Rivals150 center being patient with Auburn, Maryland

Rivals150 center Dylan Cardwell has several good options, but is being patient in making a decision.

Georgia, Miami, Tennessee and Vanderbilt all have offered and all have received at least one visit. But Cardwell is waiting to see what happens with two other schools.

“I’m going to wait a little while longer,” Cardwell said. “I want to see what Auburn is trying to do and play my cards right. After I find out what they want to do, I’ll probably move forward with my process.

"Maryland is coming in, too. Those two schools, Auburn and Maryland, coming in makes me want to wait and see what is best for me.”

Cardwell, from McEachern in Powder Springs, Ga., is very familiar with Auburn. He visited during the fall and returned for at least two home games during the winter. Cardwell also stays in contact with coach Bruce Pearl and assistants Wes Flanigan and Ira Bowman.

“I talked to (Pearl) the other day, and I always hear from (Flanigan) and (Bowman),” Cardwell said. “They thanked me for being patient with them and said they are highly interested in me.”

Cardwell has developed a strong bond with Flanigan over the past two years.

“I’ve been talking to (Flanigan) for a while now,” Cardwell said. “He’s a solid guy, a great father figure. I like how close he is with his son (Auburn freshman Allen Flanigan) and how his son has actually developed a whole lot under his and (Pearl’s) wings. He got a whole lot of playing time over the season as a freshman.”

Cardwell also is close with Sharife Cooper. The five-star point guard, who signed with Auburn in November, is working to get Cardwell to join him at Auburn.

“Sharife is like my main recruiter,” Cardwell said. “He is respectful about it, but he says that it would be great if we could play together.”

Cardwell is certainly considering it.

“I like Auburn,” he said. “I have family there. My cousin goes to Auburn. My older cousin graduated from Auburn. My aunt graduated from Auburn and my uncle is the defensive line coach at Auburn (Rodney Garner).”

Cardwell, who is 6-feet-11 and 230 pounds, is ranked the No. 125 overall player in the 2020 class and No. 15 center.