Marshall Taylor

Miami-Ohio cornerback Marshall Taylor (Miami University Athletics photo)

Auburn has landed a commitment from Marshall Taylor, a graduate transfer cornerback from Miami-Ohio.

Taylor was on the Plains for the first time this weekend for his official visit and decided to make his commitment on the spot. He was at Louisville last weekend and has canceled his planned official visits to Michigan State and Florida.

"My visit went really well," Taylor told AL.com. "They showed me tons of hospitality. I feel they were just honest with me and my family from the time I got there to the time I left.

"I'm excited. Auburn's been to two national championships in the last five years, not a lot of programs can say that... I just believe in what Coach (Gus) Mazlahn and the whole staff has going on. They have a really good team and I'm just trying to come in and be another piece to the puzzle."

Louisville held a slight edge for Taylor prior to his visit to Auburn. He has canceled his planned official visits to Michigan State and Florida.

"I'm done," he said. "I'm a Tiger. I'm done."

Taylor's interest in Auburn stems from his relationship with new defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, who recruited him at Vanderbilt during his high school days.

"He just came from he NFL, that's my ultimate dream and he can get me to that point," Taylor said. "He coached big cornerbacks like Brandon Browner. He knows how to work with tall DBs. It just felt right."

The 6-foot-2, 199-pounder is a native of Cordele, Georgia, and grew up playing with current Auburn defensive tackle Montravius Adams.

"I talked with Montravius throughout my visit and it will be cool to play with him because we were rivals all throughout high school," Taylor said. "It's going to be awesome. I got to see him play (in practice) and he's as good as advertised. He's going to have a great year. Hopefully he can get a pass rush on the quarterback and I can get a few interceptions off him."

Taylor is set to graduate from Miami in May and will be eligible to play for the Tigers immediately this fall. He has tallied 109 tackles (78 solo) and three interceptions in his career at Miami University. Last season he made 39 stops and picked off two passes in 11 starts.

Auburn is looking to replace Jonathan Jones and Blake Countess (a former graduate transfer from Michigan) in the secondary this fall. While Davis is expected to earn a starting spot at boundary cornerback, the situation at field cornerback is less clear.

Redshirt freshmen Jamel Dean and Javaris Davis are currently competing in spring practices while senior T.J. Davis and rising sophomore Jeremiah Dinson are both rehabbing injuries. In February the Tigers signed John Broussard, who is already impressing as an early enrollee, and Jayvaughn Myers, who will enroll in May.

Taylor isn't the only graduate transfer heading to Auburn this summer. Linebacker T.J. Neal at Illinois will also make the move after committing to the Tigers in February.