JUCO OT Kilian Zierer: 'Auburn was the best fit for me'

Kilian Zierer had been very high on Auburn since his official visit May 31-June 2. He just didn’t tell anyone, at least not publicly.

“In my mind, I was already kind of committed to Auburn,” Zierer said. “But I wasn’t 100 percent confident.”

That changed on Monday.

Zierer, one of the most sought-after junior college offensive tackles in the 2020 class, spoke with Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and area recruiter Kenny Dillingham and told the two coaches the news.

“Today, I just felt like I have to go to Auburn,” Zierer said. “I wanted to be done with recruiting and in my mind I was already at Auburn. So I told Coach Malzahn and Coach Dillingham that I was committing.”

Their reactions?

“They seemed as though I had just made their day,” Zierer said.

Zierer, from College of the Canyons Community College in Valencia, Calif., chose Auburn over his other two finalists, UCLA and TCU. Zierer narrowed his list to three last week after considering offers from several top programs, including USC, LSU, Florida, Oregon State, Arizona State, Kansas State, Nebraska and Cal.

But for Zierer, Auburn stood out, and it wasn’t close.

“Auburn was the best fit for me,” he said. “I love TCU. I love UCLA. But Auburn was ahead of them. I felt like Auburn was the best choice for me.”

Zierer, originally from Germany, felt comfortable with his commitment to Auburn thanks in large part to his relationships with Dillingham and offensive line coach J.B. Grimes.

“I talk once a week with both of them,” Zierer said. “They both were always so honest with me. They’ve never lied to me and that really helped me make my decision.”

Zierer said his recruitment is now over. He will play his sophomore season in the fall, graduate in December and enroll at Auburn in January with three years to play two.

“I am very excited,” Zierer said. “Very excited.”