Title = Recruiting Boost

[RunInRed 18,216]

A nice read...

Tigers, Ducks get boost from title game

National champ Auburn gains the most on the recruiting trail, but Oregon not far behind

By Jamie Newberg, ESPN Recruiting

Ed Orgeron is considered one of the nation's top recruiters, so yeah, he knows a thing or two about recruiting. He also has won four national championships -- two with Miami and two at USC -- so he also knows a thing or two about what winning a title can do for recruiting.

So want to know when Auburn will begin to see the effects from beating Oregon on Monday night for the BCS national championship? Ask Orgeron.

"Immediately. My guess is that Auburn will feel the effects right away," said Orgeron, who is USC's recruiting coordinator and defensive line coach. "I know we did at SC when we won our first national championship. It's felt now. Everyone was watching that game. It's the big stage, the biggest. It's so powerful.

"Oregon had a great year and they will get a bump. But the real bump goes to Auburn because they won it. Wait until next year." As if the SEC needed another recruiting power. The Tigers, who join Florida (twice), LSU and Alabama as conference winners to win the national title in the past five years, have recruited well over the years, but not at the level of the other SEC powers. Until now.

"Oh yeah, we actually started feeling it the last month," said Curtis Luper, Auburn's recruiting coordinator and running backs coach. "We have some things behind the scenes that will surface between now and signing day. Winning the SEC championship and now the national championship will be so big for us now. It's just human nature to gravitate towards winning. We plan on doing what we can with it."

Auburn is currently sitting at No. 11 in the class rankings with 18 commitments. Leading the way are quarterback Kiehl Frazier (Springdale, Ark./Shiloh Christian), athlete Quan Bray (LaGrange, Ga./Troup County), center Reese Dismukes (Spanish Fort, Ala./Spanish Fort) and outside linebacker Brent Calloway (Russellville, Ala./Russellville).

The Tigers are expected to sign a full class and it could be a fast and furious close for coach Gene Chizik and his staff between now and national signing day.

"Of course it enhanced my outlook with Auburn. Who doesn't want to go to the No. 1 school in nation," said Lake Worth (Fla.) Park Vista RB Tre Mason. "For me though, I just want the opportunity to play running back. When I took a visit [to Auburn] I had a great time. I have a good relationship with their players. "

Auburn's remaining recruiting board is stout. The Tigers are in on some of the nation's very best players like running backs Isaiah Crowell (Columbus, Ga./Carver), Marlin Lane (Daytona Beach, Fla./Mainland), Savon Huggins (Jersey City, N.J./St. Peters Prep), tight end Brandon Fulse (Ft. Meade, Fla./Ft. Meade), offensive tackles Christian Westerman (Hamilton, Ariz./Chandler) and Cyrus Kouandjio (Hyattsville, Md./DeMatha Catholic), offensive guard Spencer Region (Cullman, Ala./Cullman), defensive linemen Ray Drew (Thomasville, Ga./Thomas County Central), Gabe Wright (Columbus, Ga./Carver) and Jonathan Jenkins (Perkingston, Miss./Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.), linebacker Devaunte Sigler (Mobile, Ala./Rain), and defensive backs Marcus Roberson (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./St. Thomas Aquinas) and Erique Florence (Valley, Ala.).

While winning is certainly a big piece of the recruiting puzzle, don't overlook the importance of the relationships recruits build with the coaching staffs as well as the players on campus and the opportunity to play right away.

"You know a lot of people say Auburn won because it was all Cam [Newton]. I just feel they have the right players for their systems and they could challenge every year," said Fulse, who is considering Auburn along with Alabama, Miami, FSU, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas Tech. "With me and Auburn it didn't matter if they were 0-12. I just want to go somewhere I feel comfortable and find the right offense. I love those coaches. Coach [Gus] Malzahn is terrific and I love how they use [TE Philip] Lutzenkirchen. Sure, winning the national championship is great. But I want to make it to the next level. I am a choosing a place where I feel comfortable and to [go to] a team that will use me."

What will be interesting is to see how Auburn uses its newfound recruiting power. Will the Tigers expand their regional base and reach out across the country or stick with what's been successful and recruit the South?

"Recruiting is never easy but winning will certainly help us a lot for next year," Luper said. "It will make it easier. But I know that it's still going to be a challenge. There are so many big-time schools within 300 miles that are powerhouses like Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, LSU ... you know the names. For us, we will still be based from Louisiana to Florida."

But thanks to a national championship, the number of players the Tigers will be able to choose from in that area just got much larger. And that's a scary thought to the rest of the SEC.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/recruiting/football/columns/story?columnist=newberg_jamie&id=6018451

[LegalEagle 22]

Wow, finally a good broad brush article on Auburn recruiting. Good find.

Thanks.

[weagl1 1,808]

With the 3 Juniors now declaring for the draft, and with those attritions that left last year, how many can we sign? I am thinking now we can sign about 28?

[80Tiger 907]

Only 25 can enroll each year. If you sign 28 you will have 3 that have to Juco or greyshirt

[Justin5 20]

Would Darvins departure have any impact on Frost?

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

Would Darvins departure have any impact on Frost?

No, we can still only enroll 25 per class. Chizik and staff are going to have to get creative to reach the 85 schollies in 2011. I imagine Auburn will have a large group of very talented invited walkons.

[weagl1 1,808]

I really don't think the 25 per year rule is fair. If you have juniors enter the draft you should be able to make up however many left on top of the 25.

[ValleyTiger 2,894]

I really don't think the 25 per year rule is fair. If you have juniors enter the draft you should be able to make up however many left on top of the 25.

Well the NCAA decided in 1992 that each member university could only enroll 25 football signees per year. Back then there was no limit to the number that a school could "sign." Signing and placing prospects was common place and still done today but not to the same extents. The SEC first set a limit to 28 signees per class after Houston Nutt signed 39 prospects for the 2009 class. The NCAA followed suit by also adopting the 28 signee rule. 4 X 25 = 85 in their eyes accounting for attrition.