Amy White has four sons – two of which played sports for the University of Arkansas, which is less than three hours from the White residence in Little Rock.

So when her fourth son, Walker White, received an offer from Arkansas to play football, it felt familiar. It also left her feeling a bit hopeful that she’d be keeping her youngest boy close to home throughout his college years.

“Obviously, a mom always wants her kids close,” Amy White said in an interview with AL.com.

That said, White, like most moms, also wants to see her kids make whatever decision they believe is best for them – even if it means traveling all over the country to visit different college campuses for their child to come to that decision.

On the heels of the holidays back in January of 2023, in the span of just 12 days, Walker White and his family visited four different college campuses: Auburn on Jan. 16, Arkansas on Jan. 21, Baylor on Jan. 22 and Clemson on Jan. 28.

“I remember I was only home like 11 days last January because we were gone so much,” Amy White said.

But all the running around paid off. By the end of January, Walker White was ready to make his decision.

Unlike his two older brothers and father, all who played sports at Arkansas, Walker White wasn’t going to play for the Hogs.

He wanted to be an Auburn Tiger.

And once Walker White came to that decision, his family was right behind him with 10 toes down.

When Walker White was ready to announce his commitment, his mother first had to pay a visit to a friend’s house, as they were Auburn fans and had Tigers gear the Whites could borrow for the occasion.

“I grabbed like eight t-shirts,” Amy White said.

Now, 10 months later, Walker White is approaching the day he’ll sign his name on the dotted line of his national letter of intent, locking in the decision he announced this past February.

And while excited, as Wednesday’s signing day approaches, so does the reality that Amy White’s youngest son is about to move more than seven hours away from home.

“I mean, to be honest, that’s been kind of hard for me,” Amy White said.

But the likes of head coach Hugh Freeze, offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery and the rest of Auburn’s coaching staff have done all they can to assure Walker White’s family that he’s in good hands.

It started during the White family’s first visit Auburn in January of 2023, and it continues with each interaction.

Freeze, Montgomery and Auburn’s defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett paid Walker and the rest of the White family an in-home visit for dinner on Dec. 13.

“It’s just like your best friend coming over for dinner,” Amy White said of Freeze and his assistant coaches visiting. “I mean, it’s like anybody you’d want to come over. It’s so laid back.”

While dinner was being prepared, Auburn’s coaches sat around the fire pit in the White family’s backyard with Walker and his siblings.

“We all just visited, talked Auburn football, talked about Walker and what to expect for Walker,” Amy White said. “Walker was asking questions about how to be as a team member. He wants to be the best team member.”

When it came time for Auburn’s coaches to leave, however, Walker White had one request for Freeze.

A member of the same family of Auburn fans who let the Whites borrow t-shirts for Walker’s commitment was celebrating a birthday that evening. So Walker asked if Freeze would mind hopping on a FaceTime call with him to wish him a happy birthday.

Freeze did.

But before Auburn’s head coach could hang up, the fan jokingly asked if Freeze would sing him “Happy Birthday,” to which Freeze said he’d only do if Walker’s parents joined in.

“So we sang ‘Happy Birthday’,” Amy White said.

And while little things like that might not seem like much, they stick out to a mom who’s getting ready to send her youngest son several states away.

“I know that I’ve developed a relationship with these guys who are likeminded like us,” Amy White said. “So I can trust them. They love the Lord like we love the Lord. And I know they’re going to care for my son.”

Walker White is set to sign his letter intent on Wednesday. He’ll then go play in the 2024 All-American Bowl in San Antonio Texas on Jan. 6.

And come Jan. 8, he’ll be moving in at Auburn.

“I will tell you this: I would not choose anything else for him,” Amy White said. “It’s a perfect fit. Hugh Freeze, (Philip) Montgomery, they are just so down to Earth and they love my boy – and they love all these boys. They have a heart for all these players. They’re not just a number, they’re a person.”