Dec. 20, 2017
By Greg Ostendorf
AuburnTigers.com
AUBURN, Ala. -- During a segment on the SEC Network's Early Signing Day coverage, Gus Malzahn compared Auburn quarterback signee Joey Gatewood to Cam Newton. Obviously, there's only one Cam Newton. Malzahn admitted that later during his press conference. But physically, you can see the resemblance between Gatewood and Newton.
"If he walked in the room, he'd look like Cam Newton," Malzahn said.
Gatewood, who stands at 6-foot-5, 230 pounds, was one of the gems when you look at the 15 players who signed with Auburn on Wednesday. The consensus four-star and Elite 11 finalist threw for 1,468 yards, rushed for 1,100 yards and scored a combined 28 touchdowns (12 passing, 16 rushing) this past season for Bartram Trail High School in Jacksonville, Florida.
He's also been committed to Auburn since December 2015 and plans to enroll early.
"I've got a lot of respect for Joey," Malzahn said. "There are a lot of people all around the country that are wanting him, and he stayed solid. He's been committed to us for a long time. Just very loyal. He's got a wonderful mother. They hung in there with us. We felt very good about it. We're glad to have him, and he'll be here early, too. I think that's even more of a benefit, especially with a quarterback.
"Of course, we'll have eight guys that will be here in January. There's four or five of them that have practiced with us, which I think is always good, to get that rhythm."
Running back Asa Martin and wide receiver Shedrick Jackson, the nephew of Bo Jackson, are both among the group of players who have been practicing with Auburn this week. The in-state duo plans to enroll early and go through spring practice with the Tigers.
Martin, in particular, might have a chance to see the field early next year.
"The thing that stands out to me is he's very well-rounded," Malzahn said. "He is very good running the football. He's got great quickness. He's strong. He protects. He was a very good protector in high school, which is rare. A lot of guys in high school have to learn to protect. He already has that figured out, and I think that's big. And he catches the football out of the backfield like a wide receiver. He's going to give Coach [Chip] Lindsey a lot of versatility."
In all, seven of the 15 players Auburn signed were on the offensive side of the ball. Here's a breakdown from Malzahn on each one of them.
Joey Gatewood, QB, 6-5, 230 (Jacksonville, FL): "He is a guy that's been committed to us for two years. Really, from my standpoint, he stayed loyal to us the whole time. Never flinched. We had a coordinator change, and he hung in there with us. He's a very big guy. He can run. He's very athletic. He has a chance to be real special for us."
Jalil Irvin, OL, 6-3, 300 (Stone Mountain, GA): "He will play center for us. He's a guy that also was a big help with recruiting -- one of the leaders of the class that really just set the stone and stayed consistent. We really think he's got a good upside, too. Very athletic."
Shedrick Jackson, WR, 6-1, 185 (Birmingham, AL): What really stands out about Shedrick, to me, is he's so polished. He came to our camp and did a great job with his route running, coming in and out of breaks. He ran a 4.4. We think he's got a chance to be a real special player, too."
Asa Martin, RB, 6-0, 205 (Decatur, AL): "He's very versatile. He's a guy that really reminds us of Kerryon Johnson. He can run. He can catch. He's a very good pass protector. We're very excited about him."
Shaun Shivers, ATH, 5-7, 175 (Fort Lauderdale, FL): "Really, he is one of the leaders of this class. It really helped with the recruiting and everything that goes with that. He kind of reminds me of Onterio McCalebb as far as speed in pads. He can really run. He plays a lot bigger than he is and really plays with a great edge with that."
Kameron Stutts, OL, 6-4, 330 (Killen, AL): "He is a big, athletic offensive lineman. We think he's got a great upside. He was committed to us. He chose to come and still workout in camp. I think that says a lot about him. Really competitive and think his best days are ahead of him."
Seth Williams, WR, 6-3, 215 (Cottondale, AL): "He is a big receiver. About 6-3, 215. Great basketball player. I think he's got great upside. He's a great athlete from Tuscaloosa. We haven't gotten many guys from there in the past."
Greg Ostendorf is a Senior Writer for AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @greg_ostendorf