Five recruits that doomed Gus Malzahn at Auburn
Gus Malzahn was fired as Auburn’s coach Sunday and he finished 68-35 overall, a respectable record but not good enough as the Tigers had higher hopes during his time at the school. A 39-27 record in the SEC was especially frustrating to some.
Auburn signed many high-profile prospects during Malzahn’s eight-season run, many of them panning out but some not living up to expectations. Here is a look at five prospects that did not live up to their billing during Malzahn’s tenure.
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BYRON COWART
Rated as the No. 1 player in the 2015 recruiting class, Byron Cowart was as close to a sure thing as possible in the high school ranks. Big, strong, focused and determined, Cowart picked Auburn over Florida and it was considered a massive recruiting win for the Tigers.
But once in college, Cowart struggled to get on the field and in his first two seasons he played in 14 games but totaled only 12 tackles. Two games into his junior year, Cowart left Auburn and went to junior college.
He transferred to Maryland where he had one impressive season and then he was a fifth-round NFL Draft pick but Cowart never even closely lived up to expectations with the Tigers.
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NATE CRAIG-MYERS
Nate Craig-Myers was committed to Auburn, then backed off that pledge and then re-committed to the Tigers over North Carolina and others. He was seen as a major recruiting victory at the time for Malzahn & Co.
The former five-star who ended up as a high four and the third-best receiver in the 2016 class was big, physical, filled out and looked like a perfect fit for Auburn’s offense. But in 15 games over three seasons, Craig-Meyers had just 22 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns at Auburn. He has since transferred to Colorado State.
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KYLE DAVIS
Auburn beat out Georgia and Tennessee for Davis in the 2016 recruiting class and it was a big deal because the Lawrenceville (Ga.) Archer standout looked like an ideal fit in Malzahn’s offense. But he had disciplinary issues and lasted just 14 games, not even two seasons at Auburn, before being dismissed from the team.
He ended up with only 19 catches for 458 yards and two touchdowns with the Tigers. Rated as a mid-level four-star, Davis wound up transferring to FAU but didn’t play and then entered the transfer portal before trying his hand in the CFL.
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JOEY GATEWOOD
Even though he never liked the comparison, many felt Joey Gatewood could be the next Cam Newton and to Auburn fans, that was music to their ears. At 6-foot-5 and 221 pounds, Gatewood could have been perfect in Malzahn’s offense but he could not beat out five-star freshman Bo Nix for the starting job.
Nix took control of the offense and Gatewood ended up transferring to Kentucky. In his Auburn career, the former mid-level four-star with so much hype ended up throwing just 32 passes for 176 yards and three touchdowns.
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RACEAN THOMAS
Auburn beat Alabama and other heavyweights for Thomas and it was seen as a huge recruiting coup for the Tigers since Thomas was a five-star prospect, ranked behind only Leonard Fournette in the 2014 class.
But in two seasons, Thomas totaled just 86 carries for 475 yards and three touchdowns. He later transferred to Jacksonville State and is currently playing in the CFL.