Tanner Burns didn't say 'War Eagle, till he was 18 years old.
"I've been an Alabama fan my whole life, my senior year I de-committed from Alabama, committed to Auburn, and signed," Burns said.
The former Auburn pitcher has no regrets about committing the ultimate sports sin in Alabama, that is flipping from the Tide to the Tigers...
"I feel like that was the best decision of my life to go play for Coach Thompson, he's taken care of me," Burns said.
Auburn's baseball coach, Butch Thompson, is a big reason Burns came to The Plains. Since being drafted 36th overall, Burns is reflecting on what Auburn means to him now.
"People say oh that's the Auburn family, but you really don't get it till you feel the support," Burns said.
It really clicked for him when he saw thousands of Auburn fans in Omaha supporting him in the College World Series.
"Those little things, you can't take those for granted," Burns said.
Burns says his three years at Auburn were the best years of his life. He'll go on to play professional baseball now, across the country, but plans to come back and cheer on Auburn any chance he gets, and yes... even against Alabama.
"I feel like it's home and it is lovely to be there."