AUBURN — Even with a short time table to assemble his first recruiting class, Auburn coach Gus Malzahn had one trait he wanted to make the identity of his Tigers — physicality.

“That is one thing our staff looked for: physical, hard-nosed football players,” Malzahn said Wednesday, after signing 23 players to his first class as head coach. “I told our staff the very first staff meeting we had, we have to find football players. They’re going to be Auburn-type, tough, hard-nosed, blue collar guys. I really feel like for the most part we did that (Wednesday).”

Auburn’s class ranks in, or on the fringe of, the top-10 according to all the major recruiting services and the three headliners on the defensive line are the primary reason why.

The Tigers overhauled several position groups with the 2013 recruiting class but the defensive line is almost certainly the most talented incoming group. A trio of Under Amour All-Americans in defensive ends Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel and defensive tackle Montravius Adams all signed with the Tigers.

“I think our whole staff is excited,” Malzahn said. “And I know from the head coach’s standpoint, defensive linemen, especially talented defensive linemen like these three we got — how they can all rush the passer and they can all play run defense and they are extremely talented -- I know coach (Rodney) Garner is very excited.”

How quickly the new signees can be integrated into a team coming off its worst season in 60 years will remain to be seen but there could be lots of changes to the depth chart.

Here’s a look at the 23 new Tigers and how they’ll impact the 2013 season.

Quarterback

Inconsistent, erratic play under center plagued the Tigers all season. Kiehl Frazier was nothing short of a disaster and ranked among the worst quarterbacks in the country when he was starting the first five games of 2012. Frazier never appeared from a terrible outing at Mississippi State in which he had four fumbles. He threw eight interceptions with just two touchdowns and was sacked 18 times for a loss of 109 yards. Clint Moseley is no longer with the team and Jonathan Wallace showed more poise but his greatest success came in non-competitive situations. Carver’s Jeremy Johnson is almost certainly the quarterback of the future on the Plains, it’s a matter of when the future begins. JUCO transfer Nick Marshall is highly-touted as well and could be a stop-gap measure — though he has aspirations of matching Cam Newton’s success. No matter how much or little Marshall plays next season, he can’t throw 20 interceptions as he did last season at Garden City (Kan.). Jason Smith will also have a chance to play quarterback. The bottom line is the Tigers have lots of options and they’re all unproven.

Position grade: D

Newcomers: Jeremy Johnson, Nick Marshall, Jason Smith

Newcomer grade: B+

Running backs

Tre Mason was one of the few positives on the offense last year and the junior-to-be should be a prominent force going forward. Mason all but begged for more carries on his way to 1,000-yard season but trailing more often than not, Gene Chizik and Scot Loeffler abandoned the running game early and often even if Mason was having success. The loss of Onterio McCalebb and Mike Blakely’s transfer left a glaring hole which Malzahn was able to address with the top-ranked JUCO tailback in Cameron Atris-Payne, Peyton Barber and Johnathan Ford. At 206 pounds, Barber has the agility to fill in the role left open by McCalebb with much more size. Ford can also contribute and almost all of the running backs will be asked to catch out of the backfield in Malzahn’s system. Jay Prosch may actually prove more useful to Malzahn as an H-back than he did to the pro-style of Loeffler.

Position grade: B

Newcomers: Cameron Artis-Payne, Peyton Barber, Johnathan Ford

Newcomer grade: B+

Tight ends/Receivers

Emory Blake may never be fully appreciated for what he did last year. Blake caught 50 passes — or more than a third of Auburn’s total — for 789 yards despite being double-teamed regularly. But he’s gone, as is McCalebb and tight end Philip Lutzenkirchen — who also provided leadership and intangibles — so Auburn had to make up for the loss of its top three pass catchers. Sammie Coates was more known for his words than his play, Quan Bray fell in and out of favor, as did Trovon Reed. C.J. Uzomah came on at the end of the season and could end up being the most prominent receiver in Malzahn’s system next year. Of the newcomers, Earnest Robinson stands the best chance to contribute immediately. Marcus Davis is the future slot receiver but he’s at the end of a long line. Tony Stevens and Dominic Walker could both use some more size but the two big gets out of Orlando by Dameyune Craig are not going to go be overlooked.

