So far this recruiting season, Auburn Tigers linebackers coach James Willis -- who played LB for the team in the early 1990s -- has had a hand in convincing six of the team's 11 2009 verbal commitments to join the program (Jamontay Pilson, Eltoro Freeman, Nick Fairley, Jonathan Evans, Raymond Cotton and Terrence Coleman).

Willis helped convince five players to come to Auburn last season.

So why the improvement?