There are usually two things I can wake up early for: making a flight or playing a round of golf. Today, I expanded my horizons to include 'cruitin', with a 6 a.m. wake-up call for signing day, aka, the most important Internet day of the year.

Here's how it's going to work today. I'm going to keep a running diary of the day, updating this thread as recruits fax in their letters of intent and entertaining you with such wits and witticisms as "What's the deal with soft commitments?" in between (It's funnier if you read it in a Jerry Seinfeld voice).

I'll keep update a list of the letters of intent Auburn has received and those it is still waiting for at the top of the thread and add on throughout the day at the bottom, so keep coming back to this page.

If you've got any questions or comments, you can write at the end of the thread or e-mail me directly at abitter@ledger-enquirer.com.

SIGNED (28)
Eltoro Freeman, LB, Alexander City, Ala. (Mississippi Gulf Coast), 5-11, 218
Onterio McCalebb, RB, Fort Meade, Fla. (Hargrave), 6-0, 175
Philip Lutzenkirchen, TE, Marietta, Ga., 6-4, 245
Dee Ford, LB, Odenville, Ala., 6-2, 190
Daren Bates, S, Olive Branch, Miss., 5-11, 195
Andre Harris, OL, Hampton, Ga., 6-4, 327
Reggie Taylor, DB, Fort Valley, Ga., 5-10, 167
Travante Stallworth, WR, Leesville, La., 5-10, 180
Clint Moseley, QB, Leroy, Ala., 6-4, 200
Brandon Jacobs, RB, Lilburn, Ga., 6-1, 230
Izauea Lanier, ATH, Gordo, Ala., 6-1, 185
Josh Jackson, DT, Gainesville, Ga., 6-2, 260
Tyrik Rollison, QB, Sulphur Springs, Texas, 6-2, 185
Jonathan Evans, LB, Pritchard, Ala., 6-0, 205
John Sullen, OL, Auburn, Ala., 6-5, 338
Demond Washington, ATH, Tallassee, Ala. (Mississippi Gulf Coast), 5-9, 185
Anthony Gulley, RB, Brantley, Ala., 5-11, 185
Emory Blake, WR, Austin, Texas, 6-1, 194
DeAngelo Benton, WR, Bastrop, La. (Hargrave), 6-3, 210
Nosa Eguae, DE, Mansfield, Texas, 6-2, 234
Taikwon Paige, DB, Aiken, S.C. (Georgia Military College), 5-10, 175
Dontae Aycock, RB, Tampa, Fla., 5-9, 216
Robert Cooper, ATH, Mobile, Ala., 6-4, 204
Harris Gaston, LB, Bessemer, Ala., 6-4, 225
Jamar Travis, DT, Brewton, Ala., 6-1, 312
Terrance Coleman, DL, Mobile, Ala., 6-1, 244
LaVoyd James, WR, Mobile, Ala., 5-10, 175
Nick Fairley, DT, Mobile, Ala. (Copiah-Lincoln), 6-4, 295

POSSIBILITIES
Mike Eargle, DB, Scranton, Pa. (Lackawanna CC), 6-0, 180

SIGNED ELSEWHERE
Aubrey Phillips, OL, Olive Branch, Miss., 6-6, 310 -- Florida State
Tana Patrick, LB, Stevenson, Ala., 6-3, 215 -- Alabama
Brandon Heavens, ATH, Bessemer, Ala., 5-10, 165 -- Mississippi State
Greg King, LB, Memphis, Tenn., 6-3, 200 -- Tennessee
Tyler Knight, OL Leesburg, Ga., 6-4, 245 -- Plans to attend junior college
DeQuinta Jones, DT, Bastrop, La., 6-4, 305 -- Arkansas
Jamontay Pilson, DT, Greenville, Ala., 6-3, 265 -- NW Mississippi Community College

7:01 a.m.: No surprise here. In fact, some of the beat writers were mock wagering who was going to be the first to sign. It had to be someone in the Eastern Time Zone, which narrowed it down. The answer? Lutzenkirchen. He seems like he's been committed for about three years. He's Rivals' No. 3 overall tight end in the country and should be a good weapon for offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn to use in a variety of ways. Watch this catch.

7:17 a.m.: Checking some the 'cruitin' Web sites, they have press conference times for some commits. Here they are (special thanks to AUTigers.com):

• Dontae Aycock, 8:45 a.m.
• Emory Blake, 9 a.m.
• Aubrey Phillips, 9:30 a.m.
• Tana Patrick, 10 a.m.
• Greg King, 10 a.m.
• Harris Gaston, 10 a.m.
• DeAngelo Benton, Rueben Randle and DeQuinta Jones, 12:30 p.m.
• Jonathan Evans, 2 p.m.

7:36 a.m.: Four more are in: Ford, Bates, Harris and Taylor.

7:41 a.m.: It should be noted that Bates and Aubrey Phillips are high school teammates at Olive Branch, Miss. I guess Bates bypassed the formality of a signing day press conference, since he was committed and all. Phillips is supposed to announce at 9:30 a.m. Tennessee, Auburn and Florida State are in the mix. He expects to "shock" some people. Stay tuned.

7:43 a.m.: Trying to tackle these new signees one-by-one. Ford was a defensive end in high school but should play outside linebacker in college. He made 90 tackles last year for St. Clair County, with 18 sacks (18!) and 38 tackles for a loss.

7:45 a.m.: Bates is a curious case. He wasn't being offered by anybody early on. He was committed to Arkansas State until Alabama showed interest and Auburn offered. Having seen him in person, he looks like a well-built defensive back, one who could be a thumper at the safety position. Some numbers from AuburnSports.com: he runs a 4.5 40-yard dash, has a 325-pound bench press and a 38-inch vertical leap.

7:48 a.m.: Auburn misses on its first up-for-grabs recruit of the day. Phillips "shocked" some people and chose to go to Florida State. I thought things looked up for Auburn after Bates, his high school teammate committed, but the 'Noles are a tough team to go up against.

7:50 a.m.: Admittedly, I don't know that much about Andre Harris. He committed to Auburn is June and didn't waver throughout the coaching change. Didn't even take another official visit, despite drawing interest from practically the entire ACC. AuburnSports.com reported Jan. 11 that the once 327-pounder had slimmed down close to 300. That's got to be a good thing. It's always easier to put weight on in college than to take it off.

7:53 a.m.: Finally, a (somewhat) local boy. Reggie Taylor went to Peach County High in Fort Valley, Ga., the same high school as former Tigers wide receiver Chris Slaughter, who left the team this offseason. Taylor made his visit to Auburn on Jan. 9 and came away very impressed by defensive coordinator Ted Roof. He's likely to play cornerback.

7:56 a.m.: News to report on the Tony Franklin front. The former Auburn offensive coordinator is reportedly going to be hired by Middle Tennessee, according to Rivals. Sadly, I can't find any video footage on line of his, "Hell, I'd boo me" press conference. It was classic.

8:00 a.m.: Two more to report: Travante Stallworth and Clint Moseley.

8:02 a.m.: Stallworth was on the fence for a while after the coaching change. He made official visits to Michigan and South Carolina before taking a trip to Auburn and solidifying his commitment. He played quarterback his senior season at Leesville, throwing for 1,338 yards and 14 touchdowns and running for 574 yards and 14 more scores (thank you Rivals for the stats), but he'll be a receiver with the Tigers.

8:04 a.m.: Moseley is another interesting case. He committed to Auburn Jan. 18, shortly before Auburn got a commitment from four-star dual-threat quarterback Tyrik Rollison. Moseley didn't waver, though, probably because his other best offers were Arkansas State and South Alabama. Still, he can play quarterback. He threw for 3,758 yards and 38 touchdowns last year for Leroy, earning Alabama's Mr. Football title, and finished his career as the fifth-leading passer in state history. So he's got some talent. Here's a video.

8:07 a.m. Brandon Jacobs is in. Not the New York Giants running back. The one from Parkview High in Lilburn, Ga., the same school as former Auburn running back Brad Lester. Jacobs is expected to stay at running back with Auburn.

8:17 a.m.: Two more are in: Lanier and Josh Jackson.

8:21 a.m.: Izauea Lanier instantly becomes "the Auburn Tiger whose name I misspell most often. The key is to remember that there is an AU in the middle. Apparently, he was destined for Auburn. He's listed as an athlete but told us he would most likely play safety.

8:24 a.m.: Josh Jackson was late to the party, committing to Auburn last night once he got an offer. I'll be the first to throw out a Dawson's Creek reference on this one, though I think Josh Jackson (the actor) was much, much better in "The Mighty Ducks." The FOOTBALL Josh Jackson looks much more menacing on his Rivals.com picture. Jackson chose Auburn over Ole Miss and N.C. State and signed with the Tigers despite never taking a visit to Auburn.

8:25 a.m.: Quick aside: Here's my favorite story about Joshua Jackson the ACTOR, when he got busted at a hockey game for drunkenly assaulting a security guard. Just for fun, here's the mug shot, too.

8:26 a.m.: A big one just came across the fax. Rollison just signed.

8:30 a.m.: A borderline candidate just signed: Jonathan Evans. I'll touch on Rollison first, then play catch-up.

8:34 a.m.: Rollison is the catch of the class so far. Auburn went hard after the four-star dual threat quarterback as soon as Malzahn was hired as offensive coordinator. Clearly, the coaches like him as a fit in this offense. Here's a different video of some of his high school highlights from what I posted a couple weeks ago. The question now is whether he qualifies. His high school coach has told recruiting Web sites that he thinks his star player will make the necessary test score to get in. What exactly that number is is up for debate. It will create a little drama for this spring, however.

