It was great to have James Bostic watching the Alabama game with us! James is the good luck charm and I hope he comes back.
--David Barnes

A little article on Enrique Davis......


On his workout regime: They sent me the program. I've been trying to work on that real hard. It's tough, but I've gotten used to it. Different days we do different things. Some days we lift weights, some we run.

You say you're around 215 now. How much do you want to weigh when you report to Auburn? I want to be in that range, but I'm working on getting my 40-time down. I'd like to get it down some more.

When do you plan to move to Auburn? I'm moving up June 10. I think I'm going to stay in the dorm at the beginning.

What did you think of the 2007 signing class? I'm happy with the class we had. We have some great offensive lineman, the top class in the country, a great quarterback, the defense…everything. I think Auburn is going to be a great team for the next few years and I'm just happy to be a part of it.

Do you talk to any of your fellow signees? I keep up with a lot of them. I talk to Ryan (Williams) every once in a while. Me and Mike (McNeil) still keep in touch a lot. Antoine Carter, Kodi Burns, a lot of them. We all can't wait to get down there. The linemen say they can't wait to block for me, and I can't wait to run behind them. I'm glad I'll get to run behind them.

What was the most memorable part of the recruiting process for you? I'll never forget the first time I went to Auburn. I liked everything about it. I loved the fans, the enthusiasm. They get real pumped up for the games. When the fans get pumped up, I get pumped up.

Auburn was recruiting you and Caleb King for what appeared to be only one RB spot. You committed to AU first. Shortly thereafter, King committed to Georgia. Would your recruitment have been any different if King had committed to AU first? I wasn't ever worried about it. Even if Caleb or Jonathan Dwyer would've committed, they would've still taken me, and vice-versa. They said they were only going to sign one, but if they could've gotten us all, they would've signed all of us.



At 212 pounds, Davis ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at a NIKE camp.
So if King and/or Dwyer had committed to Auburn first, you still say you'd be a Tiger? I wouldn't be going to Auburn if I was scared of competition. Auburn has some great running backs already there. Brad Lester, Ben Tate, Mario Fannin and Tristan Davis are all great backs. I would've still gone to AU. I wouldn't be going now if I was scared of competition.

You took an official visit to Florida State late in the process. Were you ever having serious doubts about your Auburn commitment? Florida State is a great program, and they'll do great again, but I knew it was going to be Auburn. Auburn is on the rise and they have a great, great coaching staff. I have all the respect for Florida State, but I just loved Auburn.

What team(s) are you looking forward to playing and beating at Auburn? I want Florida and Alabama. I want all of them, but I really want Florida and Alabama. I saw Auburn play Alabama and I saw Auburn play Florida, and they won. I want to be a part of keeping that tradition alive.

Kenny Irons was selected in the second-round of the NFL draft. Were you keeping an eye on him? Oh yeah. I watched that. I was hyped up about that. That makes me even hungrier. It happens almost every year. There's always a great back coming out of Auburn University. I can't wait to be next in line.

You played in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl along with several other AU signees. Are you going to be playing in any other high school all-star games? I played one already so my whole focal point right now is going to college. I'm on my way to Auburn.

Davis said he is on track to qualify and plans to begin classes at Auburn in June.


--Brian Davis
<mailto:autiger90@comcast.net>

My post for tomorrow.

Dillard guy gets a scholly offer.
He's the guy that showed up out of nowhere last July running a blistering 4.30 40-yard dash at an Auburn camp, one of the fastest ever recorded, the summer before his junior season.

He's the young man that scored seven touchdowns including four on kickoff returns for Ft. Lauderdale (Fla.) Dillard last fall, his first season of organized football.



Adams is the latest Dillard prospect targeted by Auburn.
He's also the champion that ran a 10.2 100-meter dash earlier this year but was unable to defend his state track title due to a hamstring injury.

And now he's the major college prospect that's holding offers from Auburn and Florida, and receiving serious interest from Florida State and LSU.

The Gators were the first to offer.

"I was very excited," said the 6-foot, 175-pound Adams. "I like the Gators. They did a great job winning the national championship. They've got a great program over there and a great coaching staff. The players are very disciplined."

The Auburn offer came courtesy of ace recruiter Eddie Gran.

"Coach Gran called and then I talked to the whole coaching staff," said Adams. "I really like the football team and the school at Auburn. It's a great atmosphere. They have a great tradition at our school.

"I can't wait to take my visit and go back up there."

Auburn has signed a lot of players out of Dillard in the past and Adams says he'd love to continue that tradition.

Although he hasn't set a date, Adams says he will definitely officially visit Auburn this fall. He may also return this summer for another camp.

If he does return to Auburn for a camp, Adams plans to set a new mark in the 40 after recently running a 4.27 40.

Adams currently lists a Top 4 of Florida, Auburn, Florida State and LSU. One of those four schools could be adding Adams to their commitment list early this summer.

"They're all even right now," he said. "I want to make an early commitment but I need the time to think things through. I could announce at my spring game to make it special."

Dillard plays its spring game on May 25. They started spring practice last week and Adams, who's finally recovered from his hamstring pull, is expected to join the team early this week.

After a year under his belt, Adams plans to be a more complete football player as a senior.

"I got stronger as the season went along because this was my first year playing," he said. "This year, I'm the senior so I have to be the leader and I have to step up."

Adams is being recruited as a wide receiver and return specialist. He also plans to run track in college.



--Brian Davis

Ryan Pugh......
Auburn wanted a true center in the '07 class and went out and got one of the nation's best. Pugh, who went 20-0 in wrestling as a senior on his way to the 6A state title (heavyweight division), grew up a fan of the Tigers, but said it wasn't as open and shut as most people thought. AuburnSports.com spoke with Pugh about his recruitment, his reasons for choosing Auburn, his thoughts on being part of the No. 1 OL class, and more in the fifth profile story of the 2007 Tiger signees.



Pugh played left tackle in high school.
On his current workout regime: I've been working out and running, doing what Auburn sent me. I've been doing some extra stuff on my own, too. I do footwork drills and work on snapping and stepping, trying to get the mental part of the game down as best I can before I get down there.

When do you plan on moving to Auburn? I'm moving in the weekend of June 2-3. I'm going to stay in an apartment with Bailey Woods, Kyle Coulahan and Lee Ziemba.

What did you think of the 2007 signing class? I thought it was a very good class. I thought the coaches did a really good job recruiting not only good football players but good character people.

Do you talk to any of the other signees? I talk to the guys I'm going to be living with a lot. I talk to them about once a week. It's been fun getting to talk to each other and get excited about getting down there.

What was the most memorable part of the recruiting process for you? Just going to all of the campuses and getting to see everything. Each one had something unique to offer, every place was special in its own way. It was interesting meeting all of the people involved and making friendships that I may need somewhere down the road.

You grew up an Auburn fan. Did the other schools ever have a legitimate shot? Yeah. I was very open when I was going on my visits. A lot of people thought I was Auburn all the way, but I tried to take that out of the equation and give everyone a fair shot.

What was it about Auburn? There were a lot of things. Every place had good things to offer, but Auburn had everything. It was close to home and my family could be able to watch me. I thought that was very important. The academic side was very important, too. Auburn is graduating as many players as anybody in the country. They're also winning football games and putting people (in the NFL). Everything was a positive and they outweighed everyone else by a lot.

What team(s) are you looking forward to playing and beating at Auburn? All of them.

Talk about the transition of moving from left tackle to center? I've always looked at myself at center. Center is the position I've always wanted to play. It's the leader of the offensive line and I feel like I fit that role really good. I think the transition will be smooth. I think I will pick up things quick.

Had you not signed with Auburn, who would you have signed with? Either LSU or Clemson.

Rivals.com ranked the OL group the top class in the country. It appears you guys are already building relationships. I think we have. It's a real good group of guys. We relate together well off the field as much as anything. I think that is an important thing for an offensive line, being able to gel together like that. Just being the group that we are and able to make those friendships, it can only get better from there. There should be good things to continue to come at Auburn on the offensive line.

--Brian Davis

Auburn picked up a big commitment Wednesday when Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College cornerback Blair Irvin announced he planned to sign with the Tigers.

