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((Julie Bennett/ jbennett@al.com) (JULIE BENNETT))

The day started with a boom and ended with some unexpected drama.



In the end, Auburn snagged the centerpiece to its recruiting class as Byron Cowart ended seven hours of sweating behind the scenes when he finally faxed his National Letter of Intent to Auburn.

Coach Gus Malzahn confirmed receipt of the paperwork during his press conference shortly after 3 p.m.

"Just didn't get it faxed until just recently, but we felt very good about it all along," Malzahn said. "I know the media, the uncertainty and all that, but we felt good about it the whole time."



The day started simple enough with the Tigers grabbing high-profile recruits, with Cowart sparking the day by picking Auburn over Florida at 8:09 a.m. on national television. Then a funny thing happened: Auburn didn't receive his letter.



Armwood High coach Shane Callahan, the father of Florida defensive backs coach Kirk Callahan, then told reporters the nation's No. 1 defensive end told him to hold on to signed letters intended for Florida and Auburn. Cowart, Callahan said, was only committing to Auburn and not yet sending a letter of intent. Cowart and his mother said that was not true, and repeatedly told reporters paperwork was on its way to Auburn.

Finally, shortly before 3 p.m., Malzahn received Cowart's letter via fax.



Cowart (6-4, 250) is rated the nation's No. 1 defensive end and the third-best prospect in the country regardless of position, according to the 247Sports Composite.



"When I went there, I felt at home," Cowart told ESPNU after announcing his intention to sign with the Tigers. "I went there before during the Iron Bowl and asked myself, 'Could I see myself playing here?' and I was like, 'Yeah,' but I never went back to it. When I went back to it on my official, my mom got a feel for it and she loved it.

Auburn kept in contact with Cowart's family after he announced his decision to sign with the Tigers.

"Any time, no matter who it is, you're always waiting on the fax to come across and all that," Malzahn said. "But like I said, we were in communication, and we're glad it's official."



The Tigers' recruiting class jumped early in the day and hovered in the bottom half of the top 10 nationally, but jumped as high as No. 2 in Scout.com's rankings. The Tigers grabbed commitments from two five-star recruits (Cowart and January enrollee Jovon Robinson) and 17 four-star prospects, according to Scout.