No. 1 recruit Byron Cowart officially signs with Auburn (update)
Update: 4:00 p.m. ET
It's official. Byron Cowart is headed to Auburn.
Head coach Gus Malzahn confirmed that Auburn received Cowart's signed National Letter of Intent. Cowart's photo also appears among the program's 2015 class on the Auburn football website.
Byron Cowart says his LOI has been faxed. #WarEagle #RivalsNSD pic.twitter.com/gZmIBGPLW4
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 4, 2015
Gus Malzahn confirms Auburn has received the NLI from Byron Cowart, No. 1 player/DE in the nation.
— Alex Byington (@AUBlog) February 4, 2015
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Update: 2:00 p.m. ET
Not so fast. According to Rivals' Mike Farrell, Cowart has not officially sent his National Letter of Intent to Auburn just yet, so Florida may still be in the mix.
Cowart texted me and said he left his signed letter with his coach to fax and isn't sure why it hasn't been faxed yet. #Auburn #WarEagle
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 4, 2015
Per coach Callahan at Armwood, Byron Cowart told him he was going to commit to #Auburn but not send in letter.
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 4, 2015
Auburn still has not announced Cowart's signing. Asked his mom, Lacoria Wilson, at announcement if they faxed the letter and she said yes.
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) February 4, 2015
Sean Callahan just told me the LOI to Auburn was not faxed as per Byron Cowart's request.
— Kelly Parsons (@_kellyparsons) February 4, 2015
Talked to Armwood coach Sean Callahan. Byron Cowart brought In Signed letters for both Auburn and Florida, said only wanted to verbal today
— Pat Forde (@YahooForde) February 4, 2015
Hearing Byron Cowart is back at his school, maybe letter will finally be faxed in soon. We'll see. #RivalsNSD #NSD2015
— Mike Farrell (@rivalsmike) February 4, 2015
Stay tuned.
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The nation’s top-rated recruit is headed to Auburn.
Byron Cowart, the 6-foot-3, 252-pound Rivals five-star defensive end from Seffner, Fla., chose to play for Gus Malzahn and Will Muschamp at Auburn over Florida, his other finalist. Though Auburn has landed a bevy of five-star recruits in the past, Cowart is the first Rivals No. 1 recruit to ever commit to the Tigers.
Cowart can provide an immediate boost to a Tigers defense that struggled throughout the 2014 season and allowed nearly 400 yards per game. Muschamp, the former head coach at Florida, took over as the Tigers’ defensive coordinator in December and has been a major player in Cowart’s recruitment.
Cowart is the second five-star recruit in the Tigers’ 2015 class, joining running back Jovon Robinson, who committed back in May.
After landing Cowart, Auburn’s class is ranked sixth nationally according to Rivals.
For more Auburn news, visit AuburnSports.com.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
