Scott Lashley is the latest Mississippi recruit to join the Crimson Tide.

The four-star offensive lineman from West Point High School verbally committed to Alabama over Mississippi State and Ole Miss. Lashley took an official visit to Alabama on Jan. 22 and took in the Tide's national championship parade on Jan. 23.

Alabama offensive line coach Mario Cristobal made Lashley a major priority late in the recruiting process, visiting him multiple times in the final weeks before National Signing Day. Lashley told AL.com in December Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson was his "idol" and that coaches had pitched him on redshirting his first year in Tuscaloosa.

Lashley was long considered a Mississippi State lean-- West Point is just down the road from MSU's Starkville campus -- and was even briefly committed to the Bulldogs in May, but Alabama's late push won out. Alabama defensive line coach Bo Davis also played a significant role in Lashley's recruitment.

The 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive lineman is rated as the nation's No. 18 offensive tackle and No. 192 overall prospect. He is the third Mississippi player to commit to Alabama in the class of 2016. Barton Simmons, the director of scouting for 247Sports, said Lashley has "NFL size and ability" and that he's "the way you want an offensive lineman to look."

"He's not sloppy, has good length, has natural strength," Simmons wrote. "He's also really athletic in his movements and can not only block the edge but he can play in space and get to the second level. He's just raw. He only has two years of real football experience under his belt and the best part is that he understands that."

Alabama now has 18 commitments and the nation's fourth-best recruiting class, according to 247Composite, a day before National Signing Day