No. 3 center visits Auburn, plans to return

AUBURN | Tyrone Sampson visited Auburn for the first time on Tuesday, and the No. 3 center already is planning his second trip.

“It was really nice,” Sampson said. “I really enjoyed it. I liked campus and the coaches, and I’ll most definitely be back this summer.”

Sampson, who is from East English Village in Detroit, Mich., spent the day in Auburn touring the campus and facilities and speaking with the coaches, particularly offensive line coach Herb Hand.

“It was my first time talking to him,” Sampson said. “He seems like a really good guy, a really good offensive line coach. But he’s a good person, not just a coach.”

Sampson also watched the Tigers return to practice after taking a week off for Spring Break.

“I really liked watching practice,” Sampson said. “I like the way Coach Hand coaches. He’s a really good coach who could teach me and make me better.”

Sampson doesn’t have an offer from Auburn, but believes it could come as early as Wednesday.

“Coach Hand is supposed to get back with me,” Sampson said. “I think he’s going to offer.”

Should Auburn offer, the Tigers would make a significant move up his list of favorites.

“They would be high on my list,” Sampson said. “They’d be up there with Kentucky, Syracuse and Louisville.”

Sampson isn’t in a rush to make a commitment. He still has visits to take and coaches to meet. But he doesn’t plan to wait past the fall.

“If not in the summer, towards the end of the football season,” Sampson said. “I want to feel comfortable in my choice before I commit.”

Rivals ranks Sampson, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 305 pounds, the No. 4 overall player in Michigan.