Auburn is under construction. It can be seen all across the loveliest village on the Plains, from apartments being built downtown to a central dining hall on campus, or the brand-new football facility that’s just begun to break ground.
Yet the construction that’s captivated the attention of Auburn fans for the last few months has been within the Auburn football program. Gus Malzahn is out, this is Bryan Harsin’s team now.
And along with it comes the challenge of recruiting in SEC country.
During Malzahn’s tenure at Auburn, his recruiting classes had never ranked below No. 12 nationally according to 247Sports (2018). The Tigers had not been in the bottom half of the SEC in Malzahn’s eight seasons as head coach.
In his first season on the Plains, head coach Bryan Harsin’s first recruiting class at Auburn comes in ranked No. 20 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC, per 247Sports. This can be expected though, with a complete turnover in coaching staff from the previous year.
However, Harsin has improved his class since National Signing Day on Feb. 3, when the Tigers were ranked No. 38 in the nation and No. 12 in the SEC by 247Sports. The class received a significant boost with its latest signee in late Feburary, a 4-star linebacker named Dylan Brooks.
Brooks had originally signed with Tennessee during the early signing period, but after the Vols released him from his letter of intent, Brooks signed with Auburn.
Out of Handley High School in Roanoke, Alabama, Brooks is now Auburn’s highest-rated recruit. Brooks is rated as the No. 18 high school player in the country in the ESPN 300. He joins a few other defensive players at the top of Harsin’s 2021 class.
Players like Lee Hunter and Marquis Robinson, both defensive tackles, and Ahmari Harvey, a safety, are three others rated as 4-star defensive players by 247Sports. Auburn’s fifth 4-star recruit in its 2021 class is on the offensive side of the ball, in quarterback Dematrius Davis.
While Davis was not recruited by anyone on Harsin’s staff, he’s rated as the No. 8 dual-threat quarterback in the country according to 247Sports.
Harsin's 2021 recruiting class is now third-highest amongst schools where a coaching change took place. Only Texas (No. 16) and Tennessee (No. 19) are ranked higher. All eyes will be on Harsin and his staff when the Tigers take the field this season on Sept. 4, 2021, against Akron.
