6-2, 185

FS
Neiko Thorpe, Sr.6-3, 191
Erique Florence, Fr., 6-1, 179
Drew Cole, Sr., 5-11, 190

SS
Demetruce McNeal, So., 6-2, 193
Ryan Smith, So., 5-11, 192
Ikeem Means, Jr., 6-0, 205

CB
Chris Davis, So., 5-11, 188
Jonathon Mincy, rFr., 5-10, 180
Robenson Therezie, Fr., 5-9, 192

Nickel
T’Sharvan Bell, Jr., 6-0, 180
Jermaine Whitehead, Fr., 5-11, 183
Trent Fisher, rFr., 6-1, 186

SPECIAL TEAMS

PK
Cody Parkey, So., 6-0, 190
Chris Brooks, Sr., 6-1, 173

P
Stephen Clark, So., 6-5, 226
Chris Brooks, Sr., 6-1, 173

DS
Josh Harris, Sr., 6-1, 224
Jake Lembke, So., 6-2, 236

H
Ryan White, So., 5-11, 192
Chris Brooks, Sr., 6-1, 173

PR
Trovon Reed, So., 6-0, 183
Quan Bray, Fr., 5-10, 185

KR
Quan Bray, Fr., 5-10, 185
Onterio McCalebb, Jr., 5-11, 174
Tre Mason, Fr., 5-1, 190

AU Roster Features A Lot of New Faces

KoolBell777 — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 08:00:41 -0000

Auburn's incoming freshman class will be one of the most anticipated of any that has ever graced the field at Jordan Hare Stadium. By all counts, there is a plethora of talent in Auburn this fall. The rub is that few have actual game day experience, and of the ones that do, only a handful have meaningful minutes against SEC competition.

Let's take a look now at the Redshirt Freshman, and true Freshmen that are expected to take the field in defense of Auburn's second National Championship.

The game is won or lost in the trenches, cliche, I know, still The line of scrimmage is where games are truly won or lost. The Tigers are replacing a veteran line that consisted of four Seniors, starting at the left tackle position, and continues all the way thru the right guard. Only right tackle Brandon Mosley returns. Auburn has recruited some of the highest rated offensive linemen the last two classes, and they will have to play up to their potential quickly for the Tigers to have a successful campaign in 2011. The Redshirt and true Freshmen here are -

# 60 Eric Mack – RsFr

#62 Chad Slade – RsFr

#64 Chase Seals – RsFr

#65 Tunde Fariyike – RsFr

#68 Ed Christian – RsFr

#69 Ryan Preston – RsFr

#78 Aubrey Phillips - RsFr

#66 Thomas O'Reilly Fr

#50 Reese Dismukes - Fr

Christian Westerman – Fr

Gregory Robinson - Fr

#70 Shon Coleman – Fr*

*Coleman probably won't play this season, due to his ongoing cancer treatments and recovery.

Fair, or not, this will be a test for Jeff Grimes. Getting a starting five with some quality depth will be paramount. With the schedule that Auburn faces, these guys need to be ready from day one, and avoid the injury bug, or it will be a long season for us Tiger fans.

In the offensive backfield there won't be a large number of fresh faces, although Mike Blakely, and Tre Mason are expected to contribute some. Both are true Freshmen.

The wide out position in Gus Malzahn's scheme is another place where we could see a tremendous amount of playing time for the new kid's on the block. Here are the names of those young men-

#1 Trovon Reed – RsFr

#39 Dimitri Reese – RsFr

#41 Anderson Mack – RsFr

#84 Cody Fredrick – RsFr

Jaylon Denson

Sammie Coates

Brandon Fulse

Coach Trooper Taylor has shown he is excellent at his position on this staff, even if he has missed the mark on his prediction, that DeAngelo Benton would break some Auburn records in his time on the Plains. Matching the down field blocking skills, of Kodi Burns, Darvin Adams, and Terrell Zachery will be priority one, and his biggest test this season as Auburn's receivers coach.

We will look at the defense after the jump.

On the defensive side of the ball, the story is much the same as the offense. We will start, the same as the offense, in the trenches, so here goes.

Replacing the production of Nick Fairley, Zac Clayton, Mike Goggans, and Mike Blanc, would seem to be an impossible task. Complicate that with a coaching change here, and this becomes the most questioned part of Auburn's entire team. Remembering that games are won and lost on the line of scrimmage, and the anxiety levels skyrocket in this area.

Mike Pelton, the only newcomer on Gene Chizik's staff, has said all the right things, and Coach Roof, seems pleased with the hire, so let's look at the newcomers on the defensive line.

#52 Justin Delaine – RsFr

#99 Brian Walsh – Fr

Angelo Blackson

Jabrian Niles

Devaunte Sigler

Gabe Wright

At linebacker, we have no less than 5 newcomers, and possibly a sixth. This position will be a key one for recruiting for the 2012 class. The loss of Jessel Curry as a transfer, may not be as significant this season, as it will going forward into next season, and beyond. So, let's look at our incoming linebacker class -

#10 LaDarius Owens – RsFr

#38 Jawara White – RsFr

#59 Jacob Westrich – RsFr

Chris Landrum

Justin Garrett

**Kris Frost

** Frost is listed as an athlete, and during his recruitment, the coaches promised him a chance at WR. It is however a consensus opinion that he will play LB at AU.

