Tate Johnson followed heart, committed to Auburn

Florida State made a run at him. Georgia Tech had his attention. But it is Auburn that Hoganville (Ga.) Callaway offensive lineman Tate Johnson committed to Monday June 10.

"I was debating hard about a handful of other schools and I have so much love for the other schools and their staffs, but it’s just my heart lead me somewhere else," said Johnson.

"I made the decision on my trip to Big Cat weekend. I was praying hard and having a lot of talks with my family about making a decision. Being around all my good friends that I’ve gotten to know and seeing what we could build at a huge program [like Auburn] just made me want to hop aboard."

"The main reasons I chose Auburn is because of the family atmosphere. At Auburn they really truly care about the person first and the player second. That aspect mixed with the fact they’re a big time SEC west program made it easy for me... Oh and Not to mention that it’s only 45 minutes from home."

He let Gus Malzahn and the Tiger staff know at Big Cat weekend of his decision.

"They were so fired up. They really wanted me to go ahead and jump on board to really get this 2020 class some momentum. They were fired up when I finally let them know."

Some prospects commit and still visit other schools, but that is not the plan for Johnson.

"It feels amazing to be committed to Auburn," said Johnson. "I’ve been dreaming of this moment ever since I strapped up the pads as a little boy. For the Lord to bless me enough for it to actually come true I feel extremely blessed.

"My recruitment is over. I’m 100% Tiger. I’m ready to get this thing rolling and start to put rings on fingers in Auburn, Alabama."

Johnson plays tackle for his team, but will slide inside at Auburn. He has worked a lot at center this spring, and that could be his position longterm in the SEC.