Saturday was the first trip to Auburn for Earnest Rankins.

It's early in the recruitment for the 2026 defensive lineman, but already some big-time schools are going after him. Georgia and Auburn offered him at the beginning of September, with Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Texas A&M following suit.

"I liked it," Rankins said of the Auburn visit. "The community, everybody. It was a good game, everybody was still here until the end."

He didn't get a chance to speak with the coaching staff while on the visit, but defensive tackles coach Vontrell King-Williams has started to build a relationship with the 6-foot-5 lineman.

"I talked to Vontrell on the way [to Auburn]," Rankins said. "He’s a good coach, I like him. He’s very relatable, I have a lot in common with him...His message to me, everytime he hits me (up), is to stay low."

He not only like how relatable King-Williams is, but also how the first-year defensive line coach had his players ready for the game.

"They were physical, I like that," Rankins said. "Off the ball fast."

Rankins wasn't alone during his trip the Plains. His high school teammate at Southwest DeKalb and current Auburn commit in the 2025 class, Samuel Turner, was also on campus. The wide receiver is serving as an extra promoter for the Tigers.

"He wants me to come down here with him," Rankins said. "He tells me this is where the next big thing is."

Out of all the schools pushing for Rankins, he noted that Auburn, Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia are the ones pushing the hardest for him.