I wrote a story for today's newspaper updating Auburn's recruiting efforts as the Feb. 3 National Signing Day approaches. Here's how it starts:

AUBURN, Ala. — It was last February, a little over a month after he had been hired as Auburn’s recruiting coordinator, that Curtis Luper outlined the goals he and head coach Gene Chizik had for making the Tigers relevant again to prospective recruits.

The subject of how seriously he took recruiting rankings came up. Luper didn’t duck the question.

“If they’re keeping the score, you want to win, right?” he asked rhetorically.

With only a few weeks remaining before national signing day on Feb. 3, Auburn is primed to have a top-five recruiting class.

Rivals.com ranks Auburn’s current class of 27 commits as the fourth-best nationally. The three teams higher on the list are Florida, Texas and Alabama, the last two national champions and this year’s title game runner-up.

Read the rest here. And follow the blog on Twitter.

AUBURN, Ala. — Alli Smalley handled the outside scoring. KeKe Carrier took care of things inside.

It proved to be a winning formula for the Auburn women’s basketball team again Thursday in a 74-62 victory against Alabama at Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

Smalley scored a career-high 27 points and Carrier added 20 points and nine rebounds as Auburn (11-6, 2-2 SEC) built off Sunday’s upset at No. 11 LSU, winning its second straight in league play.

It extended Auburn’s winning streak to eight games against its in-state rival, the longest by either team in the history of the series.

“I’m just glad that we’ve got the eight,” joked Tigers coach Nell Fortner, who improved to 10-1 all-time against the Crimson Tide. “I don’t know really what to say about that. We just try to win every game we play.”

Celiscia Farmer scored 18 for Alabama (8-9, 0-4 SEC), which is 2-44 in league games since the start of the 2006-07 season.

Auburn’s inside-out duo made sure that misery continued. Smalley, whose previous career-best was 23 points, scored 16 in the first half as the Tigers built a 43-30 lead.

She set a new high with a 3-pointer, her fourth of the game, with 3:30 remaining that stretched Auburn’s lead to 18.
“I think she enjoys playing against Alabama,” Fortner said of the Arab, Ala., native. “I’m glad she does.”

The 6-foot-7 Carrier, meanwhile, was a force down low. The reigning SEC Player of the Week went 9-for-11 from the floor, despite taking what Fortner considered too much of a beating from Alabama defenders.

“Do you see another post player on the floor that gets pounded like her?” Fortner asked. “I’m serious. I’m not even trying to be funny. ... It’s really unbelievable. The good thing is she’s responded to it all year and still has been able to score.”

Carrier, who has been inconsistent throughout her five years on the Plains, thinks she wouldn’t have stayed as composed in years past.

“By now I’m pretty much used to it,” she said. “I just have to have that mind set: I know they’re going to hang on me; I’ve just got to go up there and finish it and be strong and be dominant in the post.”

Tigers guard Morgan Jennings got her first action since tearing her ACL during the summer. The sophomore played five minutes and scored one point.

Forward Jordan Greenleaf grabbed eight rebounds, including the 500th of her career.

The Auburn men's basketball team's fast start was negated by a second-half slump in a 81-55 loss at No. 9 Tennessee on Thursday.

The Tigers (9-8, 0-2 SEC), who led by as many as 12 early on, were outscored 59-21 in the final 26 minutes.

The Vols (12-3, 1-0), playing without four scholarship players that were arrested on gun and drug charges earlier this month, got a balanced effort from their four remaining starters. J.P. Prince and Bobby Maze both scored 14 points. Wayne Chism had 12 and Scotty Hopson added 11.

The Tigers shot a season-high 35 3-pointers. They made 11, although 10 of those came in the first half.

DeWayne Reed scored a team-high 19 points. Frankie Sullivan added 14 and Lucas Hargrove 10.

Auburn plays again Saturday against unbeaten No. 2 Kentucky at home. Tip-off is 4 p.m. ET.

