Tennessee tackle high on Auburn, new line coach

AUBURN | Patrick Leitten likes Auburn. He likes offensive line coach Herb Hand. Leitten would like an opportunity to play for Hand at Auburn.

And he doesn’t mind waiting.

The offensive tackle from Ravenwood in Brentwood, Tenn. visited Auburn on Saturday and left with plans to return, although he didn’t leave with an offer.

“Not yet,” Leitten said of an Auburn offer. “Coach Hand said he wants to see me develop more in the spring and come back in the summer for a camp.”

That works for Leitten.

“I love it,” Leitten said. “I love the coaches. I love Coach Hand and Coach (Gus) Malzahn is a great guy.”

Leitten had the opportunity to speak with both coaches during his visit.

“They talked a lot about family,” Leitten said. “That’s big to me, just the camaraderie between the players and the coaches. It doesn’t get much better than down here. This is definitely a big option for me.”

Leitten, who is 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, plans to visit Tennessee on March 5.