Auburn had a big-time running back on campus over the weekend.

Jae Lamar was back on the Plains.

The No. 4 running back in the country returned to Auburn for the first time since late January on Saturday. He sat in team meetings, met with coaches and watched Auburn practice as the team gets spring football underway.

"Oh, I loved it, man," Lamar said. "You know, there's great energy out there. Players competing, making big time plays, good cuts, good runs, so it was a good practice."

While watching from the sidelines of practice, there was one player in particular that caught his eye.

"Deuce Knight, man," Lamar said. "He was spinning it. He’s gonna be good."

Knight, who is entering his true freshman season with Auburn, has his entire collegiate career ahead of him. It's a big thing for Lamar to see that, knowing that a talented future signal caller of the program could open up more opportunities for his position.

"Obviously you're gonna need someone to spin it like that, you know, to open up the run game for you," Lamar said. "You're gonna need people to catch the ball, so just like I said, to open up the run game. I mean, you can't be running the ball and not throwing the ball, because then it's gonna be two crowded in the box. You don't want that to happen."

He also met with Auburn running backs coach Derrick Nix while on the visit, as the two continue to grow their relationship.

"Coach Nix is a great person," Lamar said. "I just want to keep on building our relationship."

Clemson remains the leader for Lamar, who noted that Auburn is "very high" on his board. He has an official visit set with Auburn for May 16-18 and is eyeing a decision in late June. What sticks out to him the most about Auburn?

"Just being here, the culture," Lamar said. "I came for a game, and I mean, it was rocking. Every time I come, I get the same out of the coaches, and it's genuine here. It's not fake."