AUBURN, Ala. – The 2020 signing class is complete for the Auburn swimming and diving program. The men finalized their class of 13 newcomers, who will join the 13 women that signed with the Tigers last month.
Head coach Gary Taylor and his staff searched far and wide for this year's men's class, which includes swimmers from nine states and one international signee. The 12 swimmers are Michael Bonson, Alejandro Flores, Mikkel Gadgaard, Ryan Husband, Elliott Jones, Peter Makin, Evan McInerny, Reid Mikuta, Jadan Nabor, Sam Oliver, Logan Tirheimer and Ty Wingfield.
The lone diver to sign on the men's side is Hunter Kebler from Georgia.
"We have a large number of men coming in next season that will give us a lot of different looks from the 50 free to the mile," Taylor said. "They cover all of our stroke bases as well as diving. It's a really young, hungry, talented group of guys who have continued to progress throughout high school. They've got big futures and big careers in front of them.
"The other exciting piece to this is that they're coming from all over the country as well as the world. The class is a very talented, deep group that will leave a positive mark on the program and play a big role as we continue to build this culture and build toward championship outcomes."
Here's a look at all 13 new signees for the men's program.
SWIMMING
Michael Bonson - Slidell, La. - Middle Distance Free
High School: Northshore
Club Team: Hurricane Swim Club
Taylor on Bonson: "Michael is the second Louisiana native we've signed in as many years, joining Davis Edwards who signed last year. Auburn's southern #ROOTS spread far and wide. Michael connected so well with both the staff and the team on his visit. I quickly realized he would be a great addition from both an athletic standpoint as well as a cultural standpoint. I'm looking forward to having his freestyle talent and leadership in Auburn next year."
Alejandro Flores - Arlington, Wash. - Breast
High School: Lake Stevens
Club Team: West Coast Aquatics
Taylor on Flores: "Alejandro is an exceptional breaststroker from Washington. He's been a finalist at both the USA Swimming Summer and Winter Juniors. This type of race experience will bode well for our competition in the SEC. Alejandro will add speed and endurance to our breaststroke group."
Mikkel Gadgaard - Esbjerg, Denmark - Middle Distance Free
High School:
Club Team: Danish Swimming Federation
Taylor on Gadgaard: "Mikkel is a well-rounded swimmer. He can swim all of the freestyles and swim them competitively. Recently, he won the 400 freestyle at the Danish Short Course Nationals. Winning is a learned skill and Mikkel has found his hand on the wall first many of times. We believe this can transfer over into the SEC competitions."
Ryan Husband - Bentonville, Ark. – Sprint and Middle Free, IM
High School: Bentonville
Club Team: Northwest Arkansas Aquatics
Taylor on Husband: "Ryan can sprint and swim IM. I can see Ryan swimming many different events over his four years here at Auburn. Ryan can swim the 50, 100, 200 and 500 freestyles as well as the 200 IM at a high level. That type of range is what will allow him to be a big-time contributor as a Tiger. It will also allow him to gain experience in different areas at dual meets, invitationals, and conference level meets."
Elliott Jones - Houston, Texas - Back, IM
High School: Cypress Christian School
Club Team: Premier Aquatics Club of Klein
Taylor on Jones: "Elliott was the first commitment to the 2020 class. Maybe a little bit under the radar, Elliott had a fantastic junior year of high school. He was a Junior Nationalist finalist this summer in the 100 and 200 backstroke and qualified for Olympic trials. He's really become one of the top prospects for 2020 out of the state of Texas. I think he's going to be that outstanding student-athlete with the championship character we look for."
Peter Makin - Fairfax, Va. - Middle Distance Free, Back
High School: Fairfax
Club Team: Nation's Capital Swim Club
Taylor on Makin: "Peter comes to us from one of the best club teams in the country in Nation's Capital Aquatic Club. Peter can swim freestyle and backstroke extremely well. He will add depth to both of those strokes, and I can see him being a real player at the SEC level. Peter was one of our first commits as he fell in in love with the aerospace program here and our swim team."
Evan McInerny - Lawrenceville, Ga. - Fly, IM
High School: Peachtree Ridge
Club Team: SwimAtlanta
Taylor on McInerny: "It's always good to get some Georgia boys over to Auburn. I'm thrilled that Evan will be joining us on The Plains this year. He comes highly recommended from his club coaches in Atlanta, and we believe he's really going to 'pop' in college. Evan is extremely versatile and due to this skill set, we will be able to utilize him in a variety of events."
Reid Mikuta - Greensboro, N.C. - Breast, IM
High School: Northern Guilford
Club Team: Greensboro Swimming Association
Taylor on Mikuta: "Reid is one of the top breaststrokers in the entire country, a Junior National finalist, an Olympic trials qualifier, and he's someone that we feel can give us relay looks as well as an individual event performer. Like a number of these athletes, he's all-in to Auburn. He's really excited about the program and I think ready to run through the wall for Auburn swim and dive."
Jadan Nabor - Goodyear, Ariz. - IM, Back, Free
High School: Verrado
Club Team: YMCA Westside Silver Fins
Taylor on Nabor: "Jadan is one of the top prospects out of Arizona. I'm really excited about his event list and what he brings to the table. He can give you IM, backstroke, freestyle. He does butterfly and really gives us a number of different looks in a lot of different areas. He's a state champion, Junior National finalist and someone that we're really high on."
Sam Oliver - Aldie, Va. - Middle and Distance Free
High School: John Champe
Club Team: Snow Swimming
Taylor on Oliver: "Sam is someone that we're really excited about. He showed tremendous improvement during his junior season. I really believe he's going to help us on the middle distance and distance freestyle. He's going to certainly add depth immediately, but I also think he's someone that can have an impact on the SEC level early on in his career."
Logan Tirheimer - Tampa, Fla. - Sprint Free
High School: Tampa Preparatory School
Club Team: Tampa Bay Aquatics
Taylor on Tirheimer: "Logan was a last-minute addition and we're grateful we were able to add him to this class. Logan most recently became the Florida High School state champion in both the 50 and 100 sprint freestyles. He will absolutely help our sprint group and our sprint relays moving forward."
Ty Wingfield - Conway, Ark. - Sprint Free
High School: Conway
Club Team: The Aquakids
Taylor on Wingfield: "Ty instantly fell in love with Auburn due to the unbelievable balance of aviation study and swimming we offer here. Ty will be a big contributor in a sprint races as he specializes in the 50 and 100 free. Ty and Ryan Husband are the best sprinters in the state of Arkansas, and they're joining our quest here on The Plains in becoming SEC Champions once again."
DIVING
Hunter Kebler - Moultrie, Ga.
High School: Colquitt County
Club Team: Moss Farms Diving
Jeff Shaffer on Kebler: "Hunter hasn't been diving all that long, but he shows great skill level in a lot of the attributes that divers need with regards to athleticism, a very clean entry and really good body lines. He's just going to get better. I'm excited to have the opportunity to train and develop him as he matures physically. He's going to be a tremendous talent in the future for Auburn both at the SEC and NCAA level."