Wednesday, February 06, 2008

More recruiting excitement

Just got back from Tommy Tuberville’s Signing Day press conference...not much of interest there.

Unsurprisingly, Tuberville says he likes Auburn’s class. (What, I hear you asking, is he supposed to say? Good point.) He also says he’s pleased with AU’s efforts in the state of Alabama, which may surprise some Auburn fans who follow recruiting especially closely: Almost every in-state recruit who received scholarship offers from both Auburn and Alabama chose the Tide. AU has signed 10 Alabamians—counting juco transfer Raven Gray—but many of them weren’t targeted by the Tide.

I’m not saying Auburn’s class is bad—as I said earlier, I think there’s a lot of talent, especially at the offensive skill positions and the defensive backfield. But it’s tough to spin the in-state results as a “W” for AU. Sorry.

Tuberville also pointed out that Auburn’s cupboard is rather full—the Tigers have had good classes the last few years, and unless you’re Florida, LSU, USC or Notre Dame, it’s hard to sign top-10 classes every year. A lot of schools had a lot of playing time to offer; Auburn didn’t, except at defensive back and defensive line, where the Tigers had some pretty good results. That’s not spin: That’s a fact.

I’ll have more from Tuberville in my story for tomorrow’s paper.