Maryland commit Zion Elee had never been to Auburn before Saturday.

Now, he's already looking to return at least once, with a second return also possible.

The No. 22 overall player in the country made the trip over the weekend to Auburn for the Tigers' junior day, to get his first look at the Plains and reconnect with some already at Auburn. Following his first visit, he was most impressed with the culture that's been established.

"It was great," Elee said. "I was talking to some of the players and they just, they love this stuff. All the freshmen that just came in, they told me about how it's going and they've only been here for two weeks and they love it here. They have a lot of great things to say about Auburn."

Elee plays for St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, Md., where Auburn just signed three players from — cornerback Blake Woodby, linebacker Bryce Deas and defensive lineman Darion Smith. Auburn also made a recent addition to its coaching staff in assistant coach Wayne Dorsey, who also spent time at St. Frances.

"Wayne Dorsey's definitely gonna be a big part of my recruiting process with Auburn," Elee said. "I kind of like, I mean really, his coaching style, as I said before, he's a St. Frances guy, he coached some of the great defensive linemen that came from St. Frances, obviously going to other big D1 schools, going to college right now, so he definitely knows what he's talking about, and he knows what he's doing."

While on campus, Elee met with head coach Hugh Freeze and defensive coordinator DJ Durkin.

"I had a meeting with both of them," Elee said. "They were saying a lot about what they had to offer, and how great their program is....I think he's (Freeze) a good guy, he definitely has a bright future with this team, he's definitely building, you know, he got a lot of guys in this year."

Elee made a commitment to Maryland in early December, but remains open to hearing other schools out.

"I'm definitely still, like, solid on my recruitment to Maryland, but Auburn, I'm definitely still going to be in contact with them, because of Wayne Dorsey," Elee said. "So, I'm building a connection with Auburn, obviously, even though I'm committed to Maryland."

Auburn will "definitely" get an official visit from Elee, who may also return in the spring to watch a practice. His teammate and current Auburn commit Wayne Henry plans to return the weekend before the spring game in April, so that remains a viable option for a return.

"What sticks out about Auburn is really, like, what they're building," Elee said. "They've been a win-loss team every season, and they have a different culture now, they built a whole new defensive staff, they're bringing more guys in, and what just sticks out is what they're trying to build."