ATL-area safety ‘locked in’ with Auburn football coaching staff

Last month, the Auburn football team made a lot of progress in the recruitment of 3-star Atlanta-area safety Christian Peterson, who told reporters that the Tigers were definitely at the top of his list so far after making a trip to the Plains to watch a spring practice.

Peterson, a defensive back originally from Dothan, AL, but finishing up his senior season at Westlake High School, is ranked as the #460 overall prospect and the #44 safety in the recruiting class of 2024 and is the #53 recruit out of the state of Georgia.

At the beginning of April, Peterson dropped his top eight schools, including North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, UCF, Mississippi State, and Auburn football. He also has one prediction to choose Auburn from Steve Wiltfong in the 247 Sports Crystal Ball.

According to Caleb Jones of Auburn Rivals, Peterson already knows that Auburn, North Carolina, and UCF will be getting three of his five official visits. The trip to North Carolina is set for June 23, and he is still scheduling the other two.

Jones also reports that a strong point for the Auburn football program is the relationship that Peterson has with secondary coaches Wesley McGriff and Zac Etheridge, as well as the way that they coach up their DBs:

"“The relationship I got with Coach (Wesley) McGriff and Coach (Zac) Etheridge,” Peterson said about why Auburn’s in the mix. “We’ve been locked in for a minute. I’m from Alabama, so that’s really like back home for me.”“They develop, they’re hard on their DBs, but it’s just gonna make them better in the long run,” Peterson said. “They’re really big on holding each other accountable. That’s a big thing. Everybody can hold each other accountable and that’s just gonna make each other better around the room, so that’s a big thing.”"

Peterson has also previously spoken about how is a fan of head coach Hugh Freeze and what he is doing to shift the culture of Auburn football and improve the program. With the Tigers expected to make serious improvements from last season, Peterson could join a strong DB room and help the team make a difference in 2023.