Ole Miss recruiting: 4-star Robby Ashford is going to add to an already elite QB room

Back in June when Matt Luke and his staff received a verbal commitment from four-star dual-threat quarterback Robby Ashford, it added yet another elite play-maker to Rich Rodriguez’s quarterback room. The starting quarterback from Hoover (Ala.) High School joins redshirt freshman Matt Corral and true freshmen John Rhys Plumlee and Grant Tisdale to give the Rebels four super athletic, dynamic signal callers.

But, it wasn’t just Luke and the Ole Miss football team reaping the benefits of Ashford’s commitment. Mike Bianco and Co. will also be welcoming the nation’s No. 7 dual-threat quarterback to their roster as well as a nationally-ranked outfielder.

Unfortunately, Ashford’s senior football season has been somewhat dampened by a foot injury suffered in week three in Hoover’s only loss of the year, but he seems determined to come back better than ever.

Last year, as a first-year starter for the Bucs, Ashford racked up 2,500 passing yards, more than 600 rushing yards, and 29 touchdowns before seeing their season end in the semifinals to Thompson (Ala.) in a devastating 31-28 loss.

This year, the future Rebel hopes to end his high school career on a high note, winning Hoover’s state record 14th state title. And I don’t think it would be hyperbole to say if they do it, it will be thanks to the arm and legs of Mr. Ashford.

And did we mention he plays baseball, too? The guy is a well-built corner outfielder/infielder who has an impressive swing and plenty of athleticism to boot on defense.

The future two-sport guy will not only bring raw talent and ability to Oxford, but his ceiling seems to be higher than any recent Ole Miss quarterback that I can remember.

In an interview earlier this year, Ashford told Jason Jordan of USA TODAY Sports that he he has a solid idea of what to expect once he gets to Ole Miss.

“They’ve got the perfect plan setup for me to play both sports,” Ashford said. “I love Ole Miss; I’m not entertaining anyone else, I’m not taking visits anywhere else, I’m 100 percent there.”

If you’re an Ole Miss fan this has to be nice to hear from a guy who currently holds notable offers from Auburn, Colorado, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Oregon, Penn State, and Texas A&M. He also holds an offer from Vanderbilt for baseball so, yeah, he’s good.

In our talk with Elite 11 coach and Lipscomb Academy (Tenn.) head coach Trent Dilfer, he talked a lot about Ashford’s skill set and how his “best football is ahead of him”. He also discussed how, despite not making the final 11 at the competition, that he impressed him immensely.

The quarterback situation at Ole Miss currently is quite fluid. Starter Matt Corral is recovering from bruised ribs and true freshmen back-ups have impressed. Now, you throw in a 6’2, 204-pounder who can run and throw with the best of them and you’ve got, what we like to call in the business, a “fun problem”.

It remains to be seen what happens once he arrives in Oxford, but it should be exciting to see what Rodriguez does with this embarrassment of riches at the position.