Auburn's recent recruiting season is every reason for Auburn fans to start getting excited.

Given all of the turmoil surrounding Auburn’s football program this offseason, the new staff did a commendable job of pulling in some playmakers.

When Tommy Tuberville resigned, all hope appeared to be lost for this recruiting class. The four stars were dropping like flies. But out of the ashes came Gene Chizik with hires on his staff that no one would have thought he could put together.

It started with Curtis Looper, who was assigned damage control on a few select prospects and eventually named recruiting coordinator. From there, he brought in Trooper Taylor, both of which were on Oklahoma State’s staff.

The job these two did was nothing short of masterful. Not only did they babysit Auburn’s top recruits that the previous regime had locked up, they convinced other top prospects that Auburn was the place for them.

One glaring need for the Tigers was a receiver. There will be several departures from last years’ squad in that area, and with the untimely transfer of Chris Slaughter, there couldn’t have been a better opportunity to sell playing time to potential Tigers.

Here is a rundown of some of the top prospects from the 2009 class:

Onterio McCalebb: McCalebb originally signed with Auburn in 2008, but failed to qualify out of high school so he went the prep school route to the talent rich, Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, VA.

He reports that he runs a 4.49 40 yard dash, which is exceptional. McCalebb started to waiver on his commitment and considered signing with Clemson before Coach Looper convinced him to stick with his pledge to the Tigers.

Tyrik Rollison: This young man was a surprise steal. He was not even on the radar for Auburn under the previous regime’s watch and was, most likely, not going to get a look from them.

His numbers are absolutely staggering with 4,728 yards passing, to go along with 1,094 yards rushing and a total of 63 touchdowns.

While there have been questions about his grades, and that may have been a reason that he did not get an offer from the Texas Longhorns, his ability is definitely not in question.

Eltoro Freeman: Nicknamed “The Matador,” Freeman originally signed with Auburn in 2007 and failed to qualify, but went the JUCO route. His situation coming into Auburn is unique in that he sat out his second season at junior college in order to have three years to play at Auburn as opposed to having three years to play two, like most JUCO prospects have.

He is probably best known for his quote in regards to Auburn’s recruiting class in 2009, being perceived as lack luster. “If we can’t getcha, we’ll beatcha.”

There are many other recruits that will have an impact upon their arrival to campus, but these are the ones, provided they qualify academically, that bear mentioning the most.

It will be interesting to see what this football season brings. No doubt stakes will be high, but so will attendance on the Plains.


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