Auburn football: Grading Tigers 2021 recruiting class

Here are grades for the Auburn football 2021 recruiting class, as the Tigers are moving on from Gus Malzahn and deal with a cycle with no head coach yet. 

With Auburn football making the decision to fire head coach Gus Malzahn just prior to the end of the early signing period, it figured to be a rough near-end of the 2021 recruiting cycle for the Tigers. And sure enough, with only 13 players committed after Wednesday, Dec. 16, that is indeed the case.

Auburn has traditionally been a program that likes to see itself in the top 20, if not the top 10, of the national recruiting rankings. They aren’t there this year, but there is a reason why.

So with what we know, let’s look at the Tigers’ 2021 recruiting class and what they do have while handing out a grade for what they’ve done on the trail. Note: All rankings are via the 247 Sports Composite.

Biggest Auburn football commit for 2021: Lee Hunter, DT

Though Hunter is only a 4-star recruit, he has elite potential as a defensive tackle. We saw Malzahn thrive with maulers on the interior of the defensive line, and it’s hard to imagine that anyone Auburn hires won’t feel similarly. Hunter can be an elite disruptor in the trenches, a player big enough to clog against the run and penetrate gaps to rush the passer as well.

Strengths, weaknesses of the 2021 Auburn football recruiting class

As it’s been a down year for the Tigers defense, it’s promising to see that they have rectified that a bit with this class. They have three players in the top 350 coming in on that side of the ball, including their lone top-100 player in Hunter.

Until a head coach is hired, though, the real weakness of the class is depth. With only 13 players committed as of right now, Auburn needs to get more players coming into the building if they want to be set up even moderately well moving forward.

Diamond in the rough of the 2021 Auburn football class: Hal Presley, WR

A 3-star recruit and the No. 415 overall player in this class, Presley is far from heralded. However, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Texan has a lot to offer with his frame and upside. If he fills out, he could be a real weapon in contested-catch situations, something Auburn has traditionally used well in the offense.

Where does Auburn football rank in the 2021 recruiting cycle?

This is where it really comes into focus how different this year is. Auburn is not only the No. 40-ranked team in the 2021 recruiting cycle, but they are 12th in the SEC to this point. That’s not ideal by any stretch.

Auburn football recruiting grade: C-

Even if it’s understandable for Auburn to be behind the 8-ball now that Malzahn is gone, to see the Tigers at the edge of the top 40 is jarring and isn’t a good look for the Tigers by any stretch.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.