2011 Recruiting... A Look Back

[Godfather]

Long but good read

Auburn’s 2011 Recruiting Class

Angelo Blackson, DL, Red Lion Christian Academy (Bear, Del.)

Rated as a three-star recruit coming out of Delaware, Blackson earned playing time behind the starters at defensive tackle as a freshman and showed promise getting penetration into the backfield. He only made six tackles, but he also had two tackles-for-loss and a blocked punt in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Quan Bray, ATH, Troup County (LaGrange, Ga.)

Listed as the No. 5 athlete in the country by both ESPN.com and Scout.com after playing some quarterback, running back and receiver in high school, Bray appears to have found a home as a wide receiver and punt returner for the Tigers after starting slow as a freshman. Given a chance when Trovon Reed was injured early, Bray made 17 catches for 93 yards and came up with a 62-yard punt return in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.

Sammie Coates, WR, Leroy (Ala.)

A rangy, tall prospect with a lot of upside, Coates had foot surgery in August and was forced to redshirt the season. He returned to the practice field for bowl practices.

Jaylon Denson, WR, Hoover (Ala.)

Another tall, rangy receiver prospect who wasn’t highly-regarded by the recruiting services, Denson did not contribute much on offense, but he had two tackles on special teams during his freshman season.

Reese Dismukes, C, Spanish Fort (Ala.)

Dismukes enrolled early at Auburn after being ranked the No. 1 center in the country and didn’t disappoint. Dismukes beat out Blake Burgess for the starting center job in training camp, started all 13 games and played well enough that he was named to both the All-SEC Freshman Team and to a pair of Freshman All-American teams. He should lock the center position down for a while.

Erique Florence, S, Valley (Ala.)

Rated a consensus top-five safety by the recruiting services, Florence is the heir apparent to Neiko Thorpe at safety and saw plenty of time at the position this season. Used in a rotation with Thorpe, Florence appears to have big-play ability after making 23 tackles, had a sack, forced a fumble and broke up a deep ball against Ole Miss.

Kiehl Frazier, QB, Shiloh Christian (Springdale, Ark.)

Touted as Auburn’s future at quarterback, Frazier, who was the Gatorade Player of the Year and the USA Today Offensive Player of the Year, could not beat out Barrett Trotter or Clint Moseley for the starting quarterback job, but he rushed for 327 yards, a 4.3 average and three touchdowns as Auburn’s Wildcat quarterback, and he was 5-of-12 passing. Frazier is expected to battle for the starting spot in the spring.

Kris Frost, ATH, Butler (Matthews, N.C.)

A five-star prospect who could have played both linebacker and wide receiver in college, Frost tore his labrum in the summer before the season started and was forced to redshirt the year. He got healthy again for bowl practices, and he could make a run at a starting spot in next year’s lineup.

Brandon Fulse, TE, Fort Meade (Fla.)

Fulse, a four-star tight end coming out of high school, served as Philip Lutzenkirchen’s backup at tight end as a freshman, but he failed to make a major impact on the offense. He caught two passes for 12 yards in Lutzenkirchen’s absence during the Florida Atlantic game, but he also had a couple of key drops.

Justin Garrett, LB, Tucker (Ga.)

A three-to-four star recruit, Garrett played mostly on special teams, but he got a start against Samford and came up with five tackles and one tackle-for-loss. A little undersized coming out of high school, Garrett spent most of his freshman season putting weight on a frame that was 185 in high school.

Keymiya Harrell, DE, Dallas County (Plantersville, Ala.)

Harrell, touted by the recruiting services as a raw player with high potential, redshirted his first season at Auburn.

Chris Landrum, LB, Sweet Water (Ala.)

Landrum, a big outside linebacker who was regarded as a mid-level prospect, redshirted his first season at Auburn.

Tre Mason, RB, Park Vista (Lake Worth, Fla.)

A four-star recruit coming out of high school, Mason made an immediate impact with a 99-yard kickoff return against Utah State, and he served as a top-flight kick returner in the SEC most of the season. He averaged 26.4 yards-per-return on 24 returns. Limited to only 19 carries in the regular season behind Michael Dyer and Onterio McCalebb, Mason had a breakout performance with nine carries for 64 yards and a touchdown in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. He had 161 yards and a 5.8 yards-per-carry average as a freshman.

