Perhaps no recruiting battle between Alabama and Auburn was as competitive as the fight for Rashaan Evans.

The former five-star recruit from Auburn ultimately chose Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide, but Evans recently joined AL.com’s Beat Everybody podcast and shared just how far each side went for his services.

It was early 2014, and Evans’ family was celebrating his grandfather’s 80th birthday.

There he and his family were, having a good time on the dance floor when then-Auburn coach Gus Malzahn and then-Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart walked in.

“My family is dancing and we’re having fun, but you got two big, rival universities looking at you like, ‘OK, at the end of the night, we’re trying to figure out who you are coming home with.’

“It was that type of vibe.”

So, there was Smart and his crew dancing, the Malzahn and his guys on the dance floor. You would have thought a dance off was coming, but it didn’t get to that.

“You see Kirby and them partying and hanging out, then you see Gus and them coming out on the dance floor, they are hanging out and chilling and all relaxed.

“It was an interesting dynamic because it was tense, and, at the same time, you saw the interactions.”

Back in 2014, Evans’ father Alan shared his thoughts about the night.

“We walked in and the first people we saw was the entire Auburn staff standing there on our left and to my right was Kirby Smart and the Bama staff,” he said. “I was like ‘This has never happened in Auburn before and probably never will again.’

“As we went in, we were pulled left and right all night from Auburn to Bama. The coaches shook hands and talked but you could tell they were there for one thing and one thing only. Then the live band started playing and the Alabama and Auburn coaches hit the dance floor. It was unbelievable. I just couldn’t stop laughing.”

To this day, Rashaan Evans tells the story with a laugh.

“I caught myself enjoying my time, but I found myself being pulled to each corner,” he said. “There would conversation like, ‘How you doing? We want you. We would love to have you.’ At the time, I didn’t really have time to enjoy the time with my family. It was that type of interaction at the party. You look back and realize those are times you can’t duplicate.”

Check out the full podcast above.

Mark Heim is a reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim. He can be heard on “The Opening Kickoff” on WNSP-FM 105.5 FM in Mobile or on the free Sound of Mobile App from 6 to 9 a.m. daily.