Curtis Luper & Tracy Rocker

[Tigermike 4,246]

Auburn's Curtis Luper set to dispatch plenty of coaches to recruit Alabama; Rocker talks defense

Posted by Charles Goldberg -- Birmingham News February 16, 2009 2:11 PM

Categories: Football, Recruiting

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Curtis LuperAuburn recruiting coordinator and running backs coach Curtis Luper says the Tigers will use seven assistant coaches to recruit Alabama -- make it eight if you count head coach Gene Chizik. That's the new recruiting plan for Auburn's new coaching staff.

``I'm a military man. One of the basic elements of the military is that you protect your border. So we got to protect our border,'' Luper said.

Luper said he plans to have seven assistants recruit Alabama, five recruit Georgia and three or four recruit Florida. Auburn will also continue to recruit Texas and Oklahoma, and maybe up the East Coast, too.

Obviously, coaches will have more than one area.

Luper said he wasn't scared of recruiting rankings because ``If you keep score, you want to win. But you can't get caught up in four stars and five stars. You have to evaluate.''

We've added some comments from defensive line coach Tracy Rocker, too, (who could speak to being an Auburn guy, having played for the Tigers). First, here's more from Luper:

Where will the assistants recruit?

``Tentatively, there will be seven of us in Alabama. We'll split the state up into seven areas, basically, in counties. Two down south, one has Montgomery, two up north, one has Birmingham. And then basically one that's Lee County and Columbus and LaGrange.

``We haven't decided who has what yet. There'll be seven coaches in this state, five in Georgia, four in Florida. And then the rest of us -- for instance, I'll have Texas, Oklahoma, something West. Maybe a coach like Tommy (Thigpen) would have something on the East Coast, Carolinas up to Jersey, something in Alabama and maybe a part of Georgia -- something like that. We'll have about three main areas that we'll recruit starting with the state of Alabama.''

On the coaching staff as recruiters:

``You don't want to be overloaded, but we have five, six, seven, eight, nine guys who can really go after it.''

On the staff getting a late start in recruiting this time:

``When we solidifying the '09 class everybody else was working on the 2010 class. We're behind.''

On the 2009 class:

``We didn't want to `salvage' the class. We wanted to an impact class. In certain areas, we did.'

On running back signee Dontae Aycock:

``Epitome of versatility.''

On running back signee Brandon Jacobs:

``He reminds me a lot of the other Brandon Jacobs that played here.''

TRACY ROCKER

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Tracy RockerOn coaching the entire defensive line (Tommy Tuberville's coaching staff had an inside coach and a defensive ends coach):

``I prefer the challenge. If it goes wrong, blame me.''

On defensive tackles:

``(Mike) Blanc and (Jake) Ricks excite me.

``The thing that concerns me is depth.''

On incoming junior college transfer Nick Fairley:

``He's a seasoned guy. He's played. No doubt he'll have a vital role.''

On who's starting:

``Everyone has a clean slate. May the best man win.''

On signee Nosa Eguae:

``That's the sleeper. Great upside. He doesn't act like the average freshman.''

On recruiting:

``My goal: Do you really want to play?''

``You can have all the tools in the world, but you don't put forth effort, you don't interest us.''

``We're Auburn, and we've got something to stand for.''

http://blog.al.com/goldmine/2009/02/auburn...oordinator.html

[buzzurd24 11]

Go get'em boys.........

[OldNewby 27]

WAR DAMN AUBURN FOOTBALL COACHES!!!!!

[autigeremt 7,543]

I am stoked about this staff. It's all out war!

Where Jim Fyffe when you need him? God rest his soul.

[Double Tiger 0]

Wow, that article should everyone excited for the future of Auburn recruiting. Can't wait!

WAR EAGLE!

[AU1941 6]

I am stoked about this staff. It's all out war!

Where Jim Fyffe when you need him? God rest his soul.

Damn straight it's gonna be an all out war. These guys have go to go up against the best in the buisness. Meyer, Miles, Saban even Nutt, Petrino, Mullin and Spurrier will be beating down the doors to get top talent from all over the country. May the games begin! WDE!