Catfish, conversation and competition greeted Jack Driscoll when he arrived at Auburn this summer.
The graduate transfer from the University of Massachusetts adjusted to the heat and the menu, embraced Southern hospitality, and earned an opportunity to play with Auburn's first-team offensive line at right tackle.
"It's been an awesome experience so far," Driscoll said. "The coaches have been really supportive. The players have taken me with open arms. It's made it a pretty seamless transition from UMass."
Driscoll earned his position by taking a line straight out of the Auburn Creed.
"A lot of hard work," said Driscoll, a 6-5, 300-pound junior who started 20 games UMass. "Coach Grimes preaches consistency. Having better competition on a daily basis is something I had to improve on and learn all of the techniques. It's been great. The O-line is a great group of guys. They've helped me out when I haven't understood."
Working out with director of strength and conditioning Ryan Russell throughout the summer, then competing against Auburn's elite defensive linemen in practice, further prepared Driscoll for prime time.
"It's obviously a challenge but it gets you a lot better," he said. "I can already tell that I've become a better player and I hope that I'm making them a better player as well. It's fun. As a competitor, that's the kind of stuff you like, getting to play the best every day and seeing how good you really are."
Driscoll's first start came at Florida in 2016. He's battled future NFL defenders before, just not on a weekly basis like he'll see this season in the SEC.
"That really helped me out, gave me confidence that I can play at a place like Auburn," he said. "I understand that everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time. You've got to bring your A game every day. I do think that experience helps me. I knew what to expect a little bit more and I wasn't going into it with a blind eye, just playing lower level teams."
After graduating from UMass in three years, Driscoll decided to elevate his level of competition.
"Auburn really felt like home," he said. "I never had spent any time in the South. And I came down here, I really loved it. I loved Coach Malzahn. I really thought I hit it off with Coach Russell.
"I had an opportunity to spend time with a bunch of the kids on the team. It was a group of guys that I could see myself surrounded by that could make me successful player, and a friend, too."
"Jack is an athletic guy, he's a tough guy," Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said. "Learning the offense and learning his teammates with Coach Grimes and everything that goes with it. He's a very aggressive young man and he's very athletic."
While working on his MBA from Auburn University's Raymond J. Harbert College of Business, Driscoll enjoyed his first taste of catfish ("It's pretty good") while sampling other Southern staples ("A lot more fried food than up North, but I'm not complaining").
A native of Madison, Connecticut, Driscoll noticed a difference in the demeanor of his new neighbors and classmates.
"People are really friendly," he said. "I've been shocked. I'm from an area outside of New York City. It's straight down, head down, Point A to Point B. And here people will stop you and just strike up a conversation, if you're even wearing any Auburn shirt. The hospitality's been awesome down here."
Driscoll will make his debut for No. 9 Auburn against No. 6 Washington Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
"I'm confident," he said. "I think the coaches are going to put me in a good position to succeed. When you're going against a front seven like we have, there are not going to be many fronts better than them in the country. Getting to work with them day in and day out is something that's made me more confident going into that week-to-week grind."
"A pretty seamless transition from UMass."
— Jeff Shearer (@jeff_shearer) August 19, 2018
🗣 @jackd3363 @AuburnFootball grad transfer RT working with the first-team OL. pic.twitter.com/ZLViWBT75x
Jeff Shearer is a Senior Writer at AuburnTigers.com. Follow him on Twitter: Follow @jeff_shearer