Auburn offers, moves to top for JUCO OT

AUBURN | Auburn extended an offer Saturday to Hinds Community College (Miss.) offensive tackle John Dale.

It was news Dale had been hoping to hear.

“It meant a lot,” Dale said. “That’s a big thing for me.”

Dale learned of the offer during a visit. He and family members spent Saturday watching the Tigers scrimmage and meeting with coaches, including offensive line coach J.B. Grimes, coach Gus Malzahn and area recruiter Marcus Woodson.

“I had a real good time,” Dale said. “I saw a lot of things. I saw the offensive line coach and I like the way he does things. I like the head coach and how he does things.”

Dale also likes Woodson and has for the past two years. Woodson, while at Memphis, recruited Dale out of Kemper County (Miss.) High School in 2017. The two stayed in contact despite Dale going to junior college.

“(Coach Woodson) told me that wherever he goes, he’d have my back,” Dale said. “And to this day, he’s held true to that. He did today by offering me.”

The offer from Auburn vaulted the Tigers to the top of Dale’s list of favorites. A commitment could come sooner than later.

“Auburn is at the top for me right now,” Dale said. “I feel like Auburn fits me. I feel comfortable at Auburn. They need tackles, and that’s very important to me. I feel like I could come in and do a lot of work.”

Dale, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 335 pounds, started at left tackle last season. He plans to return to Auburn April 7 for the Tigers’ A-Day game.

Dale is on pace to graduate from Hinds in December with three years to play two.