5-star OL Greg Little commits to Ole Miss over Alabama

Greg Little goes by many titles: No. 1 offensive tackle in the country, No. 1 player in the Lone Star State, No. 4 overall player in the country, and, as of this afternoon, he can also be called a future Ole Miss Rebel. The five-star lineman out of Allen, Tex. committed to Ole Miss via a music video on Bleacher Report, spurning Nick Saban's Crimson Tide and bolstering a critical area of need for a Rebels team set to lose Laremy Tunsil to the 2016 NFL Draft.

Little is the second five-star (according to Rivals) to commit to an elite Ole Miss class that is already ranked in the top-five of many recruiting services, joining No. 1 overall quarterback prospect Shea Patterson, whose blind side just got a lot safer. Throw in four-star offensive tackle Bryce Matthews, and Hugh Freeze might have himself a pair of bookend tackles for the next few years in Oxford.

Little originally planned on taking the three hour drive south to Texas A&M, where he committed in the summer of 2014 before backing out a year later. He exploded onto the recruiting scene last summer during Nike's The Opening, where he dominated five-star defensive linemen and sent his name to the top of most recruiting boards. His offer sheet includes Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Texas A&M and pretty much wherever else the sport of football is played.

The son of former South Carolina Gamecock and NFL linebacker Derrick Little, Big Greg has the pedigree to be a top-flight performer in the SEC and, down the road, the NFL. The Under Armour All-American hauled in a boatload (lol fishin' joke) of accolades in high school, including 2015 All-USA Second Team by USA TODAY, AP Class 6A first-team all-state selection, second-team USA Today All-USA pick as a junior, and a spot on the MaxPreps Junior All-American team.

How does he fit in?

The 6'5, 318-pound tackle has been compared to Laremy Tunsil, which is fitting when you consider that Little will be expected to replace him. Tunsil will have a pro contract inked by the time Little shows up on campus and Ole Miss will have a gaping hole at left tackle left by the three-year starter and former all-American.

Add to that the graduation of starting right tackle Fahn Cooper - who replaced Tunsil during a seven-game NCAA suspension - and Ole Miss is left with just two guys with significant experience at tackle: Robert Conyers (who moved to center this season) and Sean Rawlings, a current freshman who started on the right side while Cooper was playing on the left. Given his freakish talent and the lack of depth at the position, it's likely that Little will do the same thing that Tunsil did three years ago and step in and be the week one starter at left tackle. The only other foreseeable option would be for Rawlings or Conyers to start on the left side while Little breaks in on the right.

It takes a special talent to come into the SEC and become an immediate starter, but Little is that kind of talent. He has the nimble feet that Tunsil had coming out of high school, the length that you look for in a left tackle, and the initial punch to stun pass rushers when dropping back into his kick slide. He has the quiet confidence that Ole Miss fans have grown accustomed to in Laremy and he takes pride in finishing blocks and getting downfield to punish linebackers and defensive backs. In our humble opinion here at the Cup, this bodes really well for the opening at left tackle next fall for the Rebels.

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