With National Signing Day less than two weeks away (Wednesday, Feb. 3), Auburn’s recruiting efforts are rapidly galloping down the home stretch. At this point, the Auburn class is ranked among the top-five classes in the country by all three major recruiting services (ESPN, Scout, and Rivals.com), and there are still a handful of spots left to fill. Here are a few of the top stories to look for come National Signing Day.

MARCUS LATTIMORE

Marcus Lattimore, the nation’s No. 1 high school football player according to the Sporting News and the No. 1-ranked running back according to Rivals.com and Scout.com, is set to announce his college decision on Feb. 2, the day before National Signing Day. And it could end up being a very good day indeed for the Tigers. According to widespread reports, Lattimore has narrowed his list of potential schools to just two: Auburn and South Carolina.

With previous commitments from running backs Michael Dyer (ESPN No. 1 RB, Little Rock, Ark.) and D.J. Howard (in-state standout from Lincoln High School), the Tigers already have a truly excellent running back class in place. If Lattimore chooses the Tigers, it would represent one of the best running back classes in history, with commitments from the two most heralded running backs in the country.

Lattimore attends Byrnes High School in Duncan, South Carolina, and was named the state’s Mr. Football 2009. According to GoGamecocks.com, Auburn Head Coach Gene Chizik and South Carolina Coach Steve Spurrier are both scheduled to make their in-home visits this week.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

With only one defensive tackle currently committed, in Greenville All-State DL Kenneth Carter, the Tigers will likely look to add some heft along the defensive line. Two of the top candidates appear to be four-star athletes Jeffrey Whitaker (Warner Robins, Ga.) and Byran Jones (Junction City, Ark.), who both visited Auburn Jan. 15.

At this point, both Whitaker and Jones appear very interested in the Tigers, but if Auburn is to sign them, they’ll have to fend off last-minute efforts from their home-state schools. According Scout.com, Whitaker was scheduled to visit Georgia this past weekend, while Jones was set to visit Arkansas.

A third candidate to fill the role might be fellow Georgia prospect Mike Thornton (Stone Mountain, Ga.), though he reportedly cancelled a visit he had planned to take to Auburn in January.

With an apparent need for defensive linemen, it will be interesting to see how the Tigers finish. Can they bring in the out-of-state prospects? Or, will they have to look elsewhere to round out the class?

REBUILDING THE ROSTER

Auburn fans know well the depth issues the Tigers faced last year, playing with less than a full allotment of scholarship players. The problem reared its head mightily on both defense and special teams, which were forced to use multiple walk-ons during kickoff coverage.

The coaches have already taken one major step in addressing the problem with the addition of five early enrollees: Cameron Newton, Brandon Mosley, Roszell Gayden, Jessel Curry, and Craig Sanders.

The next big step will be getting a full class of qualified student-athletes committed at specific positions of need, which they appear well on their way to doing. This year’s group already includes an outstanding collection of linebackers and offensive linemen, which are both important positions of need.

Once the smoke clears — and the signatures are in — fans will be able to get a better sense of how the coaches have fared in addressing the depth. How many players did they sign? Did they hold on to all the commits? And, for down the road, will most of them actually qualify?

SIGNING DAY SURPRISE

Last year, Tiger fans were treated to a very pleasant surprise in the unexpected signing of DeAngelo Benton, a highly-rated wide receiver from the state of Louisiana. Will there be any such surprises this year? And if so, who might they be? Another wide receiver? Possibly another linebacker? And what if the coaches don’t get commitments from their top targets? Are there any other prospects out there waiting in the wings?

TEAM RANKINGS

The team rankings created by the various recruiting services are an inexact science to be sure, but they are at least some indication of the quality of athlete that a school is bringing in — and since fans want to know what the class is like now (versus waiting the two to three years it may actually take to see a class’s value on the football field), the rankings are as good a gauge as we’ve got.

And plus, let’s be honest, don’t they just make National Signing Day that much more fun?

To find out where Auburn finishes this year, visit autigers.com, AuburnSports.com, and ESPN. If things fall the right way, they may actually have a shot at the top.

War Eagle, and Happy National Signing Day!

Popularity: 2% [?]