8:38 a.m.: Jonathan Evans is the younger brother of recent four-year Auburn linebacker Chris Evans. He, along with Terrance Coleman, visited Tennessee last weekend, prompting panic on the message boards that they might switch commitments. (His primary recruiter was James Willis, who left for Alabama.) In the end, though, he stuck with Auburn.

8:49 a.m.: John Sullen is in. Another local boy for Auburn. From meeting with him briefly, he is enormous. He's listed at 6-foot-5, 338 pounds and, according to OA News scribe Andrew Gribble, plays basketball on his high school team. I would not want to post up against that kid. Another one who had an interesting offer list. He was committed to Southern Miss until Auburn came calling. Not a lot of big-time offers there, but I'm sure the last thing Gene Chizik and Co. wanted to do was let a propsect in their backyard go somewhere else. Also, I wanted the opportunity to post this picture of him with an awesome hat.

9:11 a.m.: Demond Washington is the latest signee. He played defensive back at Mississippi Gulf Coast last year and running back the year before. We're not sure exactly what he's going to play at Auburn, but here's a video from 2007 (I'd post the 2008 one, but the language in the music selection is not the cleanest). He was a roommate of Tigers signee Eltoro Freeman, so his decision to come to Auburn isn't a shock. He's also from nearby Tallassee, which has to help. Interestingly, Rivals has himi as a three-star player. Scout has him as a 5-star. I can see a one-star difference, but two? It makes me question the star system even more than I already do. He has three years to play two at Auburn.

9:14 a.m.: Two more are in: Gulley and ... Emory Blake!

9:16 a.m.: Big catch for Auburn, which reeled in the big-time receiver it so desperately needs. Blake was down to Texas Tech, Colorado and Auburn. Amazing that a receiver would chose the Tigers over the Red Raiders and Mike Leach's Air Raid offense, especially with the wide-open opportunity created when Michael Crabtree declared for the NFL Draft. That makes the Auburn coaching staff luring Blake all the more impressive. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound Blake is a four-star recruit. He caught 64 passes for 936 yards and a nine touchdowns last year. It should be noted his father is former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Jeff Blake, so prepare yourself for four years of those stories.

9:18 a.m.: Well, Auburn fans, here's your Zombie Nation momentum shifting moment. Auburn just signed DeAngelo Benton, a former five-star wide receiver from Bastrop, La. We didn't believe it either. Had to look closely at the faxed-in letter of intent. Major coup for the Tigers.

9:23 a.m.: More on Benton. Here's his history: the 6-foot-3, 210-pound wideout signed with LSU out of Bastrop, La., in 2007. He didn't qualify and attended Hargrave Military Academy. He tried to sign again last year and didn't qualify. He didn't play anywhere this season and all signs pointed to him signing with LSU again this year (he even went on the radio and said he was signing with LSU). He made a double-secret probation visit to Auburn a few weeks ago, some thinking it was merely a token visit. Apparently, that wasn't the case. Still shocked by this one.

9:35 a.m.: I feel sorry for Anthony Gulley, who happened to fax in his letter of intent just as the Auburn fan base was finding out about Blake and Benton. Gulley seemed genuinely excited about the possibility of committing to Auburn a few weeks ago (so much so that he jumped the gun and did it before actually getting an offer he could commit to). He's from a small school and isn't too big, but he's got some great stats, scoring 31 touchdowns his senior season. He'll play slot receiver at Auburn.

9:42 a.m.: AuburnSports.com is reporting that running back Dontae Aycock has committed to Auburn. That is committed, not signed. He's the one who had his Georgia Tech scholarship offer pulled after he visited Auburn last weekend.

9:54 a.m.: The latest signee is Nosa Eguae, who comes in a close second to Izauea Lanier for new Auburn Tiger whose name I will misspell on a regular basis. Eguae seems like an impressive recruit, despite being only a 3-star. He's 6-foot-3, 244 pounds and should play as a rush end. He originally committed to Colorado in September but opened things up. According to AuburnSports.com, he was recruited to Oklahoma State by Curtis Luper, Ole Miss by Tracy Rocker and Minnesota by Ted Roof. By coincidence, all of them came together on the same staff at Auburn, which was a major advantage.

10:04 a.m.: Tana Patrick knows how to build drama. At his press conference announcement, lining up Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama hats in front of him before pulling out a Nick Saban replica Panama Jack straw hat to a raucous round of cheers. He wins the prop award. Some recruit out there better top that.

10:08 a.m.: Two more are in: Taikwon Paige and Dontae Aycock.

