During the All-American Bowl, defensive back Zavier Mincey from the mainland commits to Alabama.
With the official signing of one of the most sought-after players in the country, college football’s wealthiest program became even richer on Saturday.
During the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, defensive back Zavier Mincey of the mainland revealed that he had signed with Alabama. The six-foot-3, 190-pound senior made the decision to play for Alabama rather than the three established heavyweights in his home state—Florida, Florida State, and Miami.
Bucs coach honored: LJ McCray ranked fourth in the Mr. Football voting, while Travis Roland of the Mainland was named Coach of the Year.
Mincey stated that until the final few days before the early signing period began on December 20, Miami was the front-runner in the clubhouse. In the end, it was the opportunity to play for one of the most successful teams in the history of the sport, for both defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson and legendary head coach Nick Saban.
“It was really demanding. Finally, this choice may ultimately change my choice for the better or worse. In a phone interview this week, Mincey stated, “I sat in my room and thought about it and went with my heart.” “I want to be able to do that on a higher level because I come from a winning school. Being able to work with T-Rob as a coach has shown its worth with the players they have this year.”
Zavier Mincey of Mainland High School (1) deflects the ball away from Ty’ren Randolph of Raines (2).
This fall, Mainland went 14-1 and won its first FHSAA football championship in 20 years, and Mincey was a key player in that success. Mincey, a member of the Volusia-Flagler All-Area team and one of the Bucs’ nine nominees for Defensive Player of the Year, had three interceptions and thirteen pass breakups on the boundary.
Along with defensive lineman LJ McCray (Florida), linebacker Rodney Hill (South Florida), cornerback Ezaiah Shine (Tulane), offensive tackle Madden Santiago (Harvard), and defensive lineman Ramon McCollough Jr. (Wofford), he becomes the sixth senior from the Mainland to sign a Division I letter of intent for the 2024 class.
After talking about becoming a package deal, McCray and Mincey concluded it would be best to part ways following the All-American Bowl. The 6-foot-6, 270-pound defensive end McCray chose to stay with the Gators even though he postponed his signing ceremony.
Five days after the Bucs defeated St. Augustine to win the Class 3S trophy, on December 12, Alabama head coach Nick Saban flew into Daytona Beach and met with Mincey and his family at Mainland.
Mincey remarked, “He is a pretty busy man, you know.” “It meant a lot that he took the time to visit my school.”
Pro Football Reference reports that since Saban took over in 2007, Alabama has produced 126 NFL draft selections, including 26 defensive backs and 44 first-round picks. During that period, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Marlon Humphrey, Trevon Diggs, HaHa Clinton-Dix, Dre Kirkpatrick, Brian Branch, Xavier McKinney, and Eddie Jackson were notable members of the Crimson Tide secondary.
Come April, those figures are expected to rise once more, as it is widely anticipated that Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry will be selected in the first round. Arnold has until January 15th, 2024, to make a decision regarding McKinstry’s declaration for the NFL draft.
In addition, Alabama has participated in 13 straight New Year’s Six bowl games and won six national championships. After upsetting Georgia in the SEC Championship, the Crimson Tide inexplicably made it into the College Football Playoff field ahead of Florida State, but Michigan stopped its title charge with a 27-20 overtime victory in the Rose Bowl.
Alabama signed 21 blue-chip athletes in the 2024 recruiting cycle, placing them second only to Georgia in the overall team standings according to 247Sports’ composite rankings. Last month, the Crimson Tide signed three players from the Sunshine State: Joseph Ionata, an interior offensive lineman from Clearwater Calvary Christian, two-way athlete Jameer Grimsley of Tampa Catholic, and Mincey.
Next week, Mincey will enroll at Alabama to get ready for spring football. Ajai Harrell, the 2022–23 News–Journal Offensive Player of the Year, is his half-brother and attends Alabama State, a university located less than two hours southeast of Tuscaloosa.
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