AU linebacker commit talks OV

Joseph Phillips almost committed to Georgia.

His recruitment was headed in the direction of a Georgia commitment, before Auburn jumped in late and landed the Rivals250 linebacker. Over the weekend, Phillips took his official visit to Auburn, which only solidified in his mind that he made the right choice.

"It set it in stone," Phillips said. "They showed they can coach and that’s what you go to college for, right? Coaching and getting on the field, that’s the only thing that you want."

When Auburn took the field against the No. 1 team in the country Saturday, Phillips was candid about his expectations.

"I didn’t expect it to be a game," Phillips said. "That shocked us. They were keying in, making plays. You can tell coach and them, they got the right set, it’s just up to us to make the plays."

In fact, seeing the Tigers come that close to upsetting the back-to-back national champions gave Phillips confidence in what Auburn is building.

"When you see a team that’s fighting, not giving up and playing the whole game, it’s crazy," Phillips said. "I don’t see why you would want to go anywhere else. You got a chance to come in and play. You see what the coaches are doing with the players they already got now. Just imagine when you get 3-4-5 stars playing positions, it’s gonna be a different feel."

Auburn likes the 6-foot-3 Phillips at the Jack linebacker position, where current Appalachian State transfer Jalen McLeod is the primary guy. Phillips, who wasn't familiar with McLeod prior to Saturday, liked what he saw.

"He’s a dog," Phillips said. "He was there every play, he did his job he held his own."

There's a chance Phillips takes an official visit to Tennessee, as he's still close with some members of its coaching staff, but remains all Auburn and plans to enroll early.

He'll be back in town in November for the Iron Bowl, with expectations for an Auburn win.

"We’re gonna kill ‘em," Phillips said. "We’re gonna beat them by 50, I believe it."