"I'm going to Auburn," said Irvin. "I feel like Auburn is the best fit for me. I like the coaches real well. It all came down to where I felt most comfortable I know where I want to go now."

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Irvin, who was ranked a 4-star athlete out of Patterson, La., in 2002, originally signed with LSU but opted to sign a MLB contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays instead. AU defensive coordinator Will Muschamp was at LSU at the time and the two developed a close bond.



Irvin is Auburn's 5th commitment for the class of 2008.
"I know coach Muschamp real well," said Irvin. "He was one of the first coaches I talked to. I remembered him from LSU. I've just heard a lot of good things about his coaching. Me and my parents talked about it and it's a good fit."

Irvin says he's firmly committed to the Tigers.

"Coming out of high school I enjoyed all the coaches trying to get me but I'm not worried about all that right now," he said. "I know what school I want to go to and that's where I'm going."

Irvin played mostly slot receiver his first year at Coffeyville but found a home at cornerback this spring. It's the position he'll play this fall at Coffeyville and next year at Auburn.

"I love it at corner," he said. "I wish I would have been there earlier. I can be more aggressive there and come up and make the hit. I didn't realize how much I liked that until this spring.

"I'm still learning but I can't wait to get down to Auburn and start playing corner."

With Auburn expecting to start two senior cornerbacks this fall, there's a golden opportunity for Irvin to step in and play early at AU next year.

"Hopefully I can come in and fill that need they're going to have at the cornerback position," he said. "I'm going to go in there and work hard.

"I'm coming to play. I want to start. I really don't have too much time. I'll be 24 in a few days so I don't have time to waste. Hopefully I can be a big part of the Auburn program."

While he only made it up to AA in baseball, Irvin is hoping Auburn will provide a stepping stone to the NFL.

"I've always wanted to play in the NFL," he said. "The baseball opportunity came my senior year and I took it but playing in the NFL has always been my main dream.

"I'm just glad I have the opportunity to come back and make it happen. If everything goes straight and with God's blessing, hopefully I'll make it there."

Irvin is on track to finish Coffeyville this December and plans to enroll at Auburn in January.

"As soon as I can get up to Auburn I'll be there working out," he said.

Irvin runs a 4.37 40-yard dash and has a 285-pound bench press and 31-inch vertical leap.


--Brian Davis

AJC picks Gators, LSU for SEC title
Tony Barnhart from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken a look into his Mr. College Football crystal ball and come up with the following for the SEC: It's the Gators and LSU as tops in the SEC.

Barnhart's Florida preview highlights the UF passing attack:

FLORIDA
• Fall forecast: First in East

WHAT WE LEARNED

With the emergence of Louis Murphy, who had eight catches for 129 yards in the spring game, the Gators are at least five deep at receiver. "Right now, Louis is the best fundamental receiver we have," coach Urban Meyer said. ... College Park's Cameron Newton had his spring moments, but Tim Tebow is ready to be an every-down quarterback, Meyer promises. Last year's sensational sub made all the throws in the spring game despite nursing a sore shoulder. ... There's no shortage of talent at cornerback. But no clear-cut second starter after Markihe Anderson, either. Wondy Pierre-Louis and Jacques Rickerson are both in the mix.

WHAT WE DIDN'T

Will an SEC-caliber running back emerge during fall drills? One top candidate, Mon Williams, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will likely keep him sidelined this season. That could mean a starting job for Kesthan Moore. ... Losing Chris Leak is one thing. Losing nine starters on defense is another. "We can find playmakers [on offense]. If we can get a defensive line that competes, we'll be fine," Meyer said. ... How much will back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes pay off for the reigning national champs? Your guess is as good as Meyer's. "It's a completely different deal when a guy has to play all the time and be responsible for the position," the coach said.


Barnhart breaks down the divisions:

EAST:
1) Florida
2) Georgia
3) Tennessee
4) South Carolina
5) Kentucky
6) Vandy

WEST:
1) LSU
2) Arkansas
3) Auburn
4) Alabama
5) Ole Miss
6) Mississippi State





--Brian Davis

AJC picks Gators, LSU for SEC title
Tony Barnhart from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution has taken a look into his Mr. College Football crystal ball and come up with the following for the SEC: It's the Gators and LSU as tops in the SEC.

