Auburn ace recruiter Tommy Thigpen and his wife Jacinda had a wedding anniversary Sunday.

Lincoln (Ala.) athlete D.J. Howard wanted to give the Tiger coach a gift. He did more than that.

He gave Thigpen and Auburn his commitment to sign with the Tigers.

"It was Coach Thig's big day so I decided to make it bigger," said Howard. "I decided to tell him (Sunday) and he was really excited."

Howard, 6-foot, 195 pounds, became Auburn's 10th verbal pledge in the 2010 class. He made his decision known publicly Monday morning at a ceremony at his school. Howard chose the Tigers over offers from several SEC and ACC programs.

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