Montravius Adams: Defensive Tackle Was Auburn's Most Important Recruit of Year

Auburn received a lot of commitments from talented players on national signing day, but there were few better than Montravius Adams.

According to the 247Sports.com composite rankings, the Tigers had the No. 11 recruiting class in the country.

This group includes elite defenders like Carl Lawson and Elijah Daniels as well as offensive skill players like Jason Smith, Tony Stevens and Johnathan Ford. While each of them will bring something different to the table, Adams is the biggest of the class.

The 2013 group looked like one of the best in the country at one point. Unfortunately, decommits started pouring in after Gene Chizik was fired. None of these were bigger than Reuben Foster, the talented linebacker who had an Auburn tattoo on his arm.

At that point, there was little certainty in the class. It was even possible that Lawson was ready to waver.

However, the defensive end stayed with the program and it came down to Adams to make a difference on national signing day.

Fortunately for Tigers fans, the Georgia native revealed an Auburn shirt and signed his letter of intent to play football for the program.

Adams is not only a 5-star player, but he is the No. 10 prospect in the nation at any position, according to 247Sports.com.

He has the strength to take on multiple blockers and clog up the middle of the field. He not only frees up space for teammates to make plays, but he stops the run himself by making himself into a brick wall up front.

In addition, he has great speed that allows him to get into the backfield and cause a disturbance for both quarterbacks and running backs on other teams.

While someone like Lawson will be able to rack up sacks at the next level, Adams will make the entire defense better on every play.

More importantly, the commitment sent a solid message to the rest of the conference. Although the team was down last year, it certainly is not out. The elite defensive line will soon allow the Tigers to get back to competing in the SEC.

With Alabama once again getting one of the top classes in the country and Ole Miss getting a number of great recruits, including Robert Nkemdiche, the SEC West will continue to be a tough place to play. Auburn did its job to keep pace in the division.

This class will also fuel more recruits to sign with the team in the future.

Gus Malzahn is ready to take this program back to the top of the college football world. The signing of Montravius Adams will be a big part of taking the squad to that point.