Auburn football: Jeremy Garrett building bond with 4-star DL

The Auburn football coaching staff has had quite a week on the recruiting trail. The Tigers locked down two commits from the recruiting class of 2024 in one day, and are not slowing down. Recruits continue to pour in for official visits on the Plains, and more commits could come at any time.

Earlier this week, 4-star defensive lineman LJ McCray took his official visit to campus. McCray is ranked as the #87 overall prospect and the #14 DL in the recruiting class of 2024. A native of Dayton Beach, FL, McCray is the #17 recruit out of the Sunshine State.

Unsurprisingly, the Florida schools (Florida, Florida State, and Miami) are all big fans of McCray and would rather him stay in the state, but Georgia and Auburn are pushing to earn the commitment of the DL.

McCray’s official visit to the Plains this week was his second trip after an earlier visit back in April. The defensive lineman was hosted by incoming freshman Keldric Faulk and able to get an up-close look at life as an Auburn football player, the facilities, and the methods of the coaching staff. Defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett is building an especially strong bond with McCray, who is on his priority list of recruits, per Auburn Rivals:

"“I always thought he was a nice guy, that’s really why I’m here,” McCray said. “I came to see him. He’s a really good recruiter, but also as a person. We can talk just not even about football, so that was a good thing.”"

McCray sees himself fitting in well to the Tigers’ defensive scheme, and noted that Auburn is definitely in the mix for him. He has no timeline for a decision yet, but has already officially visited Auburn, Florida, and Miami. Georgia is next on his agenda, followed by Florida State in October.