With the arrival of new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, recruiting philosophies on defense are likely to change.

Under previous defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson, importance was placed on landing run-fitting safeties and more of them. Auburn and Johnson recruited for two safety positions, plus the star position, a hybrid safety/linebacker. Auburn wanted more safeties on the roster than cornerbacks, but that’s about to change.

Under Muschamp, the Tigers will run multiple defenses, but the need will shift from more safeties to more man-to-man cornerbacks. There will be no star position in Muschamp’s defense, thus no additional safety position to which to recruit.

That also means more traditional defensive sets with three true linebackers, which could lead to a slight uptick in linebacker recruiting also.

The biggest change is likely to be the number and type of cornerbacks recruited. Muschamp wants to be aggressive, and he wants his defensive fronts to be multiple. In order to be multiple up front, cornerbacks who can cover are vital. Corners with excellent man-to-man skills are likely to be paramount to Muschamp.

In Muschamp's previous Auburn defenses, cornerbacks like Jerraud Powers and Jonathan Wilhite excelled. They were 5-foot-9 and 5-foot-10 players with compact bodies and the ability to accelerate and change direction.

The other key difference will likely be the buck position, a defensive end/linebacker hybrid. The player manning that position will ideally have the ability to place a hand in the dirt and also stand up and rush off the edge or drop in coverage. Sophomore Carl Lawson could be a candidate for the position.

Dante Fowler, a 5-star in Florida’s 2012 signing class, was recruited to play the buck. Fowler was 6-foot-3, 258 pounds out of Lakewood High School. Lawson is currently 6-foot-2.5, 260 pounds.

The main differences in defensive recruiting under Muschamp are to be the number of corners signed and recruiting specifically to the buck position.