6/14/2023 football Edit

Rivals250 tight end covers Auburn OV

Caleb Jones • AuburnSports

Staff

Originally from Helena, Ala.

When Caleb Odom released his top seven schools last month, Auburn wasn't one of them.

Tight ends coach Ben Aigamaua didn't give up hope. He continued to pursue Odom, who recently cracked the Rivals250 for the 2024 class. Aigamaua's efforts paid off this week, when Odom decided to take an official visit.

"I wanted to strengthen my relationship with Coach Ben," Odom said. "He kept pushing after me, even when I really wasn’t interested, he kept pushing me. I came back up here two or three weeks ago with my team. I just realized I wanted to get back up here so I scheduled it."

Caleb Odom visited Auburn officially this week. (Caleb Jones | AuburnSports.com)

Odom's original top seven schools included Alabama, Colorado, Georgia, Ole Miss, Penn State, Florida and Miami.

He's since stopped communicating with Colorado and Penn State, reconfiguring his top programs. Is Auburn back in the mix for the four-star?

"Yeah, for sure," Odom said.

The 6-foot-5 tight end visited Alabama and Florida earlier this month, with trips to Texas A&M and Miami planned after Auburn. Alabama was the front runner following his official visit with the Crimson Tide.

"[Auburn] definitely challenged them," Odom said. "It’s up there for sure. I’m just gonna take these last two see how they go and just weigh out all my options."

Hugh Freeze is hoping that when it's all said and done, Odom picks Auburn. The two met one-on-one during the visit, discussing how Freeze sees Odom fitting in the program.

"It was great," Odom said. "We talked a lot just on how he envisions me on the team. It was a great visit, it felt like we really bonded, my mom loved him, so it was a great meeting."

The Carrollton, Ga., native is looking to get his commitment figured out prior to the start of his senior season. Odom wants to focus on his final year and aims to have a decision by the end of July.

"I would say it went very great," Odom said. "Got to build a lot of relationships with the coaches. This was like my third time coming back so just keep getting the vibe of the place, the feeling, so it was an overall great visit."