Derrek Cooper visited Auburn last fall for the Oklahoma game.

He knew following that visit that he'd return at some point, and that time was Saturday for the Tigers' junior day.

The five-star running back made the trip with his high school teammate and Auburn wide receiver commit Denairius Gray, enjoying his time on campus, meeting with coaches and attending an Auburn basketball game.

"It went well, you know, got to meet up with some coaches," Cooper said. "Coach (Hugh) Freeze, he's a real good coach."

Cooper plays both running back and safety for Chaminade Madonna, although Auburn running backs coach Derrick Nix is leading the charge in Cooper's recruitment to Auburn.

"I got to talk to him a lot, you know, we chopped it up," Cooper said of Nix. "He's a great coach, he knows what he's talking about, you know, I think I fit well in his system."

Nix's message aligns with what Freeze tells Cooper as well.

"They're going to recruit me hard, try to get me here," Cooper said.

Not only is Gray one of Cooper's connections at Auburn, but one of Chaminade Madonna's assistant coaches is former Auburn running back Shaun Shivers. Gray and Shivers both encourage Cooper to look at Auburn, but recognize that the decision will be based on how what Cooper feels is the best option for him.

"Auburn's a great school, they just tell me to keep my options open and just pick the right school for me," Cooper said.

Where does Auburn sit with the No. 1 player from Florida following his weekend visit?

"Amongst my top schools," he said.

Other schools sitting high include Georgia, Florida State, Florida, Alabama and Ohio State. He'll visit Georgia this upcoming weekend, but plans to be back in Auburn at some point for an official visit.