Auburn Football: Nick Eason makes strong impression on 4-star DL

Auburn football must land the top in-state prospects if the Tigers want to compete for a SEC title in the coming seasons. One of the top Alabama prospects for the 2023 class found his way to the Plains this past Friday and spoke highly of Nick Eason, Bryan Harsin and the new Auburn football coaching staff.

Kelby Collins is a 4-star defensive lineman out of Gardendale, AL and ranks as the #46 overall player and #10 DL in the class of 2023. Last season, Collins racked up 85 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, & 4 sacks for Gardendale High School. Collins was 2nd team All-Region and is already locked in for the 2023 Under Armour All-American game. Collins is a physical specimen, standing at 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, while having 4.7 speed and a 500-pound deadlift according to his Hudl page.

Collins caught up with Keith Niebuhr of Auburn Undercover and spoke about his visit to the Plains and the new Auburn football coaching staff:

"“It went good; it was a good visit. I like all the new coaches. I like the defensive line coach (Nick Eason) and the outside linebackers coach (Bert Watts). And the head coach (Bryan Harsin) too.”“I’ve been talking to them for a little while. They’ve wanted me to come down. I like Auburn. They showed me a good time down there.”"

Collins elaborated on his impressions of Coach Eason:

"“He (Eason) was just showing me where I’d be used and stuff like that. And they showed me what they do every day there. As of right now, I’d be used as an end/outside backer type. I like it. But they said it would depend on my weight when I got there. He said if I gain extra pounds, I would still be able to play end but also 3-technique (Defensive Tackle).”"

Collins also spoke about his thoughts on the campus and if he would return to visit the Tigers:

"“I really liked seeing the stadium. It’s just so big and everything was kind of new. I think I’ll be back for some of the games, definitely the Iron Bowl.”"

Auburn football finds themselves in a good spot with Collins, but will have to fight off their two biggest rivals for the talented 4-star. Alabama and Georgia are also clearly in this race, but Auburn is going to be a major factor in this recruitment moving forward.

Nick Eason is showing you cannot count him out in any recruitment, so stay tuned as this recruitment may be interesting as conference rivals fight for the best talent in the 2023 class.