Get to Know Auburn's New King of the Jungle

Auburn’s student section is under new leadership. Get to know the Auburn student who will be leading the charge.

Jungle during the game between the Tennessee Volunteers and the Auburn Tigers at Neville Arena / Photo by Zach Bland, Auburn Tigers

AUBURN, Ala. -- Over the past few seasons Neville Arena has gained a reputation as one of the toughest environments in college basketball.

Auburn has enjoyed a lot of success on its home floor and its student section, known as “The Jungle,” has been given a significant amount of recognition for what the team has been able to accomplish on the floor.

An AuburnTigers.com article written by Greg Ostendorf included a quote from ESPN’s Rece Davis about the environment inside Neville Arena.

“The intensity – this will be as good as anything you see,” said Davis. “I’m not going to sit here and be disingenuous. I love Allen Fieldhouse (Kansas). That’s my favorite place. But on that tier of rising stars, rising relatively young arenas and student sections and fan bases, I would say this is one of the ones that is rising quickly and provides us a fantastic environment.”

Head coach Bruce Pearl has made a habit of thanking the Auburn students after each game, recognizing the impact they had on the team’s performance.

Organizing a group of 2,000+ college students does not just fall into place, it takes a lot of planning and preparation behind the scenes.

The Jungle leadership staff is made up of 17 Auburn students who assist the athletic department with planning that goes into game day as well as the setup and takedown.

Leading this group is Jungle president Griggs Blankenburg, a senior from Charlotte, N.C. majoring in marketing. He highlighted how Auburn feels like home despite not growing up as an Auburn fan.

“I’ve been accepted very well, especially in organizations like The Jungle where most of the people are from in state,” Blankenburg said. “I’ve been accepted very well through stuff I got involved with my freshman year. I’ve met people who I consider lifelong friends now and it’s just been amazing to be part of a culture and a fanbase that is so open and welcoming to people.”

Blankenburg served on the leadership staff for two years before becoming president. He talked about what the opportunity to lead the organization means to him.

“It means everything,” Blankenburg said. “When I got that text from our former president, it meant a lot to me. I was getting a little emotional too. The history this organization has, the reputation it has on a national scale, just being placed in charge of that means a lot.”

Blankenburg mentioned what he hopes to see The Jungle accomplish under his leadership.

“I want us to grow,” Blankenburg said. “I want to see us continue to grow with other sports. I want other sports to feel like they can come to us like volleyball has in the past. I want other teams like soccer, softball, baseball, whoever, to enlist our help. We want to help, we want to get the word out about your sport. 

“The biggest thing we want to see is Auburn students loving and celebrating every sport on this campus.”