Auburn football has reshaped its program recently with many coaches coming and going, such as replacing former defensive coordinator Will Muschamp with LSU’s Kevin Steele. Muschamp, who was recently hired as head coach by South Carolina, took linebackers coach Lance Thompson and secondary coach Travaris Robinson with him.
Regardless of Auburn’s coaching changes, the Tigers have still managed to maintain a steady class, which is ranked 10th in the nation, according to 247sports.
The 2016 class is riddled with talent, and is led by community college transfers Paul James III and John Franklin III.
James is a transfer from Copiah-Lincoln Community College who plays weak-side defensive end. He stands at 6-foot-4 inches, 255 pounds and will likely be considered as a strong contender to start at the outside linebacker position.
This past season, he recorded 14 sacks for a loss of 66 yards. Defensive sensation Carl Lawson was injured, but Auburn’s pass rush lacked at times in 2015 and didn't really hit its stride until the Iron Bowl and Birmingham Bowl.
With the exit of seniors Cassanova McKinzy, Kris Frost and Davonte Lambert, the Tigers need all of the help they can get bringing the heat in 2016, and with those kinds of numbers, James can be of assistance.
Franklin transferred from East Mississippi Community College after a short stint at Florida State University.
Although his listed position is an "athlete" by most recruiting databases, Franklin is expected to compete for, if not win, Auburn’s starting quarterback position.
After suffering an injury last spring, his future with FSU was unclear. Shortly after, former Notre Dame standout Everett Golson announced he would transfer to play quarterback for FSU. Franklin then transferred to East Mississippi Community College, where he scored seven touchdowns through the air and nine on the ground in just nine games.
Franklin has been praised for his tremendous athletic ability, particularly as a runner. However, he has been critiqued as more of a runner than a passer, hence the "athlete" label.
Auburn football experienced the majority of its success through ground-and-pound football, and coach Gus Malzahn has shown to be a big advocate of the read option, which allows the quarterback to keep or hand off the football based on the movements of the defensive end. This favors quarterbacks with running instincts like Franklin.
Auburn football has had success with running quarterbacks like Nick Marshall and Cam Newton, so Franklin seems like a viable option to an offense that has been lacking in quarterback production on the ground.
Jeremy Johnson and Sean White seemed hesitant at times to utilize their legs this year, something Marshall and Newton were never afraid to do.
The quarterback race this spring between Johnson, White and now Franklin is going to be intense, to say the least.
Kyle Davis, the No. 1 wide receiver recruit in the country, was another meaningful signee and will help replace the absence of stellar wide-receiver play that the Auburn faithful had become accustomed to after watching Sammie Coates and Duke Williams.
Auburn was also able to snag Marlon Davidson, a five-star defensive end who was featured in the Under Armour All-American game.
Davidson should add another exciting player to Steele’s defense, and help James and company welcome opposing quarterbacks to the Jordan-Hare turf.
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