Auburn 'no-brainer' for Leonard

AUBURN | Traivon Leonard decided in December to switch his commitment from North Carolina to Auburn.

It wasn’t a difficult decision for Leonard, a cornerback from Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach, Fla., even though he’d been committed to the Tarheels since June.

According to Leonard, the choice was “a no-brainer.”

“It's closer to home,” Leonard said. “And my mom went (to Auburn).”

Leonard also had developed a relationship with Wesley McGriff, Auburn’s then-defensive backs coach and Leonard’s primary recruiter. But three days after Leonard committed to Auburn, McGriff agreed to become the defensive coordinator at Ole Miss.

McGriff’s departure, although sudden, didn’t affect Leonard’s commitment. The cornerback stayed true to Auburn, and in January after meeting Greg Brown, McGriff’s replacement, Leonard is glad he did.

“(Brown) is a guy that you don't want to let down,” Leonard said Sunday after an official visit to Auburn. “I'm ready to play for him. I'm ready to play for him and ready to make him proud."

Leonard is one of four defensive backs either enrolled at Auburn or set to sign with Auburn on Feb. 1. Leonard had the chance to befriend the other Class of 2017 defensive back commitments - Malcolm Askew, Jordyn Peters and Carlito Gonzalez - during his visit.

“We clicked pretty fast,” Leonard said. “We're a good group. We have a lot of conversations; we talk on the group text at home. We're going to be a pretty close group once we get here.”

Leonard is scheduled to report to Auburn on May 28.