Auburn offer 'came as a surpise' for 2024 DE

TJ Lindsey already has over 20 offers.

He added another one last week.

Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett reached out to Lindsey last Thursday and offered the defensive end out of Bryant, Arkansas.

"It came as a surprise, really," Lindsey said.

The phone call between Garrett and Lindsey was the first interaction between the two, but Lindsey knows about Garrett's history.

"I know he’s coached some good defensive lines," Lindsey said. "He was at Liberty last year and they had a really good d-line. They were like third in sacks and first in TFL, something like that. I know he has a pretty good history. He went to Ole mIss as a d-lineman so he knows what he’s talking about."

Garrett spoke to Lindsey about a visit, but nothing's been set up yet. He's just now starting to transition into visits, but is planning to take a lot of them in the spring and summer.

"[Auburn]'s around other big schools and I can see them and go down there," Lindsey said. "That’d be a good little trip."

The 6-foot-5 defensive end does have a couple visits scheduled. He'll be at Texas A&M Jan. 21, Notre Dame in mid-March and Oregon at some point in the future. TCU, Arkansas and Georgia are also expressing interest.

He'll start narrowing down schools later this year and plans to commit toward the end of his senior season.

What's he looking for in a program?

"I think anybody that’s offered me is a top-tier program," Lindsey said. "I’m just looking for the best fit for me."