Back in January, Auburn quarterbacks coach Kent Austin took a trip to the Sunshine State.

He stopped in Boca Raton to offer 2027 quarterback Champ Smith.

"It meant a lot to me because he told me I was all the only quarterback he was coming to see in South Florida," Smith said. "Mind you, I had never like going to one of their camps or anything like that. A lot of coaches are like ‘Oh come to our camp so for us,’ but Coach Austin, he watched my 10th grade film, my ninth grade film and my eighth grade film he said he was blown away. That obviously meant a lot to me."

A couple of months after picking up the offer, Smith took a road trip to see North Carolina, Appalachian State and Auburn. He was on the Plains last Friday and his first trip cemented it as a spot he knew he wanted to get back to.

"I had never been, it was my first time," Smith said. "I hadn’t even driven past it before. It was a beautiful campus, way more than what I expected. That part was awesome. It was my first time and it was awesome."

While on campus, he toured the Tigers' facilities and talked ball with Austin and assistant quarterbacks coach Jesse Stone. Smith was intrigued by Austin's stories of playing against Doug Flutie, with Austin's playing experience the thing that stuck out the most about him.

"One main thing I like about [Austin] is he played (quarterback)," Smith said. "He was a great coach and player in the CFL, and I think that’s very important because he’s played the position. He knows what it takes. Not like a rare occurrence, but like there's a lot of coaches who just never played. It's not a knock to them, but it's just something that they don't have in their resume. Coach Austin played and he experienced he actually played."

Smith will hit the road once again later this month, and plans to hit Auburn for a full day during the trip.

"I'm definitely gonna be back, you know that way I can see practice and see that too," Smith said. "Kind of spend like a whole day there."