Top June commitments: No. 3
AUBURN | There was a time when most schools wouldn’t get their first public commitment until late summer or fall, and majority would come after the season as recruiting heated up with January visits and eventually Signing Day in February.
But those commitments have shifted earlier and earlier over the last two decades and now with an early signing period, many recruiting classes are nearly full by the start of the season in September.
That’s put a lot more emphasis on recruiting in June, which now includes official visits. Here’s a look back at the top five Auburn commits in June over the past two decades including a Peach State native with 41 career starts.
3. JONATHON MINCY
Auburn was one of the first schools to offer Jonathon Mincy, a 3-star cornerback in the Class of 2010, after he visited twice in April of 2009. As the spring and summer went on, Mincy picked up many more offers including LSU, Tennessee, Michigan, Miami, North Carolina, Ole Miss, Georgia Tech and Maryland. But shortly after his third visit in June, Mincy committed to Auburn on June 22 citing his relationships with Phillip Lolley, Tommy Thigpen and Ted Roof as key factors. The standout from Southwest Dekalb in Decatur, Ga., arrived in Auburn the following summer and redshirted in 2010 as the Tigers won the national championship.
Mincy quickly earned a spot in the playing rotation as a redshirt freshman in 2011, playing in all 13 games including starts against Florida Atlantic, South Carolina, Samford and the Chick-fil-A Bowl against Virginia. Money started 11 games in 2012 and 12 more in ’13 as Auburn won the SEC Championship and came up just short in the BCS National Championship game. Mincy returned for his senior season in ’14 after graduating in public administration the previous December. He started 12 more games and cornerback and earned second-team All-SEC honors. In five years, Mincy played in 52 games with 41 starts. He was a part of two SEC Championships and one national championship. Mincy finished his Auburn career with 212 tackles, 11.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.5 sacks, 30 pass breakups and two interceptions.