It's a busy night for Auburn hoops.

The men travel to Knoxville to face a depleted but still talented Tennessee, which is fresh off an upset of No. 1 Kansas. The Vols are ranked No. 9 in the country. The Tigers are hoping for something good to happen in conference. Tip-off is 7 p.m. ET. Read my game advance here.

The women host Alabama at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers may have jumpstarted their season with an overtime win at No. 11 LSU last weekend. Tip-off is alos at 7 p.m. ET. Read all about them here.

We're coming to you LIVE from Panera Bread! Why? Because my (unnamed) apartment complex seems to think wireless Internet is a space age technology above its level of comprehension. Geniuses, I tell you. Geniuses.

To recap, so far we've done quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, offensive line, defensive line, linebackers and the secondary.

What's left? The specialists ...

(Of course, here's the obligatory Twitter plug. Follow the blog here. We're up to 398 followers!)

We'll do this in two parts: the kicking game ...

WHO'S GONE?

• Starters: Clinton Durst (P), Clayton Crofoot (H)
  
• Reserves: None
  

WHO'S COMING BACK?

• Seniors: Wes Byrum (PK), Morgan Hull (PK), Ryan Shoemaker (P), Neil Caudle (H), Josh Harris (LS)
  
• Juniors: Chandler Brooks (PK), Bailey Woods (LS)
  
• Sophomores: None
  
• Redshirt Freshmen: None
  
• Incoming freshmen: Cody Parkey (PK), Steven Clark (P)
  

And the return game ...

WHO'S GONE?

• Starters: Ben Tate
  
• Reserves: None
  

WHO'S COMING BACK?

• Seniors: Demond Washington, Terrell Zachery, Mario Fannin
  
• Juniors: Neiko Thorpe, Quindarius Carr, Eric Smith
  
• Sophomores: Anthony Gulley, Onterio McCalebb, Philip Pierre-Louis
  
• Redshirt Freshmen: None
  
• Incoming freshmen: Too early to speculate

It was an uneven year for Auburn's special teams under the guidance of first-year coach Jay Boulware. The good? Byrum returned to his freshman form, Durst quietly had a solid season and Washington emerged as a dynamic returner in all phases. The bad? Nobody on the roster could catch a punt and the coverage units lagged behind.

But first, let's look at the kickers. Byrum is back after going 14-for-15 last year, perhaps proving his sophomore slump was a fluke. He'll lock down the place-kicker position and (Auburn hopes) pass it along to the incoming freshman Parkey, the nation's No. 1 place-kicking recruit who had a regrettable performance in the Under Armour game a few weeks ago, when he missed two extra points and a chip-shot field goal. Still, the Tigers seem to think they have their future lined up at that position.

At punter, Durst might be gone, but Shoemaker, a scholarship player, remains on the roster, a welcome sight for a coaching staff that probably don't want to hand the job to the the incoming freshman Clark. Shoemaker has had an up-and-down career, losing the job to the former walk-on Durst and not playing at all last season. But he did earn a scholarship coming out of high school, so he must have some talent. Boulware thought he kicked the ball well, just not consistently last spring. Either way, 2010 appears to be his chance.

(Quick disclaimer on the class denotations above: I'm sure there are redshirt candidates from last year at the kicker/punter/holder/long snapper positions, but I don't want to speculate on how the coaching staff will handle that. For all I know, they want to get some of these guys through the program. So I advanced them all a year, whether they played or not.)

On returns, Washington was a godsend at the end of the year. Auburn had tried four other punt returners and a slew of kick returners, but none had the impact of the junior college transfer, whose 31.1-yard kick return average was sixth in the nation. Sure, he had his troubles fielding punts (perhaps he was just trying to fit in), but when he had the opportunity to make some plays on the fledgling return units, he did. That's what you ask of that position. Another year watching punts and their angles should help him eliminate the drops. If he can do that, Auburn has a legitimate weapon on both of its return units.

