Auburn Football: Tigers announce 2016 recruiting class

The Auburn Tigers have welcomed a new crop of talented players to campus, announcing the 2016 Auburn football recruiting class on National Signing Day.

It was a disappointing season on the field for Auburn in 2015. Among the most disappointing aspects of the 7-6 campaign was inconsistency at the quarterback position and a leaky defense that allowed 405.2 total yards of offense per game – which ranked No. 13 in the SEC.

Head coach Gus Malzahn and his coaching staff took steps toward addressing both major concerns, and the Tigers responded by landing a recruiting class ranked No. 11 in the nation by 247Sports.

Nine players were already enrolled and on campus prior to National Signing Day, including junior college transfer John Franklin III, who comes in as the No. 1 JUCO athlete in the class. Franklin is expected to compete with Jeremy Johnson and Sean White to start for the Tigers in 2016.

Six early enrollees were rated as four-star prospects, including likely early defensive contributor Marlon Davidson and Antwuan Jackson, as well as receiver Kyle Davis – all of whom are ranked among the top 75 players in the nation. Also, 6-foot-5, 260-pound tight end Landon Rice fills an immediate need at the position. Four-star wideout Eli Stove and 6-foot-4, 255-pound JUCO receiver Paul James may make an immediate impact for Auburn as well.

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The biggest addition to the Auburn football recruiting class on National Signing Day was the addition of five-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown who is the top player in Georgia and a top-10 recruit in the nation.

Complete 2016 Auburn Football Recruiting Class:

Note: All rankings mentioned come from 247Sports unless otherwise noted.