5-Star recruits get the attention, but Auburn’s success rests just as heavily on the recruitment and development of non-blue chip recruits.
Recruiting is the lifeblood of college football. That’s especially the case in the SEC. While it’s arguable just how necessary it is to recruit at the elite level of programs like Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, there’s no denying the regularity with which the best recruiting programs find themselves competing for championships.
Recruiting top-tier talent is a must, but there aren’t enough 5-star recruits to fill the coffers of every Power 5 program. So it becomes essential for programs to recruit and develop the players who aren’t viewed as a guaranteed stud coming out of high school. This means fighting for the 4-star players who project well to the college game, some of which are comparable to 5-star recruits in terms of their grade and evaluation. It also means finding value in the talent pool of players who are less heavily recruited by the most competitive teams.
Auburn is in the unique position of having to jostle with 2 of the best recruiting programs in the country in Alabama and Georgia as its closest competitors. The 2nd tier of regional programs vying for the best remaining talent (LSU, Florida, Tennessee) are formidable recruiters in their own right and currently picking up steam on the recruiting trail. Big name programs like USC, Miami, and Texas are looking to regain their prominence by utilizing NIL compensation as a way to take even more high-profile talent off the board.
The Value Grab
Even though they receive much less fanfare during the recruitment cycle, 3-star recruits can have just as big an impact on a program as any 4-star or 5-star recruit when the situation is right. While usually short on measurables – whether it’s speed, size, or raw strength – these players can excel once they get on campus and settle into their programs. From there, the most exceptional 3-star recruits usually push past their peers.
In 9 of the last 10 seasons, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year was a former 3-star recruit or worse (Khalil Mack and JJ Watt were 2-star recruits leaving high school). Of the 10 players with the largest current NFL contracts, seven of them were rated 3-stars or worse coming out of high school.
Three of them were 3-star recruits (Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins, Derek Carr), three were 2-star recruits (Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Dak Prescott), and the highest paid football player in the world for the 2022 season – Aaron Rodgers – was unrated with zero D1 offers out of high school. (He managed to earn 3 stars as a JUCO recruit on his way to play for Cal, though).
For Auburn, hitting big on 3-star recruits is essential as the program looks to redefine itself under Bryan Harsin and become a more attractive program for players with NFL aspirations. That’s not only a present-day reality though. Auburn has leaned on 3-star – and 2-star – recruits for some of its most tangible success and memorable moments of the past decade. While there have of course been highly touted 4 & 5-star contributors fueling Auburn’s most successful seasons in recent memory, there were equally as many players who flew under the radar until their play on the field gained them notoriety.
So we’re spotlighting the 10 most important 3-star recruits in Auburn’s last 10 draft eligible recruiting classes (2010 – 2019) to illustrate just how impactful 3-stars can be when given the right opportunity.
Chris Davis
Auburn’s 2010 recruiting class was loaded with big name players that played key roles in Auburn’s 2010 championship run, including Cam Newton and Michael Dyer. One 3-star recruit that would play a critical role later in his career, though, was CB Chris Davis. A 5’11” 180lbs athlete coming out of high school, he was shorter than the prototypical CB, but ended up contributing during Auburn’s 2011 season. By 2013 he was a team veteran and the key piece of what is widely considered the most phenomenal upset win and football play in college football history. There’s no Kick 6 without this 3-star recruit.
Chad Slade
The lowest graded OL recruit of the 2010 signing class ended up having the biggest impact for Auburn at the position. Chad Slade started 49 games, starting as a freshman in 2010 and for the following 3 seasons, anchoring two of the most dynamic Auburn offenses ever. He managed to find a few stops in the NFL oscillating between active rosters and practice squads as recently as the 2021 season.
Sammie Coates
Sammie Coates committed to Auburn as a slender 6’3″ 170lbs dual sport athlete in the 2011 signing class, opting to focus on football at Auburn. By his junior year, he was a physical specimen sporting an unreal physique and more power than the typical WR. Just ask that Texas A&M DB who tried to tackle him on a short pass in 2013.
His unique mix of height, power, and straight-line speed served Auburn well during the 2013 season where he averaged 21.5 yards per catch and his 902 receiving yards accounted for 37% of Auburn’s yards through the air. This 3-star recruit was exactly the deep threat Auburn needed to complement a dominant run game that made the 2013 team one of the most beloved in Auburn Football history.
C.J. Uzomah
C.J. Uzomah signed with Auburn as a 3-star TE in the 2011 class, choosing the Tigers over Alabama, Georgia, and Clemson. With a prototypical TE body, he grew into his frame and by 2013 and was a critical blocker and pass-catcher for Auburn’s BCS Championship game run. His game-winning 11yd TD reception against Miss St with 10 seconds remaining was the play that protected Auburn’s SEC record while the team was still gelling in a new offense.
His draft profile after the 2014 season was lacking, with notes from scouts that the Auburn offense didn’t make use of his entire skill set. To add insult to injury, he wasn’t given an invite to the NFL combine because of that lack of production in the run-first offense Auburn utilized at the time. Still, the Cincinnati Bengals liked him so much they drafted him at 157 overall in the 5th round, with draft reviews noting his catching ability as exceptional even without it being put on display in college. The pick paid off as Uzomah played a pivotal role in the team’s stellar 2021 season and run to Super Bowl LVI. This past offseason, he signed a 3yr, $25M free agent contract with the New York Jets.
From 3-star recruit to SB berth, CJ Uzomah is the best case for a developmental player who just has what it takes to keep getting better.
Jonathan Jones
Jonathan Jones was rated as a 3-star recruit in 2012, mostly due to being undersized. At 5’10” 165, he lacked the size and strength of the ideal CB. But late in his freshman season, he had earned a spot at the nickel position. He continued his fantastic Auburn career that saw him end with a 2015 senior season where he was voted a 1st-team All-SEC cornerback.
His outstanding mental acuity and work ethic got him signed as an undrafted free agent by the New England Patriots. He contributed on the field to help complete the Super Bowl LI comeback victory over the Atlanta Falcons. As a starter 2 years later, he played a pivotal role in defeating the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Title Game before defeating the L.A. Rams in Super Bowl LIII for his 2nd NFL Championship with the Patriots. In 2019, he signed the coveted 2nd contract for an NFL player for 3yrs, $21M. In doing so, he completed the path from undersized 3-star recruit to Super Bowl champion and multimillionaire.
Nick Marshall
Nick Marshall was a highly recruited 4-star athlete when he signed onto Georgia’s 2011 recruiting class. He found playing time as a freshman CB before being dismissed for violation of team rules in early 2012. He went the JUCO route and played the 2012 football season as the QB of Garden City Community College. Though considered an elite CB, he didn’t garner the same attention at the QB position. As a 3-star JUCO recruit, Auburn was his only SEC offer and the one he ended up accepting.
The rest was history.
Nick Marshall won the starting job in fall camp and showed elite playmaking ability to fuel a run game that led the nation in yards, yards per game, and yards per attempt. Though not an elite passer, he possessed an eerie knack for being able to make throws in crunch time, including several game-clinching passes over his 2 year starting career.
His production at QB in Gus Malzahn’s “Hurry Up No Huddle” offense kicked off the Malzahn era with a bang, but Auburn’s offenses suffered after Marshall left for the NFL, returning to his original position of CB. Auburn wasn’t able to secure a QB as productive and dynamic as Marshall in the years after 2014. Not being able to produce offense that lived up to the standard Nick Marshall set in his 2yr stint as Auburn’s starting QB ultimately ended Malzahn’s tenure as Auburn’s HC.
Peyton Barber
Peyton Barber was ranked as a 3-star recruit by both the Rivals and 247 Sports, signing with Auburn in its 2013 class. He redshirted his freshman year as Tre Mason and Cameron Artis-Payne handled the RB duties for a record rushing campaign. He found himself playing the background again in 2014 as Artis-Payne and 5-star freshman Roc Thomas got the bulk of the work.
The fanbase began to wonder about Peyton Barber’s status on the team. He had garnered praise from Tre Mason during the 2014 BCS Championship media coverage, but failed to break the rotation even after Mason’s departure for the NFL.
“Me and Cam talk about it all the time, [Barber] is probably, skill wise, the best out of all of us. That guy is good. He’s very consistent when he’s scrimmaging. He’s very consistent.”
– Tre Mason on Peyton Barber
With former Auburn recruit Jovon Robinson returning to the fold as a 5-star JUCO RB after missing out on being part of Auburn’s 2012 class as a 4-star recruit due to academics, it seemed that Barber would again have somebody in front of him on the depth chart. That is, until the Jacksonville St game happened.
