AUBURN, Ala. – Beyond the measurables, Gus Malzahn said Wednesday that character defines his eighth recruiting class as Auburn's head coach.
"When you combine that with how good of players and how good of athletes they are, I think it really says a lot," Malzahn said. "That's how we win here at Auburn, with talent, character, togetherness, team, and I really feel like that's what we sign.
"We work extremely hard to do that. A lot of these guys, our coaches develop long-term relationships - not just a couple months, but years. We are really excited about this group and feel that we met our needs."
Auburn added three signees Wednesday to the 23 who signed in December. Ten of the early signees enrolled in January and are participating in offseason workouts.
"It's a very special day," Malzahn said. "We signed three players today to add to a class that I feel like is one of the best classes we have had since I've been here.
"Hats off to our staff. They did a wonderful job recruiting, and Levorn Harbin, head of our recruiting. Levorn and the rest of the staff just did a wonderful job, not just in the type of players, but even more importantly the type of people they are. This is a very high-character class."
Malzahn also announced that Auburn's spring practice will begin on March 16 with plans in the works to honor the Tigers' 2010 national championship team at Toomer's Corner after the A-Day game on April 11.
"That's going to be a real special time to get all of those guys back," he said. "It's kind of funny how time flies; that team was 10 years ago and it goes real quick."
Looking to the 2020 season, Malzahn said Auburn will benefit from what he considers the SEC's best coordinators, newly hired Chad Morris on offense and fifth-year defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
"I just hired, in my opinion, the best offensive coordinator in college football," Malzahn said. "I love calling plays - I've said that numerous times - but when you get a chance to hire Chad Morris, he's not just good, he's special good in my opinion and I'm so excited he's here.
"He's already brought so much positive energy. Our players are very excited. I'm very excited and looking forward to having him run our offense and I'm really hoping it's for a long time.
"Obviously with Kevin, what he's done these past four years, the top 20 in scoring, I think there's only three other teams in the country that have done that. And the stability -- he just signed a three-year deal that is very well-deserved and I'm very excited to have him as our defensive coordinator.
"I've been around here a long time; I've been fortunate enough to be here when we've won big and I know what it feels like and it feels good right now - the positive energy that we have with excitement, not just as staff but with players. I think everyone knows that we lost some big-time players. Our team is fairly young and I really like the chemistry we have and the excitement and I'm really looking forward to going into spring."
Meet the new Tigers
Marquis Burks (DT, 6-3, 305; Iowa Central CC; Curie HS; Chicago, Ill.): Disruptive junior college defender with plenty of upside … two-year contributor for Coach Jesse Montalto, as the Tritons were ICCAC and Kinney Cup champions … ICCAC all-conference and all-region honors … played at Curie High in Chicago for Coach Jay Mcdonagh … first team all-Public League selection … 247 ranks him fourth at his position nationally among juco prospects
Malzahn on Marquis: "Marquis Burks, another junior college player, more of an internal guy -- I really felt like he's got big-time athleticism. He's a very good athlete, he really gets after the quarterback, and we really think that he's got a chance to help us."
Dre Butler (DT, 6-5, 275; Independence (Kan.) CC; Newton HS; Covington, Ga.): Productive junior college defender with big-play potential … 66 tackles, 22.0 TFL, 11.5 sacks for Coach Kiyoshi Harris, as the Independence Pirates won the KJCCC title … two-time conference defensive player of the week … second team all-KJCCC … played for Coach Terrence Banks at Newton (Ga.) High, recording 50 tackles, 20 TFL, eight sacks as a senior … first team Region 8-7A … also a basketball standout … 247 rates him No. 7 nationally among juco prospects … ESPN JC Top 50
Malzahn on Dre: "A junior college player -- I really feel like we needed some guys that had experience, losing the guys that we had, and Dre is a guy that was a big-time basketball player in high school himself. He's one of the best junior college players at any position this year, just a wonderful person, wonderful family. We are very excited about Dre and getting him here."
Brandon Frazier (TE, 6-5, 237; McKinney North HS; McKinney, Texas): Sizeable tight end target with great productivity … 40 receptions for 879 yards and seven scores as a senior leading Coach Mike Fecci's Bulldogs to the district championship … District 7-5A first team all-district … 37 catches for 513 yards and five TD as a junior … SportsDayHS Top 50 … also a basketball letterman … rated among the top 25 tight end prospects nationally by ESPN, Rivals and 247
Malzahn on Brandon: "Tight end Brandon Frazier, he's got a 3.67 GPA, 6'7, 250 -- this guy can really do some things after he catches the ball, very athletic, I think he was the conference player of the year last year in basketball. He's a guy that was committed to Coach Morris for a long time, and then came here; we're really excited about what he can do with his physical attributes."
Malzahn on December late-day signee Jay Hardy, a 6-3, 298-pound defensive end: "He is a wonderful player and a wonderful person. He's also a basketball player; he's very athletic. His team won a state championship, and he had a lot to do with that, so we are very excited to add him to our guys."
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer