Auburn football: Tigers gain huge advantage for 5-star cornerback

Auburn has already made the top three for this 5-star cornerback but a recent development may put the Tigers over the top.

Despite the success that Auburn has seen in the recruiting sphere over the past two decades or so, the Tigers have never signed a five-star cornerback prospect in the history of the program (according to 247Sports’ Composite rankings.)

That all could change very soon as the Tigers may have recently gained a solid advantage in the recruitment of five-star corner Ga’Quincy McKinstry.

McKinstry is a rising senior at Pinson Valley high school in Pinson, Alabama. Not only was McKinstry a teammate with Auburn quarterback and former Pinson Valley standout,  Bo Nix but the team’s recent staff additions could push the elite prospect further towards an Auburn commitment.

On Tuesday, the Pinson Valley football team announced via their Twitter account that they had hired former Auburn cornerback Chris Davis as their new cornerbacks coach.

Davis, is of course, a legend in Auburn history and is most famous for his primary role in the “Kick Six” during the 2013 Iron Bowl. However, Davis also much more than that one play and enjoyed a successful four-year career on The Plains where he earned second-team All-SEC honors at cornerback in 2013 and All-American honors that same year as a punt returner for the Tigers.

Davis played at Auburn from 2010 until 2013 and was a multi-year starter for the Tigers. For his career, Davis recorded a total of 199 tackles, 25 passes defended, four tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Davis also averaged 18.7 yards per punt return for his career with one punt return TD.

As for McKinstry, he will now enter his senior season for the Indians while being directly coached up by one of the biggest Auburn legends in program history. Combined with his already established connection to the Nix family, Auburn seems to be in good shape to land him.

At 6’1″ and 175 pounds with incredible athleticism, McKinstry is undoubtedly an elite cornerback prospect. The rising senior is currently ranked as the No. 22 player in the class of 2021 while also being the top cornerback prospect in the country and top overall recruit in the state of Alabama.

Back in July, McKinstry narrowed his list of schools from five down to three which includes Auburn, Alabama and LSU as he cut UGA and Clemson from his list.

According to the 247Sports Crystal Ball predictions, Auburn is currently the favorite to land the Pinson Valley star, something that could become even more apparent with the team’s newest hire.

McKinstry is also a standout on the basketball court and has expressed interest in playing both sports at the collegiate level. With the current state of Auburn’s basketball program, this could be yet another boost the Tigers need to land the highly touted athlete.

As for Auburn’s 2021 recruiting class, the class currently stands at 12 commits and is ranked as the No. 22 class in the country and No. 7 in the SEC. The class is currently headlined by four-star defensive tackle Lee Hunter and four-star running back Armoni Godwin. Landing McKinstry would help the Tigers gain a ton of momentum for their 2021 class that has gotten off to a fairly slow start.