With the regular season coming to a close, programs are now ardently focusing upon the recruitment of talented high school and junior college prospects.

Recruiting is the lifeblood of any team. One can be great at the tactical side of the game. However, you need those excellent athletes to truly compete at the highest level.

The next two months will be absolutely wild — as coaches flock to the homes of recruits, as well as host them on campus for visits.

This piece will look at the best verbal commitment for every program within the SEC West. The pledges are not set in stone — and won’t be until the prospect signs a letter of intent. Recruiting rankings within the analysis come from the 247