Newly minted starting QB Jeremy Johnson was struggling early in the season, and Jovon Robinson had not yet grown into the role as starting RB. With then-FCS opponent Jacksonville St in town for what was supposed to be a tune-up game before a showdown at LSU the following week, Johnson struggled mightily for the 2nd straight start. Auburn found itself down 20-13 late in the 4th quarter in a game where they were ultimately outgained in terms of yards from scrimmage.
Peyton Barber was the difference, making several key 3rd down conversions, blocks, and carrying the ball 23 times for 125 yards and the game-winning TD in overtime. He saved Auburn the embarrassment of losing to an FCS foe in week 2, even if the team did underperform for the rest of the season. His 1,017 yards and 13 TDs in 2015 showed the potential that Tre Mason had alluded to months prior, and Barber took that opportunity to make the jump to the NFL. He was signed undrafted to the Bucs and has been a contributor on each team he’s played for every year since he went pro.
Kam Pettway
Yet another example of a 3-star recruit saving Auburn’s season from the RB position, Kam Pettway signed as part of Auburn’s 2014 class as a fullback. He contributed at FB sparingly in 2015, splitting time with Chandler Cox.
The RB position was expected to be stout for the 2016 season with both Jovon Robinson and Kerryon Johnson returning after finding their footing in the offense toward the end of the 2015 season. But when Robinson was dismissed unexpectedly before the season started and Johnson got injured in the middle of October, Auburn turned to Pettway to carry the load at RB.
And carry the load he did.
Kam Pettway ended up starting 10 games in 2016, bulldozing his way to 1,224 yards on 209 carries and 1st-Team All-SEC accolades. His bruising, powerful running style obliterated lesser defenses and allowed QB Sean White to work diligently enough to secure Auburn 8 regular season wins and a Sugar Bowl berth.
Pettway’s 2016 season made the 2nd year in a row that a 3-star RB stepped up unexpectedly to rush for 1,000+ yards and save Auburn from an embarrassing finish.
Daniel Thomas
A late addition to the 2016 signing class, Auburn offered the 2-star safety out of Montgomery at the last minute after whiffing on a couple of higher rated recruits at the position. Thomas didn’t take it as a slight and accepted the offer, finding the field in his first year with the Tigers. He made his way into 11 games his freshman season, culminating in 2 Iron Bowl INTs. He ended his Auburn Career with 51 games played and served as a staple during a period of renewed defensive intensity for Auburn after years of leaky, patchwork defensive units.
Thomas was drafted 157 overall in the 5th round of the 2020 NFL draft. He signed a 4yr rookie deal worth a total of $3.5M. Not bad for a 2-star recruit who had to wait for his offer.
Roger McCreary
Roger McCreary signed in Auburn’s 2018 class as a 3-star CB. He found very light work his freshman season, picking up with more opportunity in his sophomore season. During the COVID smeared 2020 season though, he flashed elite ball skills and proficiency in man coverage that created enough pro interest for him to declare early for the NFL draft.
McCreary opted to stay for his senior season in 2021, and he it proved to be a prudent decision. He rocketed up the draft boards after improving his stock with more experience in zone coverage and garnering 1st All-SEC awards. He was drafted 35th overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 NFL draft, just missing the 1st round, and signing a 4yr, $9.1M rookie deal, with $6.5M guaranteed.
Questions about his speed and size may have hurt his stock coming out of high school, but there’s nothing holding back the former 3-star recruit now.
Honorable Mention
Nick Fairley
Nick Fairley originally committed to Auburn out of high school as a member of the 2007 class, but took a detour through JUCO and finally got on campus in 2009 (missing the criteria we set as a member of one of the last 10 draft eligible Auburn signing classes). He was the most dominant defensive force on Auburn’s 2010 Championship team, getting some very timely stops and QB hits on his way to bagging Auburn’s single-season sack record of 11.5 sacks. While Cam Newton was obviously the most important part of that 2010 team, there’s no telling what might have happened if Fairley wasn’t there to anchor a relatively leaky Auburn defense in the most important games of that season.
Jay Prosch
Leaving high school as a 2-star recruit, this Mobile, AL native signed with Illinois. After the 2011 season with the Illini, he opted to transfer closer to home to care for an ailing family member, and was granted a transfer waiver to play immediately. He played through the forgettable 2012 season as a junior, then became a crucial piece of the 2013 rushing attack that pushed Auburn to the BCS National Championship Game. Prosch enjoyed a 5yr career for the Houston Texans as after signing as an undrafted free agent with the team in 2014.
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