10:10 a.m.: Aycock's been mentioned before. I guess he really didn't have much of a choice once Georgia Tech cut him loose. It's interesting that the Yellow Jackets had him sized up to play quarterback in their option offense. Auburn is looking at the 5-foot-10, 210-pound signee from Tampa to play running back. He played quarterback last year for Chamberlain High, throwing for 1,491 yards and 17 touchdowns and adding 1,406 yards and 28 scores on the ground. Those are some impressive numbers. He's ranked by Rivals as the No. 32 overall recruit in Florida, which, as you know, is full of football talent. That's probably top-10 in most states.

10:12 a.m.: Rivals' revised rating on DeAngelo Benton is 4 stars, which makes sense, since the wideout didn't play football anywhere last season. Interestingly, he has five years to play four at Auburn, despite spending a semester at Hargrave, according to AuburnSports.com. Hargrave is a prep school, so his time there doesn't count against his college eligibility.

10:18 a.m.: Paige, who committed to North Carolina out of high school in 2007, was talked about a little bit last night, when got an offer from Auburn and committed immediately. He and Roof seem to have a good relationship. Roof recruited him to Minnesota before coming down here. Paige actually committed to Minnesota briefly before opening things back up. Since he went to junior college for two years, he has three years to play two at Auburn. The Tigers want him to play cornerback.

10:22 a.m.: This was under the radar, but Brandon Heavens, a former Auburn commit, signed with Mississippi State. He visited Starkville after Auburn apparently waned in interest. This is not a surprise.

10:27 a.m.: Robert Cooper just sent in his letter of intent. The Mobile, Ala., athlete has agreed to grayshirt, according to AuburnSports.com, meaning he won't enroll or be on scholarship until next January. That means he'll count against next year's numbers. Rivals says the 6-foot-4, 200-pounder can play quarterback, receiver, tight end, safety or linebacker.

10:43 a.m.: Auburn's latest signee is Harris Gaston, a 6-foot-4, 225-pound linebacker from Bessemer, Ala. Gaston made some people worry when he visited Mississippi State last weekend, but he stayed true to his commitment. From the sounds of it, the coaches don't know exactly what linebacker position Gaston will play. He told Rivals that James Willis wanted him to play in the middle, but Willis isn't here anymore, and there's a little matter of Josh Bynes locking the position down for at least next year. He could definitely play earlier if he goes to the outside.

11:03 a.m.: Rivals is reporting that Memphis linebacker Greg King has signed with Tennessee. He was one of the on-the-fence recruits.

11:04 a.m. AuburnSports.com is reporting that Auburn commit Tyler Knight will not sign with Auburn and will plans to enroll in a junior college. The 6-foot-4, 245-pound Knight was a two-star recruit.

11:16 a.m.: Jamar Travis, come on down. Rivals has him ranked as a four-star prospect. He's not terribly tall (6-1 according to Rivals, but I feel like I stood eye-to-eye with him and I'm not taller than 5-11). He seems like he'll be a nose tackle and nothing else, so he might have to add to his 312-pound frame. He had 70 tackles, 14 TFLs, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two blocked kicks his senior season at W.S. Neal, according to AuburnSports.com. That's a pretty good year.

11:19 a.m.: We're just waiting pretty much for the Williamson High guys, Terrance Coleman, LaVoyd James and Nick Fairley. AUTigers.com says they've already signed and Auburn is just waiting for the faxes to come in, so apparently there's no need to panic.

11:25 a.m.: Midwest City, Okla., running back David Oku will go past signing day to make his decision, but according to GoVolsExtra.com, citing an anonymous source, says he's likely to sign with Auburn. Oku is considering Tennessee, Auburn and Syracuse. It'd be interesting to add another running back to this class. But watch his clips. He looks like he's worth it.

11:30 a.m.: The Williamson boys are in. Coleman, James and Fairley are committed. Coleman caused a bit of a stir by visiting Tennessee last weekend. He wasn't thrilled with James Willis bolting for 'Bama. I still never pictured him going somewhere else when his uncle, Antonio Coleman, came back for his senior season at Auburn. The 5-foot-10, 175-pound James is the fourth wide receiver of this class. Fairley spent last year at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson, Miss. He tried to enroll in January but had an admissions hang-up with one of his classes and won't be able to enroll until next fall. The defensive lineman has three years to play three.

11:33 a.m.: Rivals.com just told us DeQuinta Jones, another of the seemingly endless prospects from Bastrop, La., has signed with Arkansas. Jones came on late in the game with Auburn. He was originally a Michigan commit who changed his mind.

11:34 a.m.: AuburnSports.com tells us Jamontay Pilson will not sign with Auburn today and will instead go to Northwest Mississippi Community College in Senatobia. This too, apparently, is not a shocker.

11:36 a.m.: Unless something else surprising happens, that should be it for the day. Chizik will speak around 2 p.m. today and we'll definitely have a post-press conference post. I even get to test out a brand new tripod for my iFlip video camera. The stillness of the shot should be mesmerizing.