Pyburn sets Auburn visit
AUBURN | Jack Pyburn was already pretty fired up as he made his way into the Keystone Memorial wrestling tournament last weekend.
But a phone call from Auburn outside linebackers coach Bert Watts may have put him over the top. Watts offered Pyburn a scholarship and he responded by winning all nine of his matches by pins in the 285-pound class.
“It was a really good feeling,” Pyburn said. “My longest match was 40 seconds.”
Pyburn, who is listed as 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, was committed to Minnesota for more than six months before deciding to reopen his recruitment.
The Tigers’s offer came a day after he de-committed from the Gophers.
“Getting an offer from one of the blue blood SEC teams and a program like Auburn is just a dream for me,” said Pyburn. “I’ve grown up in the South my entire life and grown up watching SEC football my entire life. To get a school like that to offer me is really a special feeling.”
Pyburn finished his senior season with 109 tackles, 32.0 tackles-for-loss and 15.0 sacks. That pass-rushing ability is exactly what Auburn is hoping Pyburn could bring to its defense.
“They see me as an edge guy,” Pyburn said. “Potentially down the line, they told me if my size continues to grow that I could become a strongside defensive end.”
In addition to Auburn, Pyburn is also considering offers from Miami, West Virginia and Virginia. He’s planning to officially visit Auburn this weekend along with his parents, and Miami the following week.
“I’m just kind of reevaluating all my options right now, but Auburn is right up there at the top of my list, right up there top caliber for me right now,” he said. “I got to see what happens in this next week or two. It’s been chaotic everyday, just a lot of calls and schools. Just got to see what happens and what shakes out.”
Pyburn has a good idea of what he’s looking for when it comes to making a final decision.
“I’d say No. 1 is fit and that’s definitely the biggest one for me,” he said. “Can I see myself living there? Can I see myself playing there? Can I see myself just in general being happy there? No. 2 would definitely be atmosphere, fans. I want to be somewhere that feels unlike anything else. I’ll tell you Auburn is definitely that. When you have 90,000 fans roaring at you in a home game, it’s unlike anything else.
“I’d say No. 3 is development, facilities. I want to look for the place that’s going to develop me into the best man and player possible as well as having the facilities there in order to progress me as fast as possible and allow me the best opportunities.”
Pyburn is a relative of former Auburn football All-American and baseball All-SEC standout Jim Pyburn, who played MLB for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955-57.
The late signing period for football begins Feb. 2.
