Former UAB WR Jamari Staples to visit Auburn
Former UAB wideout Jamari Staples had originally scheduled his official visit to Auburn for after Christmas.
Instead, the sophomore receiver will arrive in Auburn today and stay through Thursday.
“Coach [Rhett] Lashlee called me [Monday] morning and asked if I wanted to visit today,” Staples told AuburnSports.com on Tuesday. “I told him, ‘Yes.'”
The phone call comes on the heels of Tigers star wide receiver Sammie Coates announcing he’ll enter the 2015 NFL Draft on Monday. Staples received the call from Lashlee just hours before Coates announced his decision, perhaps providing a glimpse to the way Auburn coaches feel about him.
“I think it’s a big possibility that they will extend an offer,” Staples said. “If they do, I will take it.”
The 6-foot-3, 195-pound native of Lineville, Ala., had a productive season for the Blazers despite being hampered with injuries most of the season. He averaged more than 21 yards per reception, that coming on the heels of a freshman campaign during which Staples caught 31 passes for 458 yards and four touchdowns.
“This visit is all business to me. This is my future,” Staples said in an earlier interview. “I really want to get a feel for the campus, just how the atmosphere is, the people, the coaches and the facilities. I just want to really get a good feel for everything Auburn.”
NCAA officials ruled after the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees voted to disband the UAB program that Blazers players will be eligible to play wherever they choose in 2015.