SEATTLE | For years, the pipeline on Glenn Avenue between Auburn High School and Auburn University seemed to be broken on the football side of things. Plenty of talent played every Friday night in Duck Samford Stadium for the younger Tigers, but staying on the Plains was never the choice when it came time to choose where to play college.

Incredibly, the last player to sign out of Auburn High was John Sullen, all the way back in 2009. The collegiate Tigers missed on big names such as Rashaan Evans, Mohamoud Diabate and Reuben Foster, to name a few.

Bryan Harsin was sure to mend the broken relationship during his first recruiting cycle.

"Yeah, it's huge," the coach said. "I mean, right here in our backyard, we've got players who play at this level. And they're right there. We want those guys to be a part of what we're doing."

Harsin and his coaching staff successfully signed two critical players in offensive tackle Eston Harris and linebacker Powell Gordon in the 2022 class and are expected to land four-star center Bradyn Joiner for 2023. It's a positive sign as Auburn has become one of the premier high school programs in the state, making the finals in 2020 and losing in a close game to Central (Phenix City) last month in the semifinals.

Yes, it is an opportunity for Harsin to keep local talent at home and away from rival schools. Still, the Auburn coach, who has a son who plays quarterback for the high school, understands that playing for your hometown team can mean a lot to players such as Harris and Gordon.

"We think about that opportunity for them — to play for a program like Auburn that's just down the road," Harsin said. "That means something. Family, friends — you know you're gonna have that support. I think that there's a lot to be said for that."

Whatever went wrong in the past between the two Auburn coaching staffs has seemingly been fixed, and with the influx of talent that continues to play at Duck Samford, expect to see more recruits turned in the blue and white for orange and blue.