Auburn football felt the impact of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp before even getting within six months of the 2015 season.

The former-turned-new Auburn defensive coordinator that was most recently Florida’s head coach came through huge for the Tigers on National Signing Day, getting a handful of talented players on the line that could make an immediate impact this fall.

Everything on the line, which struggled last fall with Carl Lawson out of the season, starts with five-star prospect Byron Cowart. Cowart, who is expected to start this fall, chose Auburn over Florida, and he is expected to make a nice second punch to Lawson’s dominant play off the end.

In the secondary, Tim Irvin and former Ohio State commit Carlton Davis is expected to compete for playing time.

The Tigers are well off at linebacker with Kris Frost, Anthony Swain and Cassanova McKinzy all returning, but Darrell Williams and Richard McBryde have a chance to get some reps.

Offensively, all eyes may be on JUCO transfer Jovon Robinson, a running back. Robinson was committed to the Tigers out of high school before going the junior college route. He now is on the Plains as a more-developed animal.

Robinson joins the mix of young runners, including Roc Thomas and Peyton Barber. Shifty Kerryon Johnson also joins the group after having an overwhelming amount of success at Madison Academy. All four backs could see playing time this fall.

One player leading the way for the tailbacks is Chandler Cox, a longtime Auburn commit that will take over at H-Back. Another bruiser expected to make blocks for Auburn this year is tight end Jalen Harris, who was a former player of Philip Lutzenkirchen at Trinity in Montgomery.

Spots at wideout are in the air, but it’s no secret that Duke Williams will be a favorite target of first-year starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson. Newcomer Darius Slayton is the lone receiver that experts are expecting to possibly play a big-time role this fall.

The Tigers had several weaknesses exposed in 2014 on their way to an 8-5 season. The hire of Muschamp and a strong defensive signing class was the first step of allowing fewer points.

Offensively, Auburn is in need of finding another Tre Mason or Cameron Artis-Payne to be “the guy” in the backfield. Johnson is expected to be a stronger thrower than Nick Marshall so if receivers can get open there should be a high completion rate, but Johnson’s run game lacks compared to Marshall so the tailbacks will need to pick up some slack.

Brandon Miller

Coming up June 22: Football Preview: Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers