Virginia OL 'blown away' by first visit

Auburn set the bar high for Mason Wade's first visit to campus.

The 2024 offensive lineman from Purcellville, Va., was in town Friday for a spring visit and it's safe to say the Tigers impressed.

"It was a great time man, I really enjoyed my visit," Wade said.They showed me a lot of love. I was blown away with how much love they showed me today."

The highlight of Wade's Friday visit was meeting with offensive line coach Jake Thornton and head coach Hugh Freeze. It meant a lot to him, being able to build on their relationship and learn more on what the two are all about.

"This program, they’re a lot about faith, they’re a lot about hard work," Wade said. "I’m a big fan of hard work and faith, and how they’re gonna work as hard as they can to get back up to that national championship standard."

Wade was able to view a practice as well, observing Thornton's coaching style.

"It shows me the amount of energy he shows while he’s coaching, which is big for me," Wade said. "Energy gets you hyped up, gets you ready for practice and he showed a lot of that today."

Following the visit, Auburn gained a significant boost in its standing with Wade.

"They’re really high up there," Wade said. "Top three for sure."

Other schools sticking out to Wade early include Duke and Virginia Tech. He has visits lined up to Virginia, Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Maryland, with one to Boston College in the works.

"There’s a lot of schools this spring that I’m taking visits to try and narrow down a list of the schools that I really like," Wade said. "I plan on taking my official visits in the summer."

Could Auburn get one?

"I think so," Wade said.