Auburn recruit tries to make most of second chance

AUBURN, Ala. - Robert Dunn didn't have to show Auburn's coaches he was a good player.

He had to convince them he was a good person.

The Tigers' freshman wide receiver was placed on eight years probation last summer on burglary charges at two stores in Augusta, Ga. He spent a year under house arrest with a tracking monitor on his ankle, which he was finally allowed to shed in June.

The run-in with the law turned away a lot of schools that were recruiting Dunn, Georgia's all-classification player of the year at Laney High School in Augusta. But the Tigers offered him a scholarship after receivers coach Greg Knox came away from a visit convinced he was a good bet.

"We do very thorough background checks, especially with guys who have had problems," Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said. "I'm not going to bring anybody to Auburn who doesn't fit in with what we do. We were very careful on this one.

"He had a year to do things the right way, to change his life, and he did."

Dunn said he won't make excuses for his misdeeds.

"I was basically hanging with the wrong crowd. It was just one bad decision," he said. "I'm not going to go into the 'everybody makes mistakes' thing but it was a mistake that I shouldn't have made. I paid for it. I'm just ready to move on and start all over here at Auburn."

There's little question of Dunn's talent. He is expected to make a run at playing time as a freshman after catching 54 passes for 980 yards and 20 touchdowns as a senior at Laney.

He scored 10 TDs in the Class AA playoffs alone and will also get a shot at returning punts and kicks.

But he said his greatest asset isn't speed or good hands.

"I'm probably the biggest competitor that you'll ever meet. I never quit," Dunn said. "I'm the type that if I'm down 12 points with two minutes left, I'm going to fight. I've got a big heart. I'm always willing to help out my teammates."

He suffered more tense moments in waiting for his final grades to make sure his SAT score was high enough to qualify academically.

In June, he was freed from the monitor as well as his early-evening curfew and house arrest. His 120-day jail sentence was suspended as long as he attends Auburn and follows team and university rules.

Dunn said he "greatly appreciates" Auburn coming to meet him, something he said many schools didn't do.

"The newspaper articles can (say) one thing, but when you come down and meet someone face to face, it's a totally different situation," he said. "I was real thankful for them coming down and giving me the opportunity to come down and explain my story to the university as well as Coach Tuberville.

"They saw that I wasn't that type of person and they decided to give me a chance. I'm going to make them real proud."