Blake Poole never thought he’d go to Auburn, as he was a big Georgia fan growing up, but the former Haralson County High School standout wide receiver is now proud to be joining the Tigers.

After graduating from HC in the spring of 2008, Poole spent July through November at North Carolina Tech, a prep school in Charlotte, N.C., and got the ACT score he needed to transfer to Auburn.

Then came the wait, as Poole had reached out to the Tigers’ previous staff unsuccessfully but was hoping for a second chance when Gene Chizik took over as the head man on The Plains.

As the spring wore on, Poole figured his chance to play at Auburn had passed by.

Then came the call in April, inviting him to visit. He went the school’s campus on the Tigers’ spring break and watched them practice.

For a guy who had visited Tennessee and Florida State, there was something different, something special.

“There’s something about Auburn,” Poole said.

And after his time at the prep school, the former Rebel receiver said he is excited about making the move to Auburn and the Southeastern Conference.

“That’s a miracle, and it’s a dream come true,” Poole said.

Haralson County football coach Frank Vohun said he is glad his former player found a program to call home.

“It’s just great that he found a place that he can go and he wants to go and they want him,” Vohun said.

Poole doesn’t have a scholarship, but he said the coaches told him he’ll have a chance to earn one if he does well in the fall.

He realizes the great opportunity in front of him and said it’s his responsibility to seize it.

“God opened up that door for me,” Poole said. “Now what I’ve got to do is go kick it in.”

For now, he’s working out a couple of mornings a week at HCHS until he heads to Auburn at the beginning of August.

He also just got back from orientation, where he met again with the coaching staff. He’s ready for the move, as he said Auburn is a great place.

“The people down there, they’re so nice,” Poole said. “And they care about you a lot.”

He is also glad he will be only two hours away, compared with the five-hour trip it was from home to Charlotte.

Heading to Auburn, he said he won’t forget what everyone back home has meant to him along the way.

“I love Haralson County,” Poole said. “And they’ve done so much for us.”

And his high school coach said it is Poole’s extraordinary work ethic that will make him a success with the Tigers.

“He’s going to be a player because he’s as hard of a worker as any kid I’ve ever seen,” Vohun said.