CHAMBLEE, Ga. — When Sam Turner saw Auburn wide receivers coach Marcus Davis show up to one of his Wednesday practices, he knew.

He knew it was time to flip his commitment from Georgia Tech to Auburn.

"I’m like ‘This man just woke up and drove three hours to see me practice," Turner said. "That’s the place for me...That was the day before I flipped. To be honest, I was gonna wait it out until December. That’s when I knew it’s that time."

Turner, 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, flipped his commitment in favor of the Tigers earlier this month, joining Derick Smith as the second wide receiver in the class. Davis was a primary factor in that decision.

"He’s a great coach and everybody knows that in the country," Turner said. "If you ask the Florida State coach, Coach (Ron) Dugans, anybody’s he’s coached with, they all respect him. He’s a young guy, he sees the receiver out of my eyes. He’s open minded and he played at Auburn so he knows the ins and outs. He’s big on faith, he checks the boxes."

Eight days before Turner flipped, Auburn flipped quarterback Deuce Knight from Notre Dame. Having one of the top quarterbacks in the country also caught his eye.

"That was big, too," Turner said. "I’m gonna be real, you gotta have a quarterback, I’m a receiver. That was big for me. My dad talked to his dad like ‘Deuce coming? Sam’s there with him."

Thursday, Turner was recognized alongside his family at halftime of Southwest DeKalb's game against Northview for senior night. It was a 55-8 victory for Southwest DeKalb, as Turner had over 100 yards receiving and two touchdowns, only playing in the first half.

"It was a bittersweet moment, it’s a reflection of the past, present and future," Turner said. "I was just excited to see some of my teammates that don’t get in, get in, let them score. It was exciting tonight."

The Panthers are 6-3 with one game remaining, and Turner's seen himself grow this season. However, the area he's felt the most growth in isn't necessarily his route running or ball catching abilities, it's something else.

"I’ve grown in leadership," Turner said. "When adversity hits, just being that leader for everybody. Not just myself, but bringing the team back together and I feel like I’ve grown in that area because last year, there was no vocal leader in the locker room. It kinda showed in our record and our play. Me being grown up, being a leader, challenging people to bring the best out of them, I feel like that helped me as a player and a person."

He'll look to bring some of that leadership to the table next year as a freshman at Auburn, as he majors in pharmacy and joins an elite group of young receivers already in the room.

"I like that," Turner said of the young receivers. "It’s gonna bring the best out of me. Also, on the defensive side of the ball, you got freshmen playing, so it’s a good time to be at Auburn."

There are already 26 others that believe it's a good time to be at Auburn, as the 2025 class comes together. Turner has high hopes for the incoming group and the future of the program.

"It’s exciting," Turner said. "I’m telling you, for the next three to four years we’re coming for the natty. People might not see it now, but trust me, it’s coming."

He plans to take his official visit to Auburn the weekend of Nov. 23.