Why Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister chose to finish college with Auburn football
AUBURN — After spending five seasons at Vanderbilt, jack linebacker Elijah McAllister decided to enter the transfer portal and finish his collegiate career with Auburn football.
McAllister, who was a team captain for the Commodores in 2022, was at Vanderbilt when current Auburn defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett was on the staff as a defensive quality control assistant in 2019. That familiarity played into his decision to join the Tigers.
"He's a guy that has a lot of energy and (is) a very unique coach," McAllister said of Garrett on Wednesday. "He does a great job of being hands on and allowing us to work different pass-rush moves (and) do great things in the run game. So, I had a good relationship with him throughout my years in college, and he's a guy that remembered the plays I made at Vanderbilt.
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"It was great for him to reach out to me and recruit me here at Auburn. I'm glad to be here."
Beyond his relationship with Garrett, McAllister also said Auburn's staff reaching out and showing interest meant a lot to him: "It feels good in this world to be wanted," he explained.
"I think the tradition of this place is like no other," McAllister said. "They've had success in the past here and success will come in the future. I think it's a place that loves their football. And I also had a great sit-down talk with coach Freeze, and I enjoyed getting to know him during that hour or so during my recruiting visit. As I continue to get to know him every single day, it has been great. I'm enjoying him. That's also what helped draw me to Auburn."
McAllister registered 65 tackles in 37 career games at Vanderbilt. He added 2.5 sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and an interception.
Richard Silva is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at rsilva@gannett.com or on Twitter @rich_silva18.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn football: Why Vanderbilt transfer Elijah McAllister chose Tigers