Position grade: D

Newcomers: Marcus Davis (slot receiver), Earnest Robinson, Tony Stevens, Dominic Walker

Newcomer grade: B+

Offensive line

Auburn lost only starter in left guard John Sullen but former top recruit Christian Westerman transferred from a line which underachieved in many ways. The unit was young, with freshmen at both tackle positions, but stronger play is a must. Devonte Danzey is the top-ranked JUCO offensive guard so he could be the first in line to fill in the hole on the left side. One of the top recruits from last year’s class, Jordan Diamond, is back from a shoulder injury so he is basically a newcomer to this class as well. Deon Mix will likely fill out the depth chart next season as players like Diamond and fellow redshirt guard Alex Kozan get a chance.

Position grade: C

Newcomers: Devonte Danzey (guard), Deon Mix (guard)

Newcomer grade: Bs

Defensive line

Auburn did not lose much at defensive line except Corey Lemonier, who may project well to the NFL but he did very little of note for the Tigers last season. The unit was so poor last year, everything is an open competition — especially with the three marquee names in this class. Montravius Adams is considered the best defensive tackle in the country and Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniel are two of the best defensive ends. Ben Bradley adds depth at the tackle spot which was fluid between Angelo Blackson, Gabe Wright and Jeff Whitaker. Dee Ford and Nosa Eguae return at the ends and they’ll be pushed immediately by the heralded signees.

Position grade: C+

Newcomers: Montravius Adams (tackle), Ben Bradley (tackle), Elijah Daniel (end), Carl Lawson (end)

Newcomer grade: A

Linebackers

Perhaps the spot with the most glaring needs was left largely unfilled. Auburn’s leading tackler, Daren Bates, and starting strongside backer Jonathan Evans have graduated. Jake Holland Cassanova McKinzy return in the middle but neither had much to hang their proverbial hats on last season. Kris Frost should have a chance to see the field a lot more after contributing more as the

season came to an end. Kenny Flowers is a JUCO transfer who can add depth and Cameron Toney will certainly have a chance with a rather bare unit. Defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson’s 4-2-5 scheme will cover up

a lot of decencies in this group next season, especially since he’s coaching the linebackers.

Position grade: C

Newcomers: Kenny Flowers, Cameron Toney

Newcomer grade: C-

Secondary

Auburn returns all of its starters in the secondary, losing only captain T’Sharvan Bell. Though somewhat similar to the defensive line, the secondary has personnel to pick from but exactly how good is going to remain to be seen with the new 4-2-5 scheme. Who will play the “star” role as the coverage safety/linebacker down low could be one of the more intriguing position battles. Demetruce McNeal is probably the best returning member of the secondary and he hits like a freight train. Having Charlie Harbison and Melvin Smith coaching this group will be a major boost for McNeal and corners Chris Davis, Josh Holsey and Jonathan Jones. Where the new players fit in is interesting because of how much the Tigers have coming back. Mackenro Alexander and Khari Harding were both very productive safeties in high school, JUCO transfer Brandon King adds immediate depth and experience and Kamryn Melton has a lot of potential at the corner position.

Position grade: B-

Newcomers: Mackenro Alexander (safety), Khari Harding (safety), Brandon King (safety), Kamryn Melton (cornerback)

Newcomer grade: B

Special teams/Kicker

Special teams should not see many changes. Cody Parkey is going to be kicking and Steven Clark will still be punting. Daniel Carlson is Parkey’s heir-apparent though. The U.S. Army All-American is one of the top-ranked kicking prospects so the Tigers have that position secured for a while. Onterio McCalebb’s departure leaves a hole on kick returns though Quan Bray and Trovon Reed are back and should remain in their punt and kickoff return roles. Ricardo Louis can also contribute more on returns next year. Of all the coaches fans would have wanted to see stay on, Jay Boulware may have been it, because his unit rarely had major issues. The Rich Bisaccia not exactly here today, but still gone tomorrow saga will not have a lot of long-term ramifications but Scott Fountain does not bring much special teams experience to the table.

Position grade: B-

Newcomers: Daniel Carlson

Newcomer grade: A