As Auburn is now halfway through the 2015 season, one thing is blatantly obvious: the Auburn defense needs help.
Auburn ranks among the worst when it comes to total yards allowed this year allowing more than 400 yards in five out of the six games this season.
Last February, Tiger fans all over the country were ecstatic when the number one player in the 2015 recruiting class, Byron Cowart, chose to commit to Auburn. Cowart has proven to be a good defensive end for the Tigers, but he needs help.
Enter Marlon Davidson, the 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior out of Greenville High School, who has been dominating the high school level for years now. The younger brother of former Auburn defensive lineman Kenneth Carter, Davidson is a five-star defensive end from Montgomery, Alabama.
Auburn fans should be excited for Davidson’s arrival.
“(Davidson) is the best high school defensive lineman I’ve ever seen play,” said rivals.com’s Bryan Matthews.
Davidson is a major commit for Will Muschamp and this struggling Tiger defensive. The offense has shown the ability to score, now the defense needs to make a few stops.
Davidson has been an integral part in the success of the undefeated Greenville High School. Greenville competes in Alabama Class 5A and is currently 9-0. After the season, Davidson plans to get a head start on his freshman season and enroll in Auburn in January. Davidson is already expected to be an immediate impact player, and the early enrollee process helps the chances of him playing in the foreseeable future increase greatly.
“(Enrolling in January) is huge for his chances to come in a play early,” said Jason Caldwell of InsideTheAuburnTigers. “When you talk about Auburn, they need a guy who can play immediately."
Davidson is quick enough to continue playing strong side defensive end in college, but he provides versatility with his strength and size where Auburn can put him in the tackle position, yet still produce a pass rush. His flexibility on the line can present a nightmare scenario for opposing offenses in which Davidson and Cowart both line up on the strong side and overwhelm the offensive line.
His biggest strength, however, is “he is very football knowledgable,” said Greenville head coach Josh McLendon. “He plays extremely hard and works extremely hard."
Matthews echoed those sentiments by pointing out his great work ethic and motivated style of play.
Davidson announced his commitment on Sept. 4, calling Auburn his dream school. Cynthia Davidson, his late mother, was always an Auburn fan, and as previously mentioned, his older brother has already come through Auburn as a very successful defensive lineman. Marlon has visited the campus twice since his first visit, and although his recruiting process is still open, he expects to be a Tiger next season.
If Auburn continues to land the big names on the defensive side of the ball, it will be back in the Playoff conversation in no time.
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