Top DB target: Auburn 'recruiting me the hardest'

ATLANTA — One of Auburn's top defensive targets showed out Sunday.

Eric Winters was in attendance for the Rivals Camp Atlanta and the Enterprise, Ala., native took home defensive back MVP honors for his performance.

"I mean, it's a blessing just to be presented with this award," Winters said. "Got to come out, this is a loaded a group, just to come out and compete with them and come away with this award."

Auburn is in the final five for Winters, along with Miami, Georgia, Florida and Tennessee. However, there's something about the Tigers that's different than the others.

"That’s really the school that’s been recruiting me the hardest so far," Winters said. "They’ve been recruiting me since my freshman year. Even with the coaching change, they’ve gone really hard."

With Auburn's campus less than two hours from Enterprise, it's a place Winters has come to know well. He's visited a plethora of times both for games in the fall and for spring visits.

The Tigers are recruiting him to play safety, so Charles Kelly is playing a major role in the recruitment of the 6-foot-2 DB.

"He’s a pretty straight forward dude," Winters said of Kelly. "He’s not gonna beat around the bush, he’s gonna tell you how it is."

Winters does not have an official leader out of the five, and while the original plan was to commit before spring practice, that plan has been adjusted. However, he's still hoping to have a decision before summer.

Has Auburn been stepping up their pursuit?

"Oh yeah, for sure," Winters said. "Just kinda processing it, trying to make the best decision for me."

Not only are the Tigers pushing for Winters, but also some of his teammates at Enterprise. Defensive end Zion Grady is a high priority for Auburn and the Tigers have shown interest in cornerback Andrew Purcell as well.

The trio call themselves the Bama Boys and talk about playing at the next level together "all the time."

"That would be pretty cool, playing with high school teammates," Winters said.

Winters' next step will be to make a decision sometime in the foreseeable future, before he takes official visits. Even with a commitment, he still plans to take official visits to multiple programs.

Then, it will be on to his final season of high school football, where he has a couple goals in mind.

"Get a ring and be a candidate for Mr. Football," Winters said.