Did Auburn Meet Its Needs On National Signing Day 2010?

There may be a lot more of this in Auburn's future.

It's been two weeks since National Signing Day 2010 went down, and football fans are settling down for the long haul through spring practice and summer, until the season begins in the fall.

Without a doubt, all Auburn fans know that their 2010 class was not only a good class, it may turn out to be a great one. Perhaps since the ranking of recruits became a business, the Tigers finished with a consensus top-5 class according to all of these services. Players like Cameron Newton, Michael Dyer, and Shon Coleman helped catapult Auburn to quickly become one of the big dogs in the recruiting world.

But was this the best class in Auburn history? Yes. Auburn fans shouldn't be shy about the fact that this class has more promise than any they have ever signed. There are athletes across the board, and talent is coming at positions of dire need. This class will significantly raise the expectations of Auburn fans for the coming years, and it should. No program that considers itself of championship caliber should ever expect mediocrity to be accepted.

Perhaps the biggest coup for Gene Chizik and his staff was landing the best offensive line class in the entire country. The old cliche that "the big uglies up front win the game" isn't actually a cliche. Or can a cliche be true? I'm not really sure. Either way, just look at Alabama's line the past two years, and you'll see where a lot of that success comes from.

Shon Coleman and Roszell Gayden are the headliners of the O-line class, and have an opportunity to anchor Auburn at both of the tackle positions over the next couple years. While Coleman may not be the starter next year, he will have a great chance to groom himself under Lee Ziemba in 2010.

At RB, Michael Dyer will have some big shoes to fill, with 1,300 yard rusher Ben Tate leaving after graduation. He will have help, as Onterio McCalebb, Mario Fannin, Dontae Aycock, and Eric Smith should be able to spell him if he is not ready. Having Marcus Lattimore would have been nice, but it is not by any means a backbreaker by Auburn losing him.

Wide receiver had another nice haul, as it probably always will as long as Trooper Taylor is on the Plains. Antonio Goodwin and Trovon Reed will instantly give Auburn downfield threats, as well as hopefully solving that awful punt return situation from last year. These guys are burners, and playmakers in every sense of the word if they back-up their legend built in high school.

Jeremy Richardson will almost certainly not qualify, but if he comes back in a couple years, could come into Auburn more seasoned and ready. Shaun Kitchens is a guy that Coach Taylor has raved about, and the big bodied kid from College Park could give Auburn a great size threat in the end zone.

Combine these guys with top returners Darvin Adams and Terrell Zachery, and Auburn will have a legitimate big-time passing game next year.

The entire defense was a position of need with this class. There was attrition at almost every position, particularly at linebacker, and a secondary that became worse as it was crippled by injury before and during the season.

The linebacker class of LaDarius Owens, Jake Holland, Jawara White, and Jessel Curry was huge, and may be another example of Auburn bringing in the top group in America.

In the secondary, another huge area of need, Auburn signed a very respectable group of Jonathon Mincy, Demetruce McNeal, Chris Davis, plus the Ryans (Smith and White). This may not be the most highly rated or polished group in the world, but simply putting bodies out there will help Auburn next year. If Zac Etheridge, Mike McNeil, and Aairon Savage return as predicted, the secondary may suddenly become one of the most seasoned units in the league.

The defensive line was an area that turned out to be extremely interesting as far as recruiting. Auburn will have some depth back, but definitely has some needs, especially for playmakers on the edge.

The defensive end class was already solid in Joel Bonomolo and Craig Sanders, but the addition of Corey Lemonier was huge on NSD. All of these guys are extremely talented, and will help make Tracy Rocker's job much easier.

On the inside, Kenneth Carter and Jeffrey Whitaker will try to remind some fans of Rocker himself.

Overall, the defensive line, while not Auburn's biggest position of need, may have brought in the best group of all. Some players will take a few years to be physically ready for the SEC, but all have huge upside and potential.

So that's it for 2010. Auburn missed on a few, but hit on most of the ones they really wanted, and even stole one from Alabama. When it really comes down to it, nothing can make up for the joy that comes from that.

Like I said earlier, all this really does is make Gene Chizik's job harder. Fans and media alike will expect a lot more, and Chizik must deliver. Recruiting success only goes so far, and there is nothing that makes up for success on the football field.

Call me bold, but I'll make a little prediction. Look for the SEC West race to come down to a little game in November called the Iron Bowl. After going toe to toe in the recruiting world, Auburn and Alabama will play in November for a chance at a real championship, the kind that are won in Atlanta.

War Eagle!