Fannin, McCalebb and Zachery figure to be in the mix on kick returns as well. Fannin never showed the burst that you want to see out of a kick returner, but coaches like his versatility, so I'd imagine they would continue to use him in that role. McCalebb, with his game-changing speed, seems like he would be the most effective of the group returning kicks, provided he can stay healthy. Others returners are sure to emerge from the freshman class, although it's too early to guess who that might be.

On kick coverage, the Tigers should benefit from an influx of scholarship players. Auburn was hamstrung by a unit made up mostly of walk-ons. The team's low number of touchbacks (5) didn't help either. The kickoff coverage hit a crisis point midway through the season, when a group consisting mostly of walk-ons looked clueless against Arkansas, giving up a long kick return for a touchdown that halted any notion Auburn had of a comeback. The problem surfaced again against Ole Miss before the coaching staff began to put more scholarship (read: experienced) players on the field on kick coverage. Expect plenty more of that next season.

Overall, Auburn has the chance to be OK next year on special teams. Byrum is a solid kicker and Washington an exciting returner. If Shoemaker can provide at least a fair approximation of what Durst did this year, the Tigers could be set in those three categories. But the fact remains that Auburn ranked 97th nationally in kick return defense and 106th in punt return defense last year. Unless those numbers improve dramatically, they'll overshadow anything positive being done on the other units.

We're approaching the finish line with these position-by-position breakdowns. So far we've done quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, offensive line, defensive line and linebackers.

Now for the secondary...

(Just as soon as you follow the blog on Twitter)

WHO'S GONE?

• Starters: Walt McFadden
  
• Reserves: None
  

WHO'S COMING BACK?

• Seniors: Demond Washington, Zac Etheridge (maybe), Aairon Savage (maybe)
  
• Juniors: Neiko Thorpe, Mike McNeil, D'Antoine Hood, Drew Cole, Mike Slade
  
• Sophomores: Daren Bates, T'Sharvan Bell, Anthony Gulley (maybe)
  
• Redshirt Freshmen: None
  
• Incoming freshmen: Demetruce McNeal, Jonathan Mincy, Chris Davis, Ryan White
  

No group on the team was as patched together by the end of the Outback Bowl as the secondary. The unit took its hits throughout the year -- starting with McNeil's broken leg last spring, continuing with Savages' Achilles' tear in the summer and peaking with Etheridge's neck injury against Ole Miss -- and still somehow pulled through at the end against Northwestern. Granted it had given up over 500 passing yards by that point, but the outcome is the important part, right?

Although there remain plenty of question marks next year, 2010 will at least provide a fresh start. It remains unknown how the injured players will return next year. McNeil practiced by the end of last year, so it appears he is not a concern, but Savage and Etheridge's comebacks are up in the air. Savage, who has suffered season-ending knee and Achilles' injuries the last two seasons, would need to apply and receive a medical hardship and then, toughest of all, return from an Achillles' injury. That's not easy. Tez Doolittle made it seem like it was a few years ago, but that's not the norm, especially for a skill position that requires as much cutting and shifting as cornerback/safety. I remain skeptical if he can shake off this latest setback.

Etheridge is another concern. He said he would like to return to the field shortly after the injury. Of course, he said that while wearing a neck brace that restricted him from moving his head form side-to-side. He has to wear the brace for four months, which would last until March. If you heard Etheridge speak, you wouldn't doubt that he would be back on the field. But neck injuries are a serious thing. Not just in a football sense; in a life sense. It's not something you can overcome without less than 100 percent certainty. I've seen someone who had a similar injury (Virginia safety Nate Lyles) return the following year and play decently, but the fact of the matter is it's a big question mark right now.

So who do we know will be back? Well, Thorpe shook off a few difficult games during the season to finish strong in the bowl game, reaching double digit tackles, including one on the Wildcats' final play, a fumblerooski, that preserved the win. Coaches think he has All-SEC potential. At the other corner, you would figure Washington moves back from safety. He showed a knack for being able to perform at any position he played last year and was gaining confidence in his pass defense skills before moving to safety. Losing McFadden's leadership is undoubtedly a concern, but Thorpe and Washington at least give Auburn two experienced starting corners, which is all you can really ask for.

Nobody outperformed expectations as much as Bates, the least-heralded member of the 2009 recruiting class but its most productive in his first season (funny how that works, huh?). He started every game and there's no reason to believe he won't continue to in the upcoming years. I can't see coaches taking the job away from him to give it back to McNeil. The question is who will start beside him. If Etheridge makes a complete return, he would likely get the nod. He was the unquestioned team leader of the secondary before his injury, someone teammates called a coach on the field. McNeil provides another good option, given his experience and physical attributes. If all three return, I can definitely see the possibility of a rotation among them, a luxury Auburn was never afforded last season.

The rest of the group will fill the gaps. Bell showed signs of life for the first time in the Outback Bowl, making two interceptions. Hood, who battled an ankle injury for most of the year, looked like he took a step back from his freshman year. Cole and Slade appear to be last-resort options. But let's not rule out Gulley, who could get lost in the wide receiver shuffle and might be able to better help the team on defense. Coaches seemed impressed by his ability to immediately catch on at everything he tried.

If all the players come back as expected, that's a fairly deep crew. (I have three "maybes" listed, and that's not including a guy who missed all of last season with a broken leg.) If not -- and really, there's a definite possibility -- it might be another year of playing newcomers and patching things together on a weekly basis.

Lane Kiffin's time in the SEC didn't last long. The coach bolted for the open position at USC after one headline-grabbin', NCAA rule-violatin', SEC coach-offendin' year at Tennessee. He'll be missed.

ESPN first reported the story. USC's athletic director confirmed it Tuesday evening.

Because my Internet continues to be on the fritz, this news just arrived to me via Carrier pigeon.

There's not much to say about this other than ... wow. Pretty surprising that he would leave after just one season, but he's got roots at Southern Cal and it's a choice job.

I'm not sure who will replace him, but I'm sure plenty of interesting names will be mentioned for the position. To think, there's been head coaching turnover this offseason at marquee schools like Notre Dame, Florida State, Florida, USC and now Tennessee. Crazy year.

Tommy Tuberville is quickly building his staff at Texas Tech, and there are some interesting names coming up in the process.

First, Tuberville has tabbed 29-year-old Troy offensive coordinator Neal Brown to run the Red Raiders' Air Raid, an interesting choice considering how his last hire from Troy went. Brown is a Tony Franklin protege, and if you'll recall, Franklin and Tuberville went together like oil and water in 2008. Perhaps this is a tacit admission on Tuberville's part that Franklin's system wasn't the problem that year, that it was more a matter of conflicting personalities between Franklin and Tuberville's longtime staff (aka the BBQ Bunch).

Then, there's this news out of Tuscaloosa: Tuberville is reportedly targeting James Willis to be his defensive coordinator. Willis worked as a linebackers coach under Tuberville when he was at Auburn. When Chizik was hired, Willis was initially retained before leaving for the linebackers job at Alabama. He won a national title there, so you can't fault him for that career move, especially if it helped him get this coordinator gig.

My Internet works! For now. So let's resume these position-by-position breakdowns of the 2010 roster. Here's what we've done so far: quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers/tight ends, offensive line and defensive line.

Now for the linebackers ...

(Just as soon as you follow the blog on Twitter)

WHO'S GONE?

• Starters: None
  
• Reserves: None
  

WHO'S COMING BACK?

• Seniors: Josh Bynes, Craig Stevens
  
• Juniors: Eltoro Freeman, Adam Herring, Spencer Pybus, Wade Christopher, Ashton Richardson
  
• Sophomores: Jonathan Evans, Harris Gaston
  
• Redshirt Freshmen: None
• Incoming freshmen: Jessel Curry, Jake Holland, LaDarius Owens, Jawara White

No group on the roster needed an influx of young talent more than the linebackers. That's not to say that the group Auburn had last year wasn't good. Bynes and Stevens performed iron-man duties last year, rarely leaving the field because no backup could replace them without a considerable drop-off in performance. It culminated in the duo playing all 115 snaps of the Outback Bowl against Northwestern, a feat that was understated in the Tigers' thrilling win.

While Bynes and Stevens claim they don't care about coming off the field -- and their combined 204 tackles, 14 TFLs, 3.5 sacks and 2 interceptions suggest they are fairly comfortable with it -- it's still not a good idea to run two of your best players into the ground. Auburn did it out of necessity, true. But the coaching staff knows it has to recruit and develop players capable of stealing several snaps away from the duo. Just a little bit of rest every now and then would make Bynes and Stevens that much more effective on the downs they were in the game. Say what they will, but I'm sure they were holding back a little and leaving something in the tank knowing that they couldn't leave the game. When you consider that in 2011 neither will be on the Plains anymore, developing their eventual replacements becomes an even bigger priority.

On the weak-side, Freeman appeared to be making strides toward locking the position down. True, he didn't play much in the bowl game, but that was a response to Northwestern's spread offense, not Freeman's play or (we think) late-season ankle injury. When he was healthy and when his head was on straight, Freeman provided exactly what the Tigers needed at the weak-side, someone who could make plays and provide a big hit every now and then. True, he still missed assignments. True, he still missed some tackles. But as he proved at LSU, he can be a major player at the FBS level if he puts everything together. Put Bynes, Stevens and Freeman together, and that's a solid starting three.

It's the backup crew that will again be a concern. Look at the other list of juniors at the top of the post. Herring battled injuries all year and despite a desperate need for a weak-side linebacker during Freeman's short break, he didn't seize that starting spot. Who knows if Pybus will play again. Concussions can be tricky. And while Christopher and Richardson appear to be nice options on the practice field, they are walk-ons and probably will never do much more than appear on special teams in the game.

Of the freshmen last year, Evans looked like he had made some strides. He performed admirably against Alabama considering the circumstances and finished his season with 28 tackles. Gaston got even less playing time, despite a definite need for him to contribute immediately, leaving me to wonder whether or not either of these players will be major factors this season. The Tigers never had a bigger need for a backup linebacker to step onto the field than last year. And they couldn't really find anyone to do it until they were absolutely forced into the situation.

Perhaps this year's freshman class will have more success. Owens is a four-star recruit who is one of the best in the state, so he figures to have the best shot at competing right away. Curry is enrolling early, so going through an entire spring will help him get a jumpstart on next season. White, Holland and perhaps even two-way athlete Shaun Kitchens can be in the mix as well. At the very least it gives the coaching staff a luxury it didn't have last season: bodies.

So how will next year play out? I can't imagine Bynes or Stevens will have much less of a role on the defense (they're too good of talents to keep off the field), but they'll have to get more rest than they did this year. If Freeman remains healthy and focused, he'll obviously be the third starter. But what I do see is the coaching staff working younger players in more often -- especially in blowouts -- to give those starters a reprieve and set up for the future.

Auburn's KeKe Carrier was named SEC Player of the Week after her performances last week in the Tigers' double overtime loss at Florida and overtime win at LSU.

The senior center averaged 20.5 points and 9.0 rebounds for the week.

She had 24 points and 12 rebounds at Florida, her fifth double-double this season.

Against No. 11 LSU on Sunday, she scored nine of her 17 points in the second half to lead Auburn to the victory. She also grabbed her 500th career rebound.

The Tigers (10-6, 1-2 SEC) host Alabama on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET.

(Programming note: because of continued Internet problems at my apartment complex, I'm pushing back the look at Auburn's 2010 linebackers to tomorrow and will finish out the position-by-position breakdowns the rest of the week. The blog apologizes for any inconvenience.)