02/02 at 11:16 PM

The hope of making one of the nation’s best signing classes even better Tuesday was zapped faster than you can change your hat.

Five-star running back Marcus Lattimore had Auburn fans fooled for a second when he pulled out an orange Auburn hat at his commitment ceremony
Tuesday from his church in Spartanburg, S.C. But he ultimately broke the Tigers’ hearts, as he quickly revealed a South Carolina hat, plopped it on his head and smiled to the delight of a largely pro-Gamecock crowd.

“It’s the best fit for me,“ Lattimore said. “That’s where my heart is.”

Former Auburn running back Stephen Davis was the man who handed Lattimore the cloth bag of hats, adding a touch of irony to the jam-packed ceremony, which was streamed live over the Internet and included a church sermon and loud techno music following his announcement. Davis hails from
Spartanburg and served as an adviser to Lattimore during his recruitment.

The top-ranked running back in the nation according to Rivals.com, Lattimore was recruited by virtually every major program in the country before narrowing his list down to Auburn, South Carolina, Oregon and Penn State during the football season.

After his last official visit to South Carolina in January, he dropped it down to a horse race between Auburn and the in-state Gamecocks.

He told multiple publications then that he was leaning slightly toward Auburn and he apparently wasn’t kidding.

“Auburn’s a great school,“ Lattimore said. “It wasn’t right for me. I enjoyed myself every time I went there. This is no disrespect for Auburn. I love every coach down there.

“I really was leaning toward Auburn. It was a great opportunity to play early. They had a great offensive line and a great offense. They were telling me
everything I wanted to hear.”

Auburn’s coaches made a final pitch to Lattimore on Friday, when five coaches visited his house in nearby Duncan. Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier sealed the deal on Saturday, when he apparently did the “cha-cha slide” with Lattimore’s mother.

Lattimore would have joined five-star running back Michael Dyer, whom most recruiting Web sites consider the next-best behind Lattimore, if he chose Auburn. South Carolina, meanwhile, was pinning all its hopes on Lattimore, who will be the only running back to sign with the Gamecocks today.

“How many teams across the country get two running backs of that caliber in the same class?“ asked Scout.com’s Southeastern recruiting manager, Chad Simmons. “That doesn’t happen that often. It would have been the icing on the cake if they pulled Lattimore, where, for South Carolina, he could be their Tim Tebow for the next four years.

“Not saying that Carolina will win National Championships, but he will be the face of their program.“

Barton Simmons, a regional analyst for Rivals.com, said the face of Gene Chizik’s first full class wasn’t altered by Lattimore’s decision.

“The class is really a phenomenal group,” Barton Simmons said. “Missing out on a guy like Marcus Lattimore when you already have so many really, really talented players committed is not going to hurt them.”

Auburn’s class of 29 commitments, five of whom are already on campus and count back to the 2009 signing class, vaulted past Alabama on Rivals’ rankings into No. 3 in the nation Monday, when four-star defensive tackle Jeffrey Whitaker (Warner Robins, Ga.) committed to Auburn and five-star athlete Keenan Allen (Greensboro, N.C.) de-committed from Alabama. The Tigers have the nation’s fifth-best class according to both Scout.com and ESPN.com.

Auburn can add at least four new names to it today. Recently introduced SEC bylaws allow schools to sign 28 players to Letters of Intent and the NCAA allows just 25 to be on scholarship.

Two four-stars, defensive tackle Byran Jones (Junction City, Ark.) and defensive end Corey Lemonier (Hialeah, Fla.), will have Auburn hats on the table at their respective Signing Day ceremonies. Jones will choose either Auburn or Arkansas, while Lemonier will go with Auburn or Florida State.

“I don’t think either one of those guys make or break this class by any means,” Chad Simmons said. “But I do think if they close strong, it just builds momentum going into spring practice, the 2011 class and into the fall of next season.

“Of the two, Jones would be a good get; Lemonier would be a great get.”

The Tigers might have to add even more players if two on-the-fence commitments go elsewhere.

Three-star running back D.J. Howard (Lincoln) is likely out of the picture, as a number of scouting Web sites reported Monday that he’ll be choosing between Clemson and Kentucky. Five-star offensive lineman Shon Coleman (Olive Branch, Miss.) is still expected to sign with Auburn, despite taking visits to Arkansas, Alabama and Miami after saying he was “100 percent Auburn” following his official visit in January.

Of Auburn’s 29 commitments and signees, three are five-stars and 12 are four-stars, according to Rivals. Last year, Auburn was unable to sign any five-stars and brought in nine four-stars. In 2008, Tommy Tuberville’s final season, the Tigers landed two five-stars, Raven Gray and Jermaine Johnson, neither of whom saw the field and are no longer with the program, and four four-stars.

“(Auburn) has been the surprise for sure of the SEC with their signing class and one of the biggest surprises of the year,” Chad Simmons said. “I think it’s just a great group talent-wise from top to bottom.”

| 737-2561

Players expected to sign today
- Joel Bonomolo, DE, New Orleans, La. (4-star)
- Kenneth Carter, DL, Greenville, Ala. (4-star)
- Ed Christian, OL, Valdosta, Ga. (3-star)
- Steven Clark, K, Kansas City, Mo. (2-star)
- Shon Coleman, OL, Olive Branch, Miss. (5-star)
- Chris Davis, ATH, Birmingham, Ala. (3-star)
- Justin Delaine, DE, Linden, Ala. (3-star)
- Michael Dyer, RB, Little Rock, Ark. (5-star)
- Antonio Goodwin, WR, Atlanta, Ga. (4-star)
- Jake Holland, LB, Pelham, Ala. (4-star)
- D.J. Howard, ATH, Lincoln, Ala. (3-star)
- Shaun Kitchens, ATH, College Park, Ga. (3-star)
- Eric Mack, OL, St. Matthews, S.C. (4-star)
- Demetruce McNeal, DB, College Park, Ga. (3-star)
- Jonathan Mincy, DB, Decatur, Ga. (3-star)
- Dakota Mosley, TE, Little Rock, Ark. (3-star)
- LaDarius Owens, LB, Bessemer, Ala. (4-star)
- Cody Parkey, PK, Jupiter, Fla. (3-star)
- Trovon Reed, WR, Thibodaux, La. (4-star)
- Jeremy Richardson, WR, Springville, Ala. (4-star)
- Chad Slade, OL, Moody, Ala. (3-star)
- Jeffrey Whitaker, DT, Warner Robins, Ga. (4-star)
- Jawara White, LB, Troy, Ala. (3-star)
- Ryan White, ATH, Tallahassee, Fla. (3-star)

Players who are already signed, in school and count back to 2009’s signing class
- Jessel Curry, LB, Buford, Ga. (3-star)
- Roszell Gayden, OL, New Hope, Minn. (4-star)
- Brandon Mosley, OL/TE, Jefferson, Ga. (4-star)
- Cameron Newton, QB, Atlanta, Ga. (5-star)
- Craig Sanders, DE, Ariton, Ala. (4-star)

Players who could sign with Auburn today
- Byran Jones, DT, Junction City, Ark. (4-star)
- Corey Lemonier, DE, Hialeah, Fla. (4-star)