Top June commitments: No. 4
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 an H-back that started 41 career games.
4. CHANDLER COX
As one of the few teams in college football that featured an H-back, Auburn was a perfect fit for Chandler Cox when he chose the Tigers June 1, 2014 over offers from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee and Kentucky. Cox played fullback in a single-wing offense for a loaded Apopka (Fla.) High team that won Class 8A state championships in 2012 and 14. He accounted for nearly 3,000 yards of total offense with 21 rushing and 15 passing touchdowns during his high school career. A strong showing at the Army All-American game pushed Cox’s ranking up to a 4-star and the nation’s No. 1 fullback and he was part of a class that finished No. 6 in the country.
Cox was able to graduate high school early and enroll at Auburn in January going through spring practice in 2015. He quickly earned a spot on the depth chart and started 10 games as a true freshman that fall. He started eight more games as a sophomore, scoring his first rushing touchdown against Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl. He finished his career with 41 starts in 52 games, carrying the ball 11 times for 18 yards and three touchdowns and catching 26 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. He was the lead blocker for three separate 1,000-yard rushers in his four years as a starter: Peyton Barber in 2015, Kamryn Pettway in 2016 and Kerryon Johnson in 2017.