Auburn 'a big hit' with Yeast, mom

AUBURN | Russ Yeast took an official visit to Auburn over the weekend, but the athlete from Indiana already had seen the Plains.

The visit was more for his mother, who made the trip with him.

“She loved it,” Yeast said. “She really enjoyed it. She likes that the whole area isn’t a big city or big town. She liked how everything is compact. She liked the academics and the coaches.

“It was a big hit for her.”

The two arrived in Auburn Saturday morning and stayed until Monday. They had the opportunity to experience game day festivities before attending the Tigers’ season opener Saturday night against No. 2-ranked Clemson.

“We had a really good time,” Yeast said. “Pregame was crazy. There were thousands of fans in the streets. They had over 10,000 people at Tiger Walk. We were riding around in golf carts and all we heard was ‘War Eagle.’ That was really fun.”

Yeast, who is from Center Grove High in Greenwood, watched the Tigers’ defensive backs closely during the game, which Auburn lost 19-13.

“The football game was a great atmosphere and the DBs played great.,” Yeast said. “There is opportunity here. You can see since (defensive backs) Coach (Wesley) McGriff came here that the DBs have done a [180]. I like what he is doing.

“And after the loss, it wasn’t a bad atmosphere at the football facility. That showed a lot to me.”

Yeast hung out with several players following the game, including player host Nick Ruffin.

“He was really cool,” Yeast said. “A lot of the players, they are all good guys. You can tell they aren't knuckleheads.”

Auburn solidified itself among the favorites for Yeast after the weekend.

“Auburn is definitely in my top group,” Yeast said. “I like the football, the fans, the coaches. I really like the coaching staff, the area itself and it’s SEC.”

Yeast next will visit Iowa on Saturday and Ole Miss the weekend of Sept. 16-18. He also plans to visit Alabama and Louisville, but hasn’t set dates for either visit.

“I think I’ll make my decision shortly after I make my visits,” Yeast said.

Rivals ranks Yeast, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 185 pounds, the No. 5 player in Indiana.