Tre Donaldson commits to play football, basketball for Auburn Tigers

Florida was the favorite to land Tallahassee (Fla.) Florida State University School athlete Tre Donaldson late in 2020 and into the first half of 2021. The Gators were a finalist, along with Alabama, Auburn and Florida State.

But it was an official visit to Auburn early in June that started to shift Donaldson toward the Tigers.

The 6-foot, 190-pound two-sport star connected with Bruce Pearl in basketball and Bryan Harsin in football, and now he’s committed to Auburn.

“I started to seriously look at Auburn after my official visit,” Donaldson said. “I went into the visit and just wanted to take a look, but things changed after that.”

It didn’t happen overnight, but as the summer progressed, Donaldson’s feeling about Auburn grew stronger and he knew his mind was made up early in August.

“I thought about it a lot, I prayed about it, and Auburn is right for me,” Donaldson said. “The visit gave them a big boost, then the way they recruited me afterward made me feel even better.

“The culture was right for me. I love what they do in the SEC. I told both coaching staffs about my decision last week and they were excited about it. It was a process and I was even surprised by Auburn at first, but I know I found the school for me.”

Tre Donaldson felt wanted by Auburn

Plenty of schools recruited Tre Donaldson and showed him interest, but the way Auburn made him feel was different.

“I felt wanted,” Donaldson said. “Auburn wanted me for me. They were real with me. I felt all the coaches were genuine with me.

“On the visit, they were great, and we just progressing from there. The people at Auburn made a big impact.”

It wasn’t just the people on the football side. Basketball coaches were just as important.

“I got really coach with coach Pearl,” Donaldson said. “He is a great guy that knows how to coach his players up. He is as real as they come and we have a great relationship. The way he and coach Harsin recruited me was the best of any school.”

Tre Donaldson hopes for another decision down road

Tre Donaldson knows he will be forced to make a decision at some point in his career, but that time is not now.

He chose Auburn for multiple reasons, and one of those is what the Tigers offer in both football and basketball.

“I love both sports, and I was recruited to play both at Auburn, so that is my plan,” Donaldson said. “I do not have to choose right now. Maybe one day I will but it is not that time for me.

“Auburn offers so a great opportunity in both sports. They put players into the NFL draft and the NBA draft. Coach Pearl is great at producing guards like me and Auburn plays in the SEC, the best conference in the country.

“It is a perfect fit for me.”

Donaldson hopes to have options professionally in both sports, then that will be the time for him to have to choose one over the other.

“I am a football and basketball player,” he said. “I am not thinking about one or the other. I know I am playing both at Auburn and I am excited about it.”