When Jay Tate told me he wanted me to join AuburnSports.com back in June 2021, I was thrilled and a bit frightened. I knew I was capable of the job, but in return, I would be covering a school that I cheer for and graduated from.

Sure, I had written about Auburn in the past at 247Sports, SEC Country and Saturday Down South, to name a few, but being a full-time writer for the Tigers on one of the biggest sites in college sports was a bit intimidating.

In the end, I'm happy as a clam that I said yes.

This job has enabled me to do so many things. I covered the College World Series, NCAA Men's Final Four, and NCAA Men's Golf Championship, traveling the entire nation to provide the best coverage possible. It was always an adventure, from being stuck in a Seattle hotel during Christmas due to the flu to almost getting trampled after Auburn upset Texas A&M in four overtimes, thanks to students rushing the field.

The relationships I've formed during the past four years will never fade away. From the coaches, student-athletes, staff members, and, of course, you, the readers, it was always a pleasure to see the passion that everyone has for this great university and its athletics. Granted, I already knew that as an alum myself, but it came in droves from the very first day I was introduced.

I would be remiss if I didn't also say it is a breath of fresh air at the same time. Covering a good friend does have its perks, but it also comes with disadvantages. The constant knocks, messages, texts and everything else that came my way were overwhelming at times, especially when the football team was losing, and it didn't come from just random people. It was a tough line to walk between being an objective journalist while also seeing a person and his family I love struggle. However, I had a job to do, and I hope that you could see through my friendship with Hugh Freeze and recognize that I was still putting in the necessary work to cover the Tigers adequately. There were times when I upset mutual friends, and I received some grief because of it, but as I said, I had a professional responsibility to myself, the great subscribers of this site and Auburn fans to be as unbiased as possible.

But back to the positive. Through the Bunker, I've met some of the most passionate Auburn fans that exist. It was always a pleasure when someone stopped me, introduced themselves and, for the most part, told me I was doing a great job. Those compliments meant more than you would ever think, and I took each of them as a sign that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing.

I had the pleasure of working with some legends, especially Jay and Bryan Matthews, as well as up-and-comers in Caleb Jones, Christian Clemente, Henry Patton and Daniel Locke. Each of them brought their unique style and expertise to this great site. Every taping of The Rundown was an experience, from going into rants to giving some love to the Toyota site on the other side of I-85.

It's been my honor covering Auburn for four years for this extraordinary site, and just because other things wait ahead for me, I won't be far from the Plains. It's become one of my homes, a place that I cherish and one that I will return to as many times as possible.

Since I don't know how to wrap this up, I will end it with this: thank you.

It's been my pleasure.