Jabrian Niles, DL, Davidson (Mobile, Ala.)

A four-star or three-star depending on the recruiting service, Niles redshirted his freshman season at Auburn.

Thomas O’Reilly, OL, Pope (Marietta, Ga.)

Ranked the No. 8 guard by ESPN, O’Reilly enrolled early, but injuries derailed his development and forced O’Reilly to redshirt.

Greg Robinson, OT, Thibodaux (La.)

Ranked as a consensus top-10 guard coming out of high school, Robinson is Auburn’s future left tackle after redshirting his freshman season. Both players and coaches alike have said that Robinson possesses freakish athleticism, and by the time bowl practices rolled around, outgoing tackle A.J. Greene said Robinson could have started if need be.

Jonathan Rose, CB, Leeds (Ala.)

Rated a consensus top-15 cornerback, Rose never cracked the defensive backfield rotation after enrolling early, although he did make two tackles on special teams as a freshman.

Devaunte Sigler, DL, B.C. Rain (Mobile, Ala.)

Originally projected as a defensive tackle after playing linebacker at B.C. Rain, Sigler saw limited playing time at the position early, but by the end of the season he had been moved to strongside defensive end, a position that suits him better. By the end of the season, he had 10 tackles, a sack and two tackles-for-loss, and defensive line coach Mike Pelton expects big things from Sigler in the future.

Anthony Swain, S, Gadsden City (Ala.)

A tweener who could play either linebacker or safety, Swain redshirted his freshman season and could find a permanent position with Auburn’s new defensive coordinator on campus.

Robenson Therezie, DB, Miami Jackson (Miami, Fla.)

Therezie was rated as a top-20 safety coming out of high school, but he expects to play the boundary corner in college, where he can take advantage of his physical nature. He faced a steep learning curve after being allowed to roam freely in high school and sometimes could get caught out of position, but he’s also a special-teams ace who had 17 tackles overall and is known for big hits.

C.J. Uzomah, ATH, North Gwinnett (Suwanee, Ga.)

Brought in as a tight end/H-back prospect after playing quarterback in high school, Uzomah was used mostly on trick plays, and he finished 1-for-3 passing with a touchdown and an interception. His future going forward is likely at tight end in new offensive coordinator Scot Loeffler’s offense.

Christian Westerman, OL, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.)

Ranked as a consensus top-five offensive lineman and a player Auburn flipped after he committed to Texas early, Westerman failed to crack the lineup and redshirted the season. Going forward, Westerman projects as a left guard who plays next to Robinson. He could start as soon as 2012.

Jermaine Whitehead, DB, Amanda Elzy (Greenwood, Miss.)

Rated as a top-25 cornerback, Whitehead got flipped from Mississippi State with a late push after Auburn lost Marcus Roberson to Florida, and he turned into Auburn’s most productive freshman defensive back this season. Whitehead announced his presence with a 25-yard interception return against Florida Atlantic, and he found a home as Auburn’s nickel back at the end of the season with his combination of toughness and cover ability. He finished the year with 31 tackles, three pass breakups and the interception.

Gabe Wright, DL, Carver (Columbus, Ga.)

Called the top defensive tackle in the country by Auburn head coach Gene Chizik on signing day, Wright was hampered in training camp by injuries, and he got off to a slow start to the 2012 season. By the time the season ended, though, Wright made three straight starts and flashed some pass-rush ability with a sack in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. Wright finished the season with 12 tackles, three tackles-for-loss and a sack, and he should battle Kenneth Carter for the starter’s job again next year.

Read more here: http://www.wareagleextra.com/2012/01/30/taking-a-look-back-reviewing-the-2011-auburn-recruiting-class/#storylink=cpy

[Snaggletiger]

Pretty eye opening to see how many true freshmen played big roles last year.  I still say guys like Wright and Blackson...Sigler are only going to dominate after getting a year or two of D1 strength and conditioning.