Former Auburn cornerback A.D. Diamond will continue his college career with an in-state FBS program.

Diamond, a reserve cornerback for the last two seasons on the Plains, announced his commitment to UAB on Friday evening. Diamond left Auburn in late October and entered the transfer portal after failing to see the field during his first two seasons with the Tigers.

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A native of Mobile and Blount graduate, Diamond is a former three-star prospect who signed with Auburn as part of its 2021 class. He was a two-way standout at Blount, where he played defensive back and wide receiver. As a senior he caught 38 passes for 756 yards and added 25 tackles, 21 pass breakups and seven interceptions on the defensive side. Diamond, who was committed to Louisiana Tech throughout his senior season at Blount, flipped to Auburn under interim coach Kevin Steele in December 2020, joining the program during the transition from Gus Malzahn to Bryan Harsin.

Diamond had been on Auburn’s radar for some time prior to his flip, and Steele and the defensive staff at the time viewed him as a developmental prospect who could become the program’s next under-the-radar defensive back to turn into an SEC-caliber corner. That never came to fruition at Auburn, as Diamond redshirted in 2021 and couldn’t crack the rotation in the secondary this past season before leaving the team.

Now he’ll get another chance to jump-start his career in his home state at UAB under new Blazers coach Trent Dilfer.

Tom Green is an Auburn beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Tomas_Verde.