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Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville knows his latest recruiting class didn't make much of a national splash, especially after a poor finish that saw several former commitments head elsewhere.

The Tigers did fill immediate needs on the defensive line and at cornerback and receiver with a 28-player class on Wednesday, but they also went 0-for-3 among onetime verbal commitments who waited until signing day to make their final college choices public.

"This year we won't be ranked as high because we don't have as many high-profile guys, but you've got to take what you feel like is going to make you a better football team," Tuberville said. "I think this team can win championships. I think this group can help win championships and be a great group at the end of their fourth or fifth year. That's the thing I look for."

The ones that got away hurt, though.

Coveted running back Enrique Davis, an Auburn signee last year who wound up at prep school, opted to play for Houston Nutt at Mississippi. Wide receiver Jarmon Fortson chose Florida State, and defensive back George Baker picked South Florida.

The defections hurt the Tigers' national rankings, which hovered at No. 19 by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. Tuberville said "four or five" signees would probably not qualify and head to prep school or junior college.

Among the players who are bound for - or already attending - Auburn are defensive end Raven Gray, defensive tackle Freddie Smooth, offensive lineman

LSU: Fresh off its national championship run, LSU hoped to insure another one with a strong group of signees.

In his fourth National Signing Day, coach Les Miles added 26 players, including Patrick Johnson, the player ranked No. 5 nationally by Rivals.com. Johnson, a cornerback from Pompano Beach, Fla., is considered by many to be the top cornerback in the country.

LSU also signed highly touted offensive lineman Greg Shaw of Miami, Fla. Shaw, who had offers from all the major Florida universities, made his decision on signing day.

The Tigers, however, lost out on another top Florida player when Jermaine Thomas of Jacksonville, Fla., signed with Florida State. Though not a commitment, Thomas was considering the Tigers going into signing day.

Arkansas: Bobby Petrino called his first Arkansas recruiting class a success, largely because the Razorbacks kept some top recruits close to home.

Central Arkansas Christian star Joe Adams committed to the Razorbacks, the start of an exciting national signing day for Petrino's new team. Arkansas hired Petrino in December, so he didn't have much time to woo high school players.

"Probably our number one objective for this class was to make sure that we kept the best players in the state of Arkansas," Petrino said. "I really feel like our coaches did a great job of that."

Adams' announcement in North Little Rock was the day's biggest news. He announced in August he would attend Southern California, but he said Petrino's hiring helped sway him.

Petrino coached the Atlanta Falcons for less than a season before coming to Arkansas. He was criticized for departing the NFL as he did, but his college coaching resume is impressive. He went 41-9 as Louisville's head coach from 2003-2006.

Adams, who can play wide receiver, running back and defensive back, feels he'll fit in with Petrino.

"I watched some of his games when he was at Louisville," Adams said. "They throw the ball a lot."

Ole Miss: Nutt was excited about his first signing class at Ole Miss after 10 seasons at Arkansas. While many of the in-state commitments defected, he was able to pull together a class heavy on running backs, tight ends, offensive linemen and quarterbacks from places he was more familiar with like Texas, Florida and Georgia.

"I don't really worry about the stars," Nutt said.

Nutt was most excited about the signing of Davis, who made a last-minute visit to Tennessee before joining Ole Miss.

"It starts with Enrique," Nutt said. "There's a reason everyone wants this guy - because he's a difference maker."

Southern Miss was able to carve a sizable chunk out of the recruiting class Ed Orgeron was assembling before being fired by Ole Miss in November.

Among those who were considering Ole Miss with wide receiver DeAndre Brown of Ocean Springs, Miss., before signing with the Golden Eagles was defensive end Josh Tillman, of Meadville, Miss., who brought along his cousin - 6-6, 295-pound Bo Tillman, rated the No. 22 defensive tackle in the nation by rivals.com.

Mississippi State: Mississippi State should have gained more traction from its eight wins last season, but the Bulldogs' first winning season since 2000 didn't produce a lot of top prospects. Scout.com rated Mississippi State 33rd and rivals.com placed it much farther down the list at No. 45.

The highlights of Sylvester Croom's 27-member class were Clarksdale (Miss.) defensive back Charles Mitchell and defensive tackle Templeton Hardy, of Como (Miss.).

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