Rivals250 OL: 'Great' first game day visit

Cortez Smith had never been to an Auburn game prior to Saturday.

With the Tigers hosting No. 1 Georgia in its SEC home opener, the Rivals250 offensive lineman decided it was time to see what's happening on the Plains. It was well worth the trip for the four-star.

"It was great," Smith said of his visit. "Ever since the Tiger Walk, as soon as I got here, the atmosphere was good."

Smith saw Auburn battle with Georgia, jumping out to an early lead and hanging in the game with the No. 1 team in the country before the Bulldogs ultimately put it away with a fourth down stop in the fourth quarter. Despite losing the game, Smith felt like the fourth quarter is when the atmosphere reached its peak.

"It was a great game today, great dog fight," Smith said. "It was crazy, fourth quarter hit, it just went up from there."

He wasn't the only Parkview player in attendance, as his teammate and current Auburn commit Jalyn Crawford was also on campus. What does Crawford tell him?

"Great school, great community, you’re gonna love it here," Smith said.

Auburn keeps in regular contact with Smith, as offensive line coach Jake Thornton reaches out weekly. Other schools showing consistent interest include Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Miami.

He doesn't currently have any visits planned for the fall, those become weekly decisions for the 6-foot-3 lineman. Is Auburn a place he'd like to visit again?

"Yeah, definitely, for sure," Smith said. "The people just keep the energy going. They make you want to come back because of the community type."