AUBURN, Alabama – Four-star wide receiver Tony Stevens flipped his commitment from Texas A&M to Auburn this morning, and became the first high school player to commit since Gus Malzahn was hired as the head coach.

The 6-foot-3, 175-pound receiver had 29 catches for 516 yards and seven touchdowns in 2012 at Evans High School in Orlando.

Stevens said a recruiting pitch from wide receiver coach Dameyune Craig carried a lot of weight.

"It was big. He's a cool guy. He's funny. He's just down to earth and knows how to have fun," Stevens said.

Stevens was recruited by Craig when he was an assistant at Florida State. Stevens also had offers from Florida and Georgia, among others.

Stevens figures he'll have a chance to play early. "It was a factor, but anywhere I go I'm going to have to compete."

He said he was also impressed by the facilities, especially the business school.

"I liked the way they talked about education," he said.

He is the 16th player to commit and/or sign for the 2013 signing class. Malzahn has five junior college players who have either already signed or are committed.

•

•

•

Follow Auburn on Twitter: