Assessing Auburn’s 2016 recruiting class entering this summer

Thanks to the recent exit of three defensive backs, an already-thin position group entered desperation mode for Auburn via the 2016 recruiting cycle. And that’s before Jonathan Jones and Joshua Holsey depart after the season.

New defensive coordinator Will Muchamp has some big-time needs with the Tigers’ pair of senior linebackers set to move on as well. With D’haquille Williams, Ricardo Louis and Melvin Ray departing the receiving corps, that’s another position of need.

The team has landed two players ranked in the Top 100 of the ’16 class, according to the 247Sports composite rankings: four-star receiver Eli Stove and four-star cornerback John Broussard. Though he told AL.com last month he’s only “70 percent committed” to Auburn, four-star athlete Stephen Davis Jr. likely would play safety for the Tigers, adding another talented piece to defensive backfield.

Auburn’s ’16 recruiting class has started slow. But that could be a good thing, especially if the team contends for an SEC West title all year and Muschamp gets the defense headed toward championship level.

ASSESSING AUBURN’S 2016 CLASS

Current commits or enrollees: 7 (avg. star 3.4; last year: 3.8)
Current big-name targets: OLB Lyndell Wilson, WR Nate Craig-Meyers, ATH Devin White, RB Elijah Holyfield
Biggest positions of need: CB, LB, WR
National/SEC rank: 24/10

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Christopher Smith

An itinerant journalist, Christopher has moved between states 11 times in seven years. Formally an injury-prone Division I 800-meter specialist, he now wanders the Rockies in search of high peaks.