AU feels like home
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AUBURN | Armwood (Seffner, Fla.) five-star defensive end Byron Cowart hadn't been to Auburn since the Tigers' "Kick Six" win over Alabama in November 2013. Still, he felt at home this weekend during his official visit to the Plains.
That might have had something to do with the familiar faces, namely new defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and cornerbacks coach Travaris Robinson, both of whom heavily recruited Cowart while at Florida.
"Them being here is what stood out to me," Cowart said. "It was great seeing them here, especially Coach Muschamp.
"Me and Coach Muschamp are real locked in, and he made everything feel at home. I was comfortable. I had fun. There wasn't any stress and I didn't have to worry about anything.
"This is the first time of going on a visit and just relaxing. I really felt at home."
That could be attributed to the family feel around campus, Cowart said. And when Auburn says "family", he now understands why.
"When they say 'family', you really can feel it," he said. "It was like family for real. They take care of their guys, too. A lot of the people that work in (athletic department) played here.
"At least I know that if football doesn't work out and I come here, I can always come back because they take care of their guys."
Cowart was one of several highly-ranked prospects from Florida in Auburn this weekend, including five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson and four-star linebacker Jeffery Holland. All three enjoyed their weekend, Cowart said. He also added that the trio would play together in college.
"Me, CeCe and Jeffery all liked it," Cowart said. "And we'll all stick together. We'll all play at the same school because we know we will make an impact.
"One guy, even if you're a great player, can't make an impact by yourself. You need some guys to go with you to change the whole program around."
Cowart next will take an official visit to Florida (Jan. 23-25) and then take one to Florida State (Jan. 30-Feb. 1). He'll make a decision on Signing Day, Feb. 4, and he knows what he's looking for in his choice.
"My biggest thing is being able to start my major (journalism) as soon as I get on campus," he said. "If I keep doing what I'm supposed to do on the field, I'll be gone to the NFL in three years and I'm not going into the draft without my degree.
"That's why I don't want to waste time. I wanted to see that (Auburn) had a three-year plan written out for me and they did, which means they care about what I want to do and that means a lot to me."
