Growing up in Miami, Auburn senior Jeremiah Dinson planned to play college football in his home state. But one visit to the Plains changed those plans.
"I was pretty locked in at Florida, but I decided to take a visit to Auburn," Dinson said. "I came in and instantly when I stepped on campus, it just felt different. Auburn is a special place.
"I walked around campus and walked around that stadium and I told myself that I had to be here. It's a long way from home, but you have to grow up some day and Auburn is making me a better person every day. I am proud to say that I am an Auburn Man."
Being that Auburn Man keeps Dinson, an interdisciplinary studies major, focused as he prepares for his last season.
"The coaches and my family keep me humbled and driven on what I need to focus on," Dinson said. "I pass that on to my guys and tell them to 'be where your feet are.'
"Where I'm at right now is this: do anything I can do to win an SEC and national championship. Take care of today because you don't know what will happen in the long run. I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but today I know that we are going to get better and keep improving as the season goes on."
Defensive coordinator Kevin Steele has been a huge part of Dinson's growth and success at Auburn.
"I always tell Coach Steele thank you every time I see him," Dinson said. "He's locked in and he has made me a better leader. I already knew when he came in that I was going to be important to him one day and I'm proud to be one of those leaders. I am proud that I can have those type of coaches because they let the players lead and be who we are."
As a leader, Dinson shares his wisdom with incoming Tigers.
"Just keep going and stay the course," he said. "When things get hard, that's when the greater things are about to come.
"You are going to have those days when you wonder what you got yourself into. All of us went through it as a freshman, but keep pushing and stay focused. The adversity you go through is going to build your character and keep you going no matter what, because Auburn is going to get you to the type of man you need to be."
Football keeps Dinson busy, but Jeremiah enjoys supporting his fellow student-athletes when his schedule allows.
"It is fun to watch them putting in work for Auburn as well," he said. "I go check out the baseball games because my dad is a huge baseball fan. The basketball team was so fun this season watching those guys on that Final Four run, the equestrian team winning the national championship, and with all the other sports doing well, it's been fun to be a student."
Auburn's basketball success allowed Dinson to take part in a proud tradition usually reserved for football victories.
"When the men's basketball team was playing Kentucky, I remember saying that when we win - not 'if' but 'when' we win - the game that takes us to the Final Four, I'm going to go to Toomer's for my first time," he said.
"I had never been; we beat 'Bama and Georgia in '17 and I didn't go then. After doing it for the basketball team, I was so mad at myself for not being out there after every win. That is what the Auburn Family is -- we celebrate with each other. So I told myself that after every win, I was going to roll Toomer's because they opened my eyes to it."
Support from the Auburn family helped Dinson manage the 650-mile distance from his family in South Florida.
"The Auburn Family means a lot to me personally, especially coming far from home and not having that close family support that I got back home nearby," he said.
"The Auburn Family is loving, caring, and always there rooting for each other through the good and the bad no matter what. I adapted to the Auburn tradition because if you love Auburn, Auburn will love you back.
"Coming up on my last season really makes it personal for me and we definitely have something up our sleeve this year."
"'War Eagle' to me means to keep fighting. It means to push through adversity. It means perseverance. War Eagle to me is a symbol of fight."
Before his junior season, Dinson's teammates voted Jeremiah as a winner of the Hard Fighting Solider Award.
"I am so proud of myself and the team for going through the things we have gone through and coming out on top," he said. "That's what it's all about. For Auburn, we want to fight on the football field and in the classroom to try to be the best. That is what 'War Eagle' means to me."
A fifth-year senior who redshirted in 2016, Dinson marveled at how quickly his time at Auburn has passed.
"It feels crazy to be a senior to be honest, because time just goes by you," he said. "You look up and all of a sudden you're in my position as a senior, but I am prepared. I knew this day was going to come and I am prepared to take a role as a leader for this team and I am ready to attack it."
Dinson looks forward to providing one more season of leadership in the secondary.
"My relationship with my team is like no other," he said. "This is the Auburn family; we are brothers. We go through a lot together -- I see these guys every day and we live the fight, so the bond is unbreakable. Auburn is with me wherever I go after this because I am never done with Auburn. War Eagle!"