If Auburn's defense had an Achilles heel last season it was at the defensive back position. Between, inconsistent play, injuries, and a lack of cohesiveness as a unit, there were more breakdowns in this part of Auburn's game, than all the others combined. That is this writers opinion, anyway.

Consistency, and improved technique did manifest itself throughout the course of the season, and the problems were never from a lack of effort. They were what they were, and that was frustrating.

One thing is for certain, this staff has put in a tremendous effort to upgrade the quality, and depth at AU, and this season, it should pay off in a big way. Let's meet the newcomers -

#6 Jonathon Mincy – RsFr

#28 Jonathan Rose – Fr

#31 Trent Fisher – RsFr

#40 Jordan Spriggs – RsFr

Erique Florence

Jermaine Whitehead

Anthony Swain

Robenson Therezie

On special teams, there aren't any new names to add. Saying goodbye to Wes Byrum was a tough thing to do, but alas Auburn's all time points scorer has moved on, hopefully to an NFL career. Cody Parkey will taking his place, and the punting job is yet to be won. Much as the QB position, we may not have an answer until just a few days before kickoff.

In an interview with ESPN's Chris Low Coach Chizik had this to say.

"Our guys are hungry. There’s no question that they’ve really, really worked hard in the last four months or so since January. It’s really been a joy for me to watch, guys coming back and getting back into it that fast, being hungry and being excited about competing and trying to win a job. That’s where we’re at."

and further in the interview he said this.

"It’s different for us," Chizik said. "What you’re going to see at Auburn is a lot of new faces and a lot of new names. We’ve got guys just fighting for jobs continuously on our roster".

In less than sixty days the Tigers will begin fall practice schedule, and two-a-days. Are you ready for some football?

WAR EAGLE!

Looking Forward - Defensive Backs

KoolBell777 — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 09:00:19 -0000

Tell me if you have heard this before?

The 2011 version of the Auburn Tigers are going to have to play better defensively to be able to compete within the Western Division of the SEC.

While I can't argue that there were not times when Auburn's 2010 defense didn't play very well, no one can argue that they weren't clutch under pressure. Every time Auburn needed to come up with a big defensive stand they somehow pulled it off. I don't know if my heart can take another year like we just had defensively, but it sure was exciting wasn't it?

We have already discussed the Linebackers, so this week we are going to discuss the Defensive backs, and where we think they will lead this unit.

There are those who strongly believe that the DB's are going to be much more talented in 2011, and therefore giving us a more evenly balanced defensive performance. If we go strictly by recruiting guru ratings that may indeed be the case, but it will be hard to argue against the likes of Zac Etheridge, Aairon Savage, and Demond Washington, who have moved on. Savage was recruited with some of the best talent to ever play at AU. That 2005 class was an amazing DB class. With the likes of Jonathan Wilhite, Jerraud Powes, and Walt McFadden

Since then though times had been hard on AU when it comes to true DB talent. For many reasons, since the 2006 recruiting class Auburn has had only 3 star Zac Etheridge, out of Troy, AL emerge as a real asset. Until Gene Chizik arrived back at the Plains, and started to turn that around.

The last two recruiting classes have seen a big boost in DB numbers and recruiting ratings. The talent is definitely at Auburn now, and it could not come at a better time. So, let's discuss this new and inexperienced talent.

After the jump...

Believe it or not, there are no less than 13 returning defensive backs listed on the official roster. Only two of which have any measurable playing time. T'Sharvan Bell and Neiko Thorpe. There are several who were able to contribute this past season, Mike McNeil, Chris Davis, Demetruce McNeal, Anthony Morgan, and the walk-on Ikeem Means. Most of these contributions were in the area of special teams play, until Savo got hurt and the quest to find a rotation got a lot tougher.

Still others helped a great deal working with the scout team, and honing their skills as athletes. They include Ryan White, Drew Cole, Jordan Spriggs, Ryan Smith, Twun Bonner, and Trent Fisher

So, what does Auburn do with it's 2011 recruiting class? Coach Chizik and his remarkable staff go out and sign what is arguably the very best DB class in America. They are Erique Florence, Jermaine Whitehead, Jonathan Rose, Anthony Swain, and Robensen Therezie.

Total count brings our DB player list up to 18, which many would say is an awful lot, but if you consider that Ted Roof sometimes like to run the dime package, ie. 6 DB's on the field at one time, then that is just three deep. It may take that many bodies to bring Auburn's defensive numbers to where we are used to seeing them, DOMINANT!

In our discussion section below, tell me what you think about the recent signing class, and who will be the best DB in an Auburn Uniform next year.

WAR EAGLE!

Last week we crowned a new winner in our video contest. Stymo99 put away the two time winner Young IE. This week the competition gets a little stronger with another Iron Bowl showdown, this time last weeks champ goes up against WDE1121 and his Auburn vs. Bama radio comparison. Enjoy, and don't forget to vote.

Poll

It's a new weekend video contest, who is going to win?

Stymo99's tribute to the Iron Bowl of 2010

37 votes

WDE1121's Comparison of Auburn and Alabama's radio play by play men

69 votes

106 votes | Poll has closed