When Auburn starts the 2008 football season Aug. 30 against Louisiana-Monroe, the Tigers will have three seniors and a junior on their two-deep depth chart at linebacker.

That’s an excellent sign for the ’08 defense: Veterans on defense are a valuable commodity. But finding future replacements for those veterans is a top priority in Auburn’s recruiting efforts.

Those efforts paid off in a big way Monday, when Atlanta linebacker Jonathan Atchison announced his plans to sign with Auburn in February.

The 6-foot-3, 215-pound Atchison is considered one of the South’s top linebacker prospects. He chose AU over scholarship offers from Alabama, West Virginia, Louisville, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Maryland and several others.

As a junior, Atchison had 110 tackles and 12 sacks for Atlanta’s Douglass High.

AU now has 23 verbal commitments for the 2009 class. Verbal commitments are non-binding; recruits can’t sign binding letters of intent until February.

Atchison is the fifth linebacker to verbally commit to Auburn for the 2009 recruiting class. That group also includes junior-college star Eltoro Freeman and Prichard’s Jonathan Evans. Evans’ brother Chris is one of Auburn’s three senior linebackers.

| 737-2561