It was the pinnacle of Big Cat Weekend.

Auburn's commits, Auburn's coaches and the rest of the Big Cat visitors were partying at the pool when Perry Thompson grabbed the microphone. There, he announced to the world that he was flipping his commitment from Alabama to Auburn.

Commits cheered. Coaches applauded. Hugh Freeze got thrown into the pool.

Thompson, however, had known for a long time that Auburn was home.

"Honestly, probably like a month ago," Thompson told reporters of when he first decided to flip. "When I came here, just the environment and everything just felt like home."

He first felt like he needed to make the flip shortly after his official visit back in June. The Tigers had been pushing for Thompson relentlessly since Hugh Freeze and staff arrived last November and it paid off Saturday.

"Just coming in, making you feel like family," Thompson said. "Everything just feels great."

Another factor in his decision was the chance to turn Auburn around.

"Really, just the legacy I can make," Thompson said. "We can get back to running the SEC like the Cam Newton era. I feel like we can bring that back, the 2024 class."

Other influences include wide receivers coach Marcus Davis, director of recruiting relations Trovon Reed and none other than quarterback commit Walker White. Even with Alabama making a push for Thompson to visit this weekend, he had made up his mind.

"I talked to Nick (Saban) Thursday, he was trying to get me over there to the cookout thing and I told I was heading up to Auburn," Thompson said. "He respected it."

What are the chances Thompson sticks with his pledge to Auburn?

"100 percent," Thompson said. "I'm done."

Thompson doesn't have any more visits planned and wants to enroll early next spring.