Auburn ‘one big family’ to 4-star TE
AUBURN | Auburn made it’s case for 4-star tight end Colton Heinrich Friday, and it turned out to be a good one.
The standout 2024 prospect from Cardinal Gibbons in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., visited with the coaching staff, toured the facilities and watched practice.
“It was a great experience. I really enjoyed seeing everything. The facilities really blew me away,” said Heinrich.
Auburn’s new Woltosz Football Performance Center was one of a couple of things that really stood out to Heinrich during his visit.
“I would say the people and the facility. I felt very welcome here,” he said. “I really liked all the coaches. They’re very welcoming, very friendly. The atmosphere of the kids and the team room, they felt like one big family.”
Heinrich, 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, has a long list of more than 30 offers. He’s already made or plans to visit a number of schools this spring including Auburn, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Miami, Penn State, Tennessee and Kentucky.
Once the spring trips are completed, Heinrich plans to sit down with his parents, cut down his list of schools and set up official visits.
After Friday, the Tigers are in pretty good shape to get Heinrich and his parents back on campus in June.
“Right as of now, yes, I would think so,” said Heinrich of officially visiting Auburn.
The AU staff including Hugh Freeze and tight end coach Ben Aigamaua certainly made sure Heinrich knows he’s a priority.
“They’re telling me they want me. They want to see me in Auburn colors. They want to get me back up here for an OV,” he said.
Getting to watch Freeze and Aigamaua during Friday’s practice was another important part of the visit.
“It really is a big thing because I want to get a feel for Coach Freeze and Coach Ben and how all the coaches treat the players and how they act on a normal day-to-day basis. So it’s a really good thing to get up and see how Coach Ben works in real time,” said Heinrich.
“(Aigamaua) is a great dude. He’s very big in family, very faith based. He’s not a coach that’s going to go in and yell at you. He’s going to come in and put his arm around you and tell you what you did wrong and coach you up for the next rep.”
Heinrich is rated the nation’s No. 13 tight end.
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