Impressed with Auburn visit

Buhach (Atwater, Calif.) offensive center Matt Cochran didn't get to spend a significant amount of time in Auburn Wednesday during his visit.

He didn't have to.

The 6-foot-4, 330-pound Cochran was overly impressed in the few hours he did spend on the Plains.

"They gave me a perfect tour," said Cochran. "Of all the schools I have been to out west, Stanford, USC, UCLA, Washington, Oregon…I could name them all, but by far Auburn had the best hospitality, the best coaches. They have a great coaching staff. I like the Christian-base they have. That is very important to me.

"Overall, this is the best trip that I have taken so far, and I know I got a lot out of it and will be a better player because of it. It was a 10 out of 10 for me."

Cochran arrived in Auburn around 4 p.m., took a tour of the campus and dorms and then met with offensive line coach Jeff Grimes and offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn. The two Tiger coaches had just returned from a trip to The White House to meet President Barack Obama.

"We met them after they got back from D.C.," said Cochran, who was accompanied on the visit by his father and other family members. "That puts them on top of other schools that they would make that kind of effort to talk to me, to get to know me as a person and player. Everything they said sounded good."

Although Cochran lives in California, he has ties to the state of Alabama.

"I lived (in Alabama) until I was 10," Cochran said. "My dad is a minister so we moved around wherever God led us. We moved to Houston after Alabama and now I am in California. I have been there for 2.5 years now.

"My grandmother lives in Birmingham. Most of my dad's side of the family lives there. I still consider Alabama my home. I'm just visiting California right now."

Cochran said he father still considers the Tide his team, but the Tigers did catch his eye during the visit.

"He's a big Alabama fan, but Auburn made a big impression on him and I'm glad we got to take this visit," said Cochran. "We are going to try and see if we can get out here again. I want to get to know the coachers better."

Cochran said he doesn't currently have an offer from Auburn or Alabama, but is hopeful that changes. He would like to return to the South. He would like to play in the SEC.

"I know they are going to be evaluating me over the next couple of months," Cochran said. "I'm not trying to knock the Pac 12, but the SEC is on top and has always been on top. It has better competition and I'm from the South so it's definitely something I'm looking into.

"But right now, everybody is even. Wherever God wants me is where I will go."