When Byron Cowart committed to Auburn over Florida on National Signing Day, it seemed that his recruitment had come to a long awaited end.
But his day did not stop there, as his Letter of Intent was not received by Auburn until late in the afternoon.
The delay concerned many Auburn fans, thinking Cowart may have been having second thoughts, but head coach Gus Malzahn was never worried.
"He just didn't get it faxed in until just recently, but we felt very good about it all along," Malzahn said. "We were in contact all day."
With the fax now in hand, Malzahn thinks the Tigers have a special player on their side.
"He's the No. 1 player in the entire country," Malzahn said. "We feel very good about him being able to come in immediately and help us rushing the passer. Our defensive staff did an excellent job recruiting that young man."
With his ability, Malzahn said he feels that Cowart could follow in the steps of Carl Lawson and earn playing time as a freshman.
"You're talking about the best player in the country, so he'll have a chance to compete and have a chance to be on the field immediately with his skillset," Malzahn said.
With Cowart and the other defensive prospects signed, Malzahn said he believes he and defensive coordinator Will Muschamp have the personnel to improve a defense that was lacking last season.
"We didn't have Carl Lawson this year, and we had a couple other injuries too," Malzahn said. "So it was one of our priorities to get some guys so we can rush the passer with just four guys and not have to blitz. So that was our focus, and we're very excited about these guys."
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