CARROLLTON, Ga. — Auburn defensive line coach Vontrell King-Williams knows how important it is to recruit in-state guys.

He signed four defensive linemen from Alabama in the 2025 class, is working on the 2026 class and even the 2027 class.

One prospect in the 2027 class that King-Williams is starting to develop a relationship with is Elijah Brown, the No. 40 overall player in the class out of Prattville, Ala.

"Coach Vontrell, he talks to me a lot," Brown said. "Always checking on me. He tells me to come to Auburn, but he checks on me a lot, makes sure my life's good. He's in my life a lot."

The 6-foot-4 defensive lineman competed in the Under Armour Atlanta Camp earlier this month, where he went up against some of the best talent in the Southeast, not limited to a specific class.

"I think I did pretty good coming out here, competing," Brown said. "It was kind of hard, but I just had to come out and be the better person."

Early on in his recruitment, Auburn is a program catching his attention. King-Williams has a lot to do with that.

"He's a good guy," Brown said. "You feel like you can trust for real. He's somebody you can talk to."

Brown noted that it's also the environment, facilities and energy surrounding the program that's piqued his interest in the Tigers. Something else is how much the staff has made recruiting in-state talent a priority.

"I think you should recruit in your state before you go out," Brown said. "Make sure you got all the talent in there before you go out of state."

Other programs sticking out to him include LSU, Georgia, USC and Oklahoma. He's in no rush to make a decision and plans to visit Auburn at some point this spring.