Byron Cowart yet to finalize commitment to Auburn

February 4, 2015

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Defensive end Byron Cowart, the nation’s No.1 overall high school prospect, announced on Wednesday morning that he is committing to Auburn. So why hasn’t he committed yet?

Prior to National Signing Day, Cowart had reportedly narrowed his decision down to Auburn and Florida. He donned an Auburn hat on Wednesday morning and spoke at length about why he chose the Tigers, but Andrea Adelson of ESPN.com reports that Cowart remains “torn” over where to attend school.

Cowart’s Seffner (Fla.) Armwood coach Sean Callahan claims Cowart arrived at school on Wednesday morning with signed letters of intent to Auburn and Florida. The 6-foot-4, 250-pounder told ESPN recruiting analyst Craig Haubert that he only signed the letter to Auburn and is still deciding if his “heart is there.”

“Both scholarships were signed and given to me,” Callahan said. “He did not want to fax anything off. All he wanted to do was make a verbal commitment to Auburn. His family did not want anything faxed off until everybody feels clear on where he needs to be. He’s confused and still needs time. And he does have time to figure it out.”

The ones who are really confused should be those who watched Cowart gush over Auburn.

“When I went (to visit Auburn), I felt at home,” Cowart said during an interview on ESPNU. “I went there before during the Iron Bowl and asked myself, ‘Can I see myself playing here?’ Going back on an official (visit) and getting a feel for it, my mom loved it.

“Thank God for the SEC Network, because they’re all over. Thank God I can get my degree there and they have a three-year plan for me. Everything just clicked. … All around it just felt like home.”

Here’s how the Auburn coaching staff reacted when Cowart put on his Tigers hat.

There’s always drama on National Signing Day, and the major sports networks eat it up. Heck, last year they even asked teams to fake reactions to recruits making their announcements. Perhaps Cowart felt pressured into making a decision too quickly because he knew ESPN was tracking him.