Inside Look: How Auburn landed 2021 QB Aaron McLaughlin
If you follow recruiting, then you have likely been hearing about quarterback Aaron McLaughlin for a few years now. He is one of those prospects that had offers before he started high school.
The 2021 signal caller out of Alpharetta (Ga.) Denmark was looking hard at schools out west early on, but as he progressed through the recruiting process, schools closer to home started to move up his list.
On Tuesday, he announced that he is committed to Auburn, and the Tigers have been on his list radar a lot longer than some may think.
How did Auburn win out for one of the top quarterbacks in the South? When did they move to the top of his list? McLaughlin tells his story.
THE BEGINNING
"Auburn first started recruiting going into my freshman year. I was talking with coach Chip Lindsey (Troy head coach), the old offensive coordinator, and he got me on campus early. I threw for them then, and that is really when it started for me and Auburn.
"I watched Auburn growing up, so I was always aware of Auburn and what type of team they were. I remember watching Cam Newton win a National Championship, so I knew about their history early on.
"They offered me in the spring of my freshman year, so we have been talking a lot. I was at Auburn that season when they beat Georgia and Alabama at home, and it was awesome. I knew Auburn was a great school then, and sitting in the stands at those games made me feel that I could really see myself here.
"I fell in love with Auburn back then. That is really when I started to get serious about Auburn. It started earlier than people thought."
THE TURN
"Auburn was always up there, but people didn't know it. I didn't really talk about it much, but I visited Auburn a lot more than people knew. I have always had a great relationship with Gus Malzahn, so Auburn has been high on my list for a long time.
"When I visited in the spring for spring practice and quarterback meetings, I knew Auburn could really be the school for me. I was thinking then that Auburn could be it for me. That is really when I started to think about it.
"Then I was back in June and I made my decision. That visit in the spring pushed them to the top, then I camped there in June and I knew it. I thought about it a little longer, but in my mind, I felt Auburn was where I was going."
THE FINALE
"I committed to coach Malzahn and coach Dillingham Saturday on the visit. I knew going into the visit that I was going to commit.
"I thought about it after the camp in June, and I knew then that Auburn was the school, but I just wanted to think about it more. My plan was always to go into my season, take a little more time, but the more I thought about it after the visit in June, the more I knew Auburn was the school.
"I knew I wanted to go there, so I was ready to commit and I did it. I always had that comfort level there like I was at home with the coaches. All the coaches are great people and makes it feel like family.
"Auburn beat out Arkansas, Alabama, NC State and Ole Miss.
"This commitment means a lot to me. I am done with recruiting and I do not plan to visit anywhere else. I am shutting it down. I have no reason to go anywhere else."