Another respectable signing class

Yesterday, the Auburn football team added a group of esteemed athletes who are anticipated to don orange and blue this fall.

Head coach Gene Chizik's most recent class was ranked No. 20 by Rivals before National Signing Day wrapped up. In 2011, it was No. 7. In 2010 and 2009, it was No. 4 and No. 19, respectively.

In the last few years, recruits have become notorious for last-minute commitment changes or waiting until signing day to announce their decision. This year will be no different. There are at least nine recruits that list Auburn as one of their favorites who will not make their decision until Feb. 1. (Editor's note: The Villager will go to print before the conclusion of National Signing Day. Therefore, it is not guaranteed that the verbal commitments resulted in signed National Letters of Intent. Check www.auburnvillager.com for late signings).

Those rogue recruits include wide receiver Ricardo Louis, offensive tackle Avery Young, cornerback Ronald Darby, defensive lineman Leonard Williams, offensive tackle Jordan Diamond (Feb. 3) and receiver Stefon Diggs (Feb. 10).

Diamond lists Auburn in his top four, along with Michigan, Wisconsin and Arkansas in no particular order. He said he likes the facilities at Auburn as well as the coaches.

"Coach (Jeff) Grimes is a great person," Diamond said. "When he first called me I felt a vibe with coach Grimes. He's one of the better personality coaches out there. He loves to work with a smile on his face, he's a teacher and the kind of coach I'm looking for."

Auburn did, however, have nine verbal commitments say they are firm in their decisions to become Tigers. They are: Gimel President, JaQuay Williams, Jonathan Jones, Joshua Holsey, Cassanova McKinzy, T.J. Davis, Tyler Nero, Robert Leff and Ricky Parks. Quarterback Zeke Pike, offensive linemen Shane Callahan and Patrick Miller and linebacker Javiere Mitchell are already on campus and enrolled in classes at Auburn.

The first to commit to the 2012 class was McKinzy, an impressive linebacker from Woodlawn High in Birmingham. McKinzy has bled orange and blue since he was first contact by Auburn coaches and extended an offer to play football on the Plains.

"The environment, the fans, the coaches at Auburn were great," McKinzy told AuburnSports.com. "My coaches were saying I'd go other places and see something different, they said all colleges will seem fun and cool. But I was telling them, there's something about Auburn."

McKinzy was offered scholarships from programs across the Southeastern Conference, but he turned all of them down. One school in particular that was pushing hard for McKinzy's commitment was in-state rival Alabama.

Although he entertained their calls and met with coaches there, McKinzy said he knew he would never play for the Tide because of the way the program is run.

"When I went to Alabama, they just can't walk into coach (Nick) Saban's office and talk about their problems; they had to set up appointments," McKinzy said. "I asked players about coach (Gene) Chizik, and they said you can just walk into his office if you need anything. I looked at like if I have to set up an appointment to talk to my coach, that's real messed up.

"I don't like them, and I don't like how it is down there. I don't like it period. They don't talk about academics; they talk about straight football."

Since Chizik and his staff arrived on the scene at Auburn before the 2009 season, the environment on the Plains has been that of a close-knit family. Recruits and parents alike said Auburn became a favorite for that reason.

That trend continued into this year's signing class.

Parks, a four-star tight end, was offered a scholarship from Alabama and the coaches wanted him to visit in January, but Parks wasn't interested.

"Everything is here and it's solid, and this is where I'm coming," Parks of Auburn. "I don't need to go visit Alabama. It's about family. We are all sticking together."