Auburn in final group for Blocton

The timeline is almost complete for Malik Blocton.

Last November, Blocton dropped his top 12 schools. The list was trimmed to 10 in early April and a commitment date is set for July 8. Before he makes his decision, Blocton found himself back at Auburn Thursday, for an unofficial visit.

"It’s been going great, I love it up here," Blocton said.

Blocton spent more time with a familiar face Thursday — defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett.

"He was recruiting me when he was at Liberty, so me and him already had a good relationship," Blocton said. "He’s been telling me the same thing that he’s been telling me. He wants me here, that I’m one of his priority guys."

Even though this staff is new, there's history between Blocton and Garrett, along with head coach Hugh Freeze.

"Coach Freeze, he recruited my brother (Marcus Harris) coming out of high school," Blocton said. "Our whole family, we already knew Coach Freeze and I already knew Coach Garrett, so it wasn’t no big change."

Having that prior connection made the transition of coaching staffs smooth in Blocton's recruitment. However, regardless of who was in charge, Auburn's always been a school on his list.

"Since I was in 10th grade, Auburn has always been consistent to me," Blocton said. "No matter who the head coach, who the d-line coach, they’ve always been there."

When July 8 rolls around, he'll make his decision.

"It’s not really that hard," Blocton said. "There’s really only three schools that I’m considering going to."

It's between Auburn, Florida and Texas, with the first two likely the front runners. What sticks out about Auburn most to Blocton?

"The culture here and the fanbase," Blocton said. "No game is like an Auburn game."