Taking a look at Auburn's early enrollees

AUBURN – As Auburn begins what is perhaps the biggest recruiting weekend in program history, the Tigers look to add to what is already considered a likely top 10 recruiting class.

Auburn's 2015 class, with 20 commitments as of Friday night, is ranked No. 8 by Scout, No. 10 by ESPN.com and No. 12 by 247Sports and Rivals.

National Signing Day is two and a half weeks away (Feb. 4) and with another strong finish Auburn could wind up with another top 10, if not top 5, class.

Auburn has four players rated as five-star prospects by Scout and one five-star by Rivals, with 247Sports ranking 12 players as four-star prospects.

Seven members of the 2015 have arrived on campus and began classes this week as early enrollees.

Auburn has seen numerous players benefit from the additional time of enrolling mid-year, with D'haquille Williams being among five January enrollees last year. Fellow wide out Stanton Truitt contributed as a true freshman before suffering a season-ending injury and junior college transfer Derrick Moncrief worked his way into the safety rotation last season after arriving last winter.

This year's group of early enrollees is a mix with three junior college transfers and four high school players who offer both short-term and long-term potential, led by No. 1 JUCO player Jovon Robinson at running back.

JC Shurburtt, a national recruiting analyst for 247Sports, offered his insight into each of Auburn's early enrollees.

Tyler Carr
OG, 6-foot-5, 311 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Four-star, No. 10 offensive guard, No. 217 overall

Where he fits: Chad Slade graduates but there are still an abundance of guards on the roster with Avery Young, who could move back to tackle, Devonte Danzey, Austin Golson, who might be at center or tackle, Alex Kozan, Jordan Diamond and Deon Mix. True freshmen rarely get to jump right into the starting line, but Carr gets a chance to learn the offense and get a leg up once Young and Danzey move on.

Analyst take: "Tyler has a big upside," Shurburtt said. "He has good feet. He's athletic. He's an in-state kid. He's got a lot of potential."

Chandler Cox
FB, 6-0, 222 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Three-star, No. 2 athlete, No. 357 overall

Where he fits: Cox is being looked at as the next H-back, a position that was greatly depleted with the departures of Brandon Fulse and C.J. Uzomah and the death of Jakell Mitchell. Additional time in the gym and on the practice field could put Cox in position to challenge for immediate playing time.

Analyst take: "He's going to help the program set the tone," Shurburtt said. "It's sort of a tradition that's been established at that spot at Auburn going back to (Philip) Lutzenkirchen. That's the type of guy that you need: an all-purpose type of guy. He's got good hands, a do-it-all guy. He may not ever be an All-American but he'll be an All-Auburn type of player if that makes any sense."

Tyler Queen
QB, 6-2, 229 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Three-star, No. 15 pro-style quarterback, No. 368 overall

Where he fits: Like most high school quarterbacks, Queen is a developmental player. Auburn has its starter in Jeremy Johnson and backup in Sean White and JUCO transfer Jason Smith may also join the fray. Queen is a redshirt candidate as Auburn looks to establish a line of quarterbacks for the years to come.

Analyst take: "Tyler Queen is a guy that kind of brings a different dynamic to the system in that he's not your elite runner like a Nick Marshall or a Cam Newton; he's more like some of the other guys that have played in that system over the years," Shurburtt said. "He's a coaches' kid, you get him in there early, he has another spring practice to learn the system, learn the offense."

Jovon Robinson
RB, 5-11, 225 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Four-star, No. 1 JUCO player overall

Where he fits: With Cameron Artis-Payne gone and Roc Thomas as the most experienced returning back with all of 43 carries, Robinson is expected to at the very least compete, if not outright win, the starting job. After initially arriving in 2012, it's finally time for Robinson to suit up on the Plains.

Analyst take: "Jovon Robinson can be the next great junior college transfer at Auburn," Shurburtt said. "He's got those kind of skills. I think he's one that could win a Heisman at Auburn given their system and his skill set and ability the way he runs the football. … You turn on that film from two years ago when he was healthy; there weren't many backs at any level of college football that were better than he was."

Bailey Sharp
OT, 6-5, 280 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Four-star, No. 34 offensive tackle, No. 324 overall

Where he fits: With Shon Coleman back on the left side and either Avery Young, Braden Smith or Austin Golson likely to start on the right side, there's little room in the two-deep at tackle. Like Carr, Sharp should get a chance to train, practice and learn the system before being thrown into the starting lineup.

Analyst take: "When you bring a guy like that in early he gets bigger and stronger," Shurburtt said. "When offensive linemen enroll early it increases their chances of playing as true freshmen, it doesn't guarantee it, but it increases their chances of playing because they're more ready having been through that spring practice."

Jason Smith
ATH, 6-1, 180 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Four-star, No. 1 JUCO athlete

Where he fits: Smith is the latest in a long line of former high school quarterbacks who likely will move to other position in Gus Malzahn's offense. He was a quarterback at McGill-Toolen, was the MVP of the 2012 Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game as a wide out, then went back to QB at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He'll get a look at quarterback, but expect Smith to be a wide out.

Analyst take: "I think he's definitely got the talent to be a Division I wide receiver," Shurburtt said. "I think he's an NFL wide receiver. I think that given the unique nature of Auburn's system that you can't rule out quarterback at some point just because guys get hurt and Tyler Queen's not ready, and other guys aren't ready, you've got Jason Smith who's started junior college level who can run your offense, you're going to think long and hard before you start true freshman.

"If everything goes according to how it should go, I think he could be a heck of a wide receiver. That's clearly the position where he has the highest upside long term at."

Maurice Swain
DT, 6-4, 295 pounds

247Sports Composite ranking: Three-star, No. 10 JUCO defensive tackle

Where he fits: With four senior defensive tackles gone, Swain could be right in the thick of things immediately. Like Ben Bradley, Swain isn't a heralded JUCO transfer, but Bradley quietly became a reliable two-year starter on the interior of the defensive line.

Analyst take: "He's a guy that's an Auburn type of defensive lineman," Shurburtt said. "You look at him and you kind of envision him playing for Auburn – athletic, big, aggressive, a handful. There's usually a learning curve with JUCO defensive linemen, they're typically better in their second year than their first.

"With the new defensive staff there's not a lot of guys that are going to be necessarily way ahead of him in terms of learning the systems. Everybody's kind of starting new so it's a good time to go in early as a JUCO defensive lineman."