ESPN College Football Recruiting

The way the Auburn players responded to a three-game losing streak after opening the season on a five-game winning streak impressed junior safety Enrique Florence.

Florence, on the Class of 2011 ESPNU 150 Watch List, said he liked what he saw from Auburn on an unofficial visit Saturday. He watched the Tigers beat Ole Miss 33-20 at Jordan-Hare Stadium.

"They went undefeated, then they hit a hard stretch, but they got a win against a top 25 team Saturday," Florence told AuburnUndercover.com. "That showed me a lot about the character of this team. If they continue to play like that, they have a chance to have a great season."

Florence, 6-foot-1 and 190 pounds from Valley, said he saw the kind of team for which he could enjoy playing.

"I want to be on a team that wants to win," Florence said. "Everyone wants to win, but there are some teams that have players that start to point fingers when things go bad. I don't want to be a part of a team like that.

"Just look at the quarterback situation at Auburn last year. That divided the team. But this year Kodi (Burns) stepped up and told the team that can't happen again, and they stayed together. I would like to play on a team like that."

Florence was in Auburn last Saturday, and he was also in Auburn for the Kentucky game Oct. 17. He said he has met all the Auburn coaches, but two have stood out.

"Coach (Tommy) Thigpen is a real good guy, and coach (Trooper) Taylor is great, but he is crazy," Florence said. "He is always going high-speed. There is a lot of energy in that locker room."

Florence said he has enjoyed both visits to Auburn because the coaches have not smothered him about where he wants to go to school.

"We just talk about what is up with me and they always ask me how I am doing and stuff like that," Florence said. "And this last time, they asked me what I think could make Auburn better. I thought that was different and cool. They are all cool guys."

Florence said he plans to visit Auburn, Alabama and Georgia this season, and take official visits to other schools next year. Valley is a 30-minute drive from Auburn, and Florence said he could see himself staying close to home.

"I could definitely see myself playing for Auburn," he said. "My family is all here, and they would love to take that short drive to see me play."

Florence was one of six players who received offers from Auburn on Sept. 1, the first day colleges were allowed to send written offers to juniors. He said he also received offers from Georgia and Stanford that day.

"It has been wild, but fun," Florence said. "This is definitely a good life experience for me. I am living it up right now. It meant a lot for me to get these offers, because I wasn't expecting all that so early. It let me know I was doing something right and I needed to keep doing it."

But Florence said he has not let all the attention inflate his ego.

"I know I need to stay grounded and be here for my teammates," he said.

Florence said he has offers from nine schools, including Auburn, Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Arkansas, Stanford and UAB He said he does not plan to make any kind of decision until his senior year.

A look around at some of the best ESPN affiliate team sites have to offer today. Some of the following links may require a premium subscription to the ESPN affiliate site.

Alabama (www.crimsonconfidential.com)

Recruiting Roundup

Auburn Tigers (www.auburnundercover.com)

Recruiting rewind, Nov. 4: Fighting through injuries

How they fared: A look at AU commitments, targets

Clemson (www.theclemsoninsider.com)

Bashaud Breeland is planning to be in Death Valley Saturday night to watch the Tigers battle the Noles.

Jake Nicolopulos joined Robert and John on The Tiger Blitz Tuesday night. Listen to the Tiger verbal commitment discuss his senior season, the Tiger's surge and much more.

LSU (www.eyeonthetigers.com)

Bates still 100 percent to LSU

Miami (www.insidetheu.com)

Shaw "Hyped" about UM, will visit

UCLA pledge Jefferson planning UM official

RB Clements makes commitment to UM official

RB Hall reacts to commitment

WR Stills closing in on UM offer

Notre Dame (www.irishsportsdaily.com)

Future Under Armour DT Louis Nix has reached his potential

Andrew Hendrix updates his latest blog

Kouandjio runs into Irish connections

Ohio State (www.bucknuts.com)

Floyd outlook changes but Bucks looking good

Oregon (www.duckterritory.com)

DaMarcus Smith all Oregon

Damiere Byrd puts Oregon in top 5

Penn State (www.nittanynetwork.com)

Lions falling behind in Floyd chase South Carolina (www.thebigspur.com)

Carson gaining offers

USC (www.wearesc.com)

It is just a matter of time until the scholarships for class of 2011 defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu of Chino Hills (CA) Chino Hills start rolling in, including a few of the junior's top choices.

Huntington Beach (CA) Edison linebacker Jordan Zumwalt is committed to play for Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal in the fall or 2010, although one school is potentially making his decision far more difficult.