Full transcript of Gus Malzahn breaking down each of 23 Tigers recruits

“First, defensive end Elijah Daniel. He was our first commit of the day. Pass rushing was one of our big needs, and this guy can really do it. He had a relationship with (associate head coach) Rodney Garner that goes way back, and he signed this morning. We’re tickled to death to have him.

“Our second of the day was Tony Stevens, a big, tall wide receiver. He has tremendous skills. He’s a kick returner. (Co-offensive coordinator) Dameyune Craig did a wonderful job with him; they had a previous relationship. He has a chance to be an impact player.

“Dominic Walker, his teammate, is 6-2, 195 — a big, physical, fast guy, and I really feel like he’ll have a chance to be that special type player. Dameyune recruited him also.

“Marcus Davis is a quarterback from Delray Beach, Fla., and he is going to play like a slot receiver for us. We’ve had a lot of success with former quarterbacks. He has running back skills. He’s a really good kid, a smart kid. We’re excited about him.

“Kamryn Melton is a defensive back from Dothan (Ala.). I want to say this about all of the guys that hung in there with us, specifically the defensive guys because we didn’t have great previous relationships — we knew a lot of the offensive guys because I was here before and some of our staff — but I really appreciate Kamryn. He has a wonderful family, and I really think he’ll be a very good player for us.

“Running back Peyton Barber is a guy that we started recruiting when we first got here. He was committed to another school, and he got hurt his junior year. This past year, he had a phenomenal year. I really feel like if he hadn’t gotten hurt his junior year, he’d be one of those top-ranked guys. He is a very strong, fast individual. We’re very excited about Peyton.

“Nick Marshall is a quarterback, and our first one that came in today from junior college. He is one of three quarterbacks that we took; we felt like that was definitely a need as far as depth is concerned. He’s a great athlete. He’s one of those impact players who throws the ball extremely well and has a very strong arm. We feel like he could come in here and give us a chance right off the bat.

“Carl Lawson. I’m going to say this about Carl Lawson. I feel like he is one of the keys to this class. He hung in there with us when a lot of guys went south, went other ways, opened stuff up — he hung in there with us. He provided the stability, I really feel like on the defensive side specifically, to have the class that we did. He’s a phenomenal player. He’s a phenomenal person. He is an Auburn person. He loves Auburn, and his family loves Auburn. I’m very excited to have him on board.

“Khari Harding, a safety from Oklahoma, is one of the bigger hitting safeties I’ve seen come out of high school. He’s a vicious guy. We need some depth at safety, and he’ll have a chance to come in and contribute early.

“Quarterback-wise, Jeremy Johnson, I’m going to say the same thing about Jeremy as I did Carl. He was kind of one of the centerpieces offensively. Me and Coach (Rhett) Lashlee already had a relationship with him, but he really hung in there with us and helped us recruit and really provided a lot of stability on the offensive side. Once again, he loves Auburn.

“Our next signee that came in this morning was Earnest Robinson, a wide receiver that’s been committed to us a long time. I actually recruited him when he was a sophomore. I have a great relationship with him. I think the world of Earnest. He hung in there with us, too, during the change.

“Kenny Flowers at linebacker — we felt like we needed some depth at linebacker that could come in immediately and help. This guy is a very physical, hard-nosed type player, and Coach (Ellis) Johnson did a great job recruiting him.

“Cameron Toney is another inside linebacker, from Huntsville (Ala.). He was committed before, a very good kid. He hung in there with us, and I think he’ll have a chance to be a really good player.

“Jason Smith, a quarterback out of Mobile — he’s electric. I think he was the MVP of the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game. He just has phenomenal skills. He can do a lot of different things. We’re very excited about Jason.

“Deon Mix is an offensive lineman that really, we just started seriously recruiting about a week ago. Coach Melvin Smith had a great relationship with him. He is the only offensive lineman we took today, other than the junior college (players) that I’ll talk about here in just a minute. He is a big road-grader type offensive lineman that Coach (J.B.) Grimes likes to have.

“Mackenro Alexander is a (defensive back) from Florida. This is a kid that we feel has a very big upside. He is a tough, smart kid that can run, and he’s a very good tackler. We think that he will definitely provide some depth in the secondary.

“Brandon King is a defensive back/safety from junior college. Once again, we felt like we needed some depth at safety and some guys that could immediately play. He’s a very hard-nosed, physical type player, so we are very excited about him.

“Montravius Adams is a defensive tackle. I think this is going to be my eighth year to coach college, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a bigger, more athletic guy than him. I really feel like the sky is the limit with him. Coach Rodney Garner had a great relationship with him that really helped get him here. He’s a very good person with a great family.

“Daniel Carlson, who is our kicker from Colorado Springs, Colorado. He hung in there with us through two special teams coaches. We really appreciate him doing that. He’s got a very big leg, and he’ll be a very good kicker for us.

“Johnathan Ford just signed with us this morning. He’s a very good running back. He has a lot of different skills. He’s not only a good runner, but he can catch the ball in the backfield, and he loves Auburn. His family loves Auburn, so we’re very excited to have him.

“Our January enrollees: Cameron Artis-Payne is a big physical runner. I really think he’s going to provide some very good depth, and I think he’s going to be a very good player for us.

“Ben Bradley; we needed depth up front. This guy is very athletic and very strong.

“Then with Devonte Danzey, we needed some help at center and at guard, and I feel like he’ll have a chance to help us immediately.

“Overall, I feel very good about this class, especially in a short period. Like I said earlier, we addressed our needs and I’m very pleased.”