Auburn ‘like family’ to elite SG
AUBURN | Wesley Yates travelled over 600 miles this weekend and felt like he never left home.
The 4-star shooting guard from Beaumont United in Beaumont, Texas, was in Auburn for an official visit.
“It’s like a family. It feels just like at home, really,” said Yates. “From a couple of people I know down here, it’s just crazy because it feels exactly the same. Not too big, not too small -- perfect size. Not too much to do, just grind, really, and work.”
It certainly helped having one of his friends from Beaumont already at Auburn. Yates and current AU tight end Landen King grew up playing both football and basketball together.
They spent time together over the weekend.
“Just hanging with him, it’s like family,” Yates said. “He told me it was going to be like this, rowdy and loud, like a family atmosphere, and that’s really how it was. Everybody just treated me very well.”
Yates played a game Friday night and arrived in Auburn Saturday morning in plenty of time to catch the top-ranked Tigers 86-68 win over Oklahoma at a packed Auburn Arena.
“I enjoyed it,” he said. “I feel like I could fit into the play style. I like the way Coach (Bruce) Pearl let the kids play, let them take some pretty tough shots and just let them play through their mistakes.
“I really liked the game and I enjoyed the energy. It was crazy. Everybody just — the stands, teammates clapping for each other, even players not getting in the game clapping for each other and cheering their brothers on — it was really good.”
He finished off the day by heading to downtown Auburn for the traditional rolling of Toomer’s Corner.
“It was crazy,” said Yates.
Yates previously officially visited Stanford and Washington last summer. He still has more officials he’d like to take including trips to Arkansas, UNLV, Texas Tech, Texas and Vanderbilt. Other schools among his more than 20 offers include LSU, Baylor, Texas A&M, Houston, Oklahoma State and Washington.
He plans to take his time making a decision.
“My recruitment is still open. Really just getting a feel for the schools in these official visits,” Yates said. “Probably narrowing down after my last official visit.”
While Yates doesn’t have an official top 10 or top five, Auburn is certainly among his early favorites.
“It’s definitely one of the top schools,” he said. “Definitely after being here, makes me want to come back. I don’t really want to leave right now. That’s a good sign. Definitely one of the top schools.”
Yates is ranked a 4-star and the nation’s No. 36 overall player in the 2023 class.