By Justin Graves
Cullman Times
CULLMAN — Spencer Region smiled when he said it for the first time.
“War Eagle. Hey, that feels kinda good rolling off the tongue,” the Cullman High junior offensive lineman said.
The phrase may have rolled off his tongue well, but that didn’t make it any less surprising. It only confirmed the shocking decision made by the highly-touted offensive line prospect.
In front of a large crowd at Cummings Sporting Goods — one that was predominately Alabama fans — Region spurned the program he grew up pulling for, decommitting from Alabama and changing his commitment to Auburn 90 minutes before he was scheduled to make his decision public.
“Due to changes, I am decommitting from Alabama and I am committing to Auburn,” said Region, a 6-foot-6, 341-pound offensive guard. “I just got off the phone with Coach (Jeff) Grimes (who coaches Auburn’s offensive line) and we feel really good about this decision.
“I feel like they really care about me at Auburn … feel like they have my best interest at heart. It’s family down there. They love me. I love them. And me and my family are really excited about this decision.”
After Region visited Auburn for a junior recruiting weekend last month, the Tigers became the first Southeastern Conference program to offer him a scholarship. And then the recruiting floodgates opened. Ole Miss extended an offer later that week, followed by Alabama after Region attended a junior recruiting event in Tuscaloosa. The Bearcats senior also received offers from Florida State, Wake Forrest and UAB, along with an invitation to a recruiting weekend at Georgia later this month.
When Auburn became the first SEC program to offer, the Tigers were the early favorite. But that changed when Alabama offered on Jan. 30, according to multiple statements made by Region this past week.
Region had privately committed to Alabama before arriving at Cummings Sporting Goods. But at approximately 10:30 a.m., his decision had changed.
While Region wouldn’t go into specifics about why he changed his mind, he did say he felt more comfortable with the Tigers.
