Rivalry Review: Alabama-Auburn

In this edition of Rivalry Review, we take a look at which commitment, offensive tackle Jedrick Wills or offensive tackle Calvin Ashley, is the bigger get for rivals Alabama or Auburn respectively.

MORE RIVALRY REVIEWS: Michigan-Ohio State

What type of player did they land? When you first look at Wills in person, you immediately think he’s going to be a guard at the next level. He’s not exceptionally tall nor is he long and lean. But when you watch him play, you see how special he can be.

Wills' footwork is amazing for a 320-pounder. He is patient, uses his hands very well and he can counter with the best of them. Wills is cat-like quick in his recovery and I haven’t seen him guess yet, a great sign for a future pass-protecting tackle. He gets out of his stance, kicks and waits, gets his hands on his opponent and reacts from there – every time it's the same thing. It’s hard to cross him over because his feet are so quick and it’s hard to push him around because he’s so big and strong.

What makes this a big get? Alabama can go into any state and get a prospect, so heading into Kentucky and landing the top guy is not that unusual. That being said, landing a versatile lineman is always good.

The Crimson Tide didn’t beat any direct rivals for him as Kentucky was an in-state option and Michigan, Tennessee and Notre Dame were also in the mix, but this was a big get at an important position.

What type of player did they land? Ashley has been all over the map as a high school recruit. When I first saw him out of Dr. Phillips HS in Orlando he looked like a million bucks and was an immediate five-star for us. And then things went a bit sour. He transferred to IMG Academy, didn’t cut it there and headed back to Dr. Phillips before a torn labrum kept him out of action for a while. Ashley surprised many by transferring to St. John's College High in Washington, D.C. this season, and that was compounded by an early ankle injury that initially looked very serious.

The four-star prospect has played well this year. He has shown that monster frame, excellent length and wingspan and the ability to dominate in the run game.

What Auburn has here is an elite offensive tackle when he is healthy and on top of his game. The feeling is that he could be special once he gets on campus and is able to get consistent coaching.

What makes this a big get? Everyone wanted this kid when he committed to Auburn back in May 2015. He has since lost his fifth star and has been battling to earn it back but, make no mistake, he’s an elite talent that has had to battle a few obstacles.

Ashley is a Florida prospect with offers from almost every major program in the Southeast, not to mention out of area programs such as Ohio State, Michigan and Texas. This is Auburn heading into the toughest state to recruit in the country and landing a commitment from an elite offensive lineman, a position of need this recruiting cycle, and sending a message. And the way the Auburn offensive line has played this season, coupled with a high-profile commit like Ashley, will only help future recruiting.

Wait, what? Wills is rated higher so Alabama has to be the winner, right? Nope.

This is about how important this get is to each program’s class and Ashley is more vital to Auburn than Wills is to Alabama. The Crimson Tide have JUCO five-star Elliot Baker in this class, a plug-and-play guy right away, as well as five-star Alex Leatherwood and two more offensive line commits.

Auburn has a very nice trio of Ashley, Austin Troxell and Nick Brahms committed, so the Tigers' offensive line class is impressive as well. Still, Ashley’s upside is huge for the class and his ceiling is very high as a tackle prospect at the next level.

After landing just one offensive lineman in 2016, Ashley is arguably the most important piece to this Auburn recruiting class.