AUBURN, Ala. – Combining the fanfare of the NFL Draft with Auburn's famous family feel, Bryan Harsin welcomed 16 members of the Tigers' 2022 recruiting class on Wednesday.
An orange carpet greeted visitors to the Tigers Den in the Harbert Family Recruiting Center at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where Harsin stepped up to a podium to announce each signee, with sons of Auburn's assistant coaches helping with the introductions.
"Today was an awesome day," Harsin said. "This is the best event I've ever been a part of on Signing Day. Our staff did a great job of putting it together. Recruiting never ends. It's not over but today was a great day."
Aubie, Auburn's cheerleaders and Tiger Paws, and War Eagle VIII, Aurea the golden eagle, all contributed to the festivities.
"Signing Day is like the Super Bowl of recruiting," Harsin said. "We wanted to do something special and celebrate everybody in our program. The setup was tremendous. We made it a special day."'A special day' in the TIgers Den at Jordan-Hare Stadium
Half of the signees intend to enroll in January, getting a head start on their Auburn careers by participating in winter workouts and spring practice.
"We certainly are excited about this class," Harsin said. "We have seven captains in this group. The average GPA of our signees is 3.3."
Auburn signed five in-state players, along with four signees from Georgia, two from Florida and Louisiana, and one each from California, Nebraska and Texas.
"Our entire focus and purpose in recruiting was to bring in the right people," said Harsin, standing in front of a board that displayed pictures, positions and hometowns of each signee. "Character matters. Hard workers. Guys who are going to compete, and guys who are winners.
"We have a lot of guys behind me who were in very successful programs. Their high school coaches, and the people they've worked with, there's a lot of success. That was an important factor as well."
Auburn's renowned game day setting helped attract quality prospects, Harsin said.
"They got to be around what it's like to be a part of this program," he said. "Our fan base, our game day atmosphere is tremendous, and everybody sees that. As a player, how could you not want to be a part of that?
"That's part of our Creed. Work, hard work. If that doesn't resonate with you, this isn't the place. Every one of these guys, they're all about that. We just had to be who we are. Share our message."
👉 #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/2rKxBdoruk
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) December 16, 2021
Auburn's Class of 2022 will be the first to train in Auburn's new Football Performance Center, scheduled to open next year.
"These signees have a chance to move into a new facility and make it our own," Harsin said. "You don't get to do that at very many places.
"Auburn's a special place. We want guys here who love Auburn, love football, and want to be a part of what we're building."
After announcing the last signee, Harsin held a virtual press conference with reporters before two more live television interviews, the end of a whirlwind day that began 12 hours earlier.
"Recruiting's not over," Harsin said. "We have unfinished business, but we're going to celebrate. We're going to enjoy the hard work. I want our players' families and the new guys coming in to see we appreciate them being here, so we're going to make it a big deal, and we'll do it again.
"You're going to come into something unique and special. I thought today was that. Great day for Auburn. I believe every guy on that board loves Auburn. They're going to be a big part of the future of our program."'Every guy on that board loves Auburn': Bryan Harsin introduces the Tigers' Class of 2022
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeff_shearer