Barnhart's Florida preview highlights the UF passing attack:

FLORIDA
• Fall forecast: First in East

WHAT WE LEARNED

With the emergence of Louis Murphy, who had eight catches for 129 yards in the spring game, the Gators are at least five deep at receiver. "Right now, Louis is the best fundamental receiver we have," coach Urban Meyer said. ... College Park's Cameron Newton had his spring moments, but Tim Tebow is ready to be an every-down quarterback, Meyer promises. Last year's sensational sub made all the throws in the spring game despite nursing a sore shoulder. ... There's no shortage of talent at cornerback. But no clear-cut second starter after Markihe Anderson, either. Wondy Pierre-Louis and Jacques Rickerson are both in the mix.

WHAT WE DIDN'T

Will an SEC-caliber running back emerge during fall drills? One top candidate, Mon Williams, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament that will likely keep him sidelined this season. That could mean a starting job for Kesthan Moore. ... Losing Chris Leak is one thing. Losing nine starters on defense is another. "We can find playmakers [on offense]. If we can get a defensive line that competes, we'll be fine," Meyer said. ... How much will back-to-back No. 1 recruiting classes pay off for the reigning national champs? Your guess is as good as Meyer's. "It's a completely different deal when a guy has to play all the time and be responsible for the position," the coach said.


Barnhart breaks down the divisions:

EAST:
1) Florida
2) Georgia
3) Tennessee
4) South Carolina
5) Kentucky
6) Vandy

WEST:
1) LSU
2) Arkansas
3) Auburn
4) Alabama
5) Ole Miss
6) Mississippi State





--Brian Davis

Over the past four months, the dominant theme of this column has been the arrival of Nick Saban as the Alabama head coach. All new coaches bring attention, but in my years in Alabama nothing has created this kind of firestorm.

There are many reasons. Perhaps the biggest is that Saban has two SEC crowns and a national title, all won at a rival SEC school, to say nothing of him being the highest-paid coach in college football. For Alabama fans, losing five straight to Auburn might also play into the picture.

To say the least, the majority of material in this space has also been highly positive and supportive of Saban, whom I have admired and respected since his arrival at LSU following the 1999 season.

Advertisement






Many fans of other schools have tried to poke holes in Saban's résumé, saying he is overrated. So I decided to take a more extensive view of his past two head coaching college jobs -- at Michigan State and LSU. He was briefly the head coach at Toledo (1990). I am not ignoring his 15-17 record at the Miami Dolphins where he went 9-7 in 2005 and 6-10 in 2006. However, I don't think one can correlate coaching in the NFL (see Steve Spurrier) to what he is doing now at Alabama.

In looking at Saban's underbelly, I found an alarming number of bad losses. In fact, during the 10 seasons at MSU and LSU, Saban suffered 15 losses of 21 points or more and 10 of those were by 28 points or more. This caught me by surprise, perhaps because Saban is known as a defensive genius. His bowl record of 3-6 also leaves something to be desired.

At Michigan State, after taking over a 5-6 program and dealing with NCAA probation, Saban went 6-5-1, 6-6, 7-5, 6-6 and 9-2 (he left for LSU before the bowl game).

In his first season, understandably, the Spartans lost 50-10 at home to Nebraska, and took a 45-14 beating by Wisconsin. In the bowl game, LSU beat MSU 45-26.

In year two, Nebraska won 55-14 in Lincoln. There was a 45-29 pounding by arch-rival Michigan. Perhaps the most inexplicable loss was in the Sun Bowl, a 38-0 drubbing by Stanford. The Cardinal, coached by Ty Willingham, and MSU were both 6-5.

In 1997, Saban's third season at MSU, he took a 23-7 loss to Michigan, a 37-13 pounding from Ohio State and another thrashing in the postseason, this time a 51-23 loss in the Aloha Bowl to Washington. So in Saban's first three bowls at MSU, his average loss was 28 points. The record in year three was 7-5.

In 1998, Saban went 6-6, including a 48-14 loss to Oregon and a season-ending 51-28 clocking by Penn State. In 1999, MSU was 9-2 but still had two ugly losses, a 52-28 defeat to Purdue and a 40-10 setback to Wisconsin.

Inheriting a program that had gone 3-8 the previous year, Saban started quickly at LSU with a 58-0 win over Western Carolina. Ironically, he will face the same team in his opener at Alabama, setting up a good trivia question.

In his third game, he took the first of three losses from Auburn and Tommy Tuberville, this one 34-17. The next week, a 13-10 loss on homecoming against UAB remains probably the most ignominious defeat of Saban's career. You might want to blame this on the head coach not having his team prepared because the following week, at home, LSU beat No. 11 Tennessee.

Advertisement





Saban's first encounter with Steve Spurrier went poorly the next week as his Tigers were drubbed 41-9 by Florida. LSU won its bowl game to finish 8-4.

In 2001, LSU won the SEC title as well as the Sugar Bowl, going 10-3. However, Saban was schooled again by Spurrier, 44-15.

LSU went 8-5 in Saban's third season, being embarrassed in the season opener 26-8 by Virginia Tech. Auburn destroyed LSU 31-7 on the Plains. However, the most humiliating loss of that season came against Alabama, 31-0, on ESPN at Tiger Stadium (against Dennis Franchione).

LSU lost a shot at the SEC title game in the final regular-season encounter, when Arkansas' Matt Jones e
--Brian Davis

Trey Blackmon should be back in school tomorrow.
--Brian Davis

With the post-spring move of Sen'Derrick Marks to defensive end, it was inevitable that one of Auburn's young defensive ends would move over to defensive tackle to balance-out the depth chart.

It turns out that redshirt freshman Zach Clayton was the perfect candidate.

"When we recruited Zach we always felt that he could play both end and tackle," said AU defensive line coach Don Dunn. "After the switch we made with Sen'Derrick to get the best players on the field right now, it was natural for him to move in and give us another backup.

"It's going to work well for us. I'm excited about the moves."




Clayton is moving to DT after working at SDE in the spring.
By moving Marks to d-end, Auburn is getting its four best defensive linemen – Quentin Groves, Josh Thompson, Pat Sims and Marks – on the field together.

While Clayton is not ready to step into the starting lineup just yet, Dunn feels like he can give the Tigers valuable snaps as a backup. He'll compete with fellow redshirt freshman Mike Blanc and sophomore Jermarcus Ricks, who is still recovering from knee surgery, for playing time behind Sims.

Dunn has a lot confidence in Clayton's potential to be a difference-maker on the inside.

"He works hard, his motor runs and he's eager to learn," said Dunn. "He's very intelligent. He's got great hips and explosion so he's a natural to go in there and play that inside position for us.

"He'll get a lot of reps this fall in two-a-days and hopefully he can work into the rotation."

Dunn won't limit Clayton or any of his linemen to either noseguard or defensive tackle. He says the two positions have become more interchangeable under defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.

"They can play both now," said Dunn. "We don't really have a three-technique or a nose although because of the way we recruited in the past we still have true nose-type bodies like Josh or Tez.

"They'll be able to play either over the center or over the guard."

Moving inside, Clayton will need to bulk up a little but that shouldn't be a problem, just like it wasn't a problem when the coaches first approached Clayton about the position change.

"He'll do anything we ask," said Dunn. "He's a great kid and team player. It's all about team and that's what we emphasize.

"He was 268 a month ago so I'm sure he's 270-275 now. He probably needs to get up to 280 to begin with and work his way up and get used to his body."

Auburn's players are off this week but will return to classes on Thursday and begin summer workouts early next week.

--B. Davis

I assume this link is still active. I am a War Eagle ('85) out in Hawaii. I fortunately (or unfortunately) get a chance to see most Auburn games. Lots of frustration last week, but maybe it was a wake up call!! Remember, "It isn't the eleven best players on the field that wins, it is the best eleven players"
--Bill
<mailto:wamayo@hotmail.com>