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Auburn defensive back Jonathon Mincy (6) trips up Texas A&M wide receiver Derel Walker (11) during the fourth quarter Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

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According to the calendar, spring is still a few weeks away, but the start of Auburn's spring practice looms in a little less than two weeks.

With the start of spring practice on the horizon, we're going to break down an Auburn position group each day for the next two weeks as we get closer and closer to the Tigers' first practice on March 18.

BY THE NUMBERS

Jonathon Mincy:

Jonathan Jones:

Johnathan Ford:

T.J. Davis:

THE DEPARTED

Chris Davis:

Ryan White:

SPRING CAST

Jonathon Mincy, Sr.

Trovon Reed, Sr.

Jonathan Jones, Jr.

Kamryn Melton, So.

Johnathan Ford, So.

T.J. Davis, So.

ON THE WAY

Joseph Turner, Jr.

Nick Ruffin, Fr.

Kalvaraz Bessent, Fr.

BURNING QUESTION

-- Who will step up to fill the starting spot vacated by

Chris Davis

in the offseason, and will the Tigers be able to develop enough young talent to get some depth at a position that was thin last year?

STAR ATTRACTION

With Davis, a team captain and the team's leader in the secondary, on his way to the NFL, the next man up at the boundary cornerback position may be

Jonathon Mincy.

Mincy, who has 29 career starts in his first three years on campus, is short, like Davis, and lacks some of the upper body strength that made Davis such a force against the run game. On the flip side, Mincy showcased good ball skills on the field cornerback side last season, coming in second to Davis with 14 pass breakups, picking off a pass and narrowly missing a couple of other interceptions. With so many young and unproven players on the edges, Mincy will be counted on to provide leadership and help his teammates develop heading into the spring.

FLASH OF POTENTIAL

When

Jonathan Jones

has been healthy, he's proven to be a fast learner in his first two seasons, capable of making a start as a freshman and then coming back off of a freak broken foot to contribute down the stretch last season. One of the Tigers' fastest players -- Jones won a Georgia state track championship in the hurdles -- Jones' speed fits perfectly on the field side, where he will often face multiple receiver sets and the opposing team's best deep threat. For starters, though, Jones has to stay healthy and stay on the field, and the 5-10, 180-pounder needs to pack on some pounds to be effective as a tackler on the outside.

WILD CARDS

Kamryn Melton,

at 5-foot-11, has the kind of long arms and long limbs that cornerbacks coach

Melvin Smith

likes in his edge players, and T.J. Davis stands at 6-1. In addition, a few position moves have given the Tigers some options on the corner. For starters,

Josh Holsey

, who began his career at cornerback, could likely make the move back to the outside -- likely the boundary -- if Auburn feels strong at safety. On another note,

Johnathan Ford

, who was recruited as a running back, could move back and forth, and the unit is expected to get an influx with senior

Trovon Reed

moving over from the offense.

ON THE WAY

With Davis and

Ryan White

-- who switched to safety in the dime when Holsey was lost for the season -- moving on, Auburn went heavy on cornerbacks who could make an instant impact, particularly corners who stand taller than 6-feet. Frustrated at times by the height disadvantage between their cornerbacks and the SEC's wide receivers, Auburn landed junior college transfer

Joseph Turner

(6-2), freshman

Nick Ruffin

(6-0), and fellow six-foot freshman

Kalvaraz Bessent

, whose status has still not been addressed publicly by

Gus Malzahn

following Bessent's arrest on drug-related charges in Florida, charges that were later dropped.

FACTS OF LIFE

-- Despite Auburn's increase to 13 interceptions last season, the Tigers' cornerbacks came away with only one.

QUOTABLE

-- ""We definitely needed some help in the defensive backfield. We lost three seniors. We were fairly thin there last year anyway. We felt like we needed to get some guys that had a chance to help us this year. We definitely got that." --

Gus Malzahn