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Kyle Davis committed to Auburn on Wednesday (photo courtesy 247Sports)
Georgia has a star-studded list of prospects in the 2016 class, but Auburn went in and took one of the best.
Kyle Davis is a five-star recruit, rated as the country's top receiver and Georgia's No. 2 recruit in the 247Sports composite.
Yet, he'll play college football out of state, as he chose Auburn over Georgia and Tennessee.
The 6-foot-2, 211-pound Davis was once committed to South Carolina, but the Tigers reap the rewards from the Lawrenceville, Ga., standout, who announced his commitment in a tweet on Wednesday and will likely enroll in January.
Barton Simmons, director of scouting for 247Sports, credited Auburn assistant Dameyune Craig for the recruiting win.
"This is one that Auburn just went out and won in an old fashioned recruiting battle," Simmons told AL.com. "Auburn struggled throwing the ball this year but it's not like Georgia or Tennessee have done a great job getting the ball to their receivers either. Receiver is certainly a need for Auburn in this class and Davis recognized that opportunity."
Davis joins Eli Stove and Marquis McClain as receiver commitments for the 2016 class. Stove is a four-star recruit from the Florida panhandle, but Davis' physical upside sets him apart in this year's crop of receivers.
"It will be interesting to see if he can hang onto the No. 1 WR spot in the rankings by signing day as he goes through the All-American circuit because he has shown some inconsistency, but his best has been better than everyone else's best to date," Simmons said. "He's just so strong and powerful and he still has the ability to run away from you despite a linebacker's frame."
Davis' ability in the short passing game and on deep balls could help him contribute to the Tigers early in his career.
"I like what Davis brings to Auburn's offense because of all the packaged plays they run and the importance of being able to throw a hitch and get positive yards out of it," Simmons said. "Davis is one of the rare receivers that can turn those quick passes into huge gains and capitalize on big-play play-action opportunities in the downfield passing game."
Simmons compared Davis' size and skill set to D'haquille Williams, who was dismissed from Auburn earlier this year but made a big impact last season.
"Just like Williams, he's 6-2, 225 or so and he's a linebacker type of body at the wide receiver position," Simmons said. "I think he can be the same impact type of guy that Williams was with much less baggage off the field."