Auburn picks up commit No. 25

By Andrew Gribble
Auburn University Beat Reporter
Published: January 31, 2009

In the midst of its biggest and final official weekend of on-campus visits, Auburn landed its 25th commit by wooing a proven player away from one of its SEC foes.

Two weeks after he told AuburnSports.com he would switch his commitment from Ole Miss to Auburn, Tallassee product Demond Washington made it official Saturday, according to the Web site.

Washington, a three-star athlete according to Rivals.com, played two seasons at Perkinston (Miss.) Gulf Coast junior college and was used at both running back and cornerback. He is expected to enroll in Auburn this summer and will have three years to play two seasons, according to AuburnSports.com.

Washington was a first-team 4A all-state selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association after his senior season at Tallassee. Academic hurdles, however, prevented him from considering offers with major Division I schools.

After his official visit two weeks ago, Washington said being close to home wouldn’t have much of an impact on his decision.

“Being close to home, that’s not always good,” he said. “You can go home and get in trouble. If I decided to come here, that won’t be a factor. I’ll be here on the weekends.

“(Tallassee) is a small city, but there’s all kinds of trouble to get into. It’s easy to get into; hard to get out of.”

Washington said at that time Auburn coaches told him he would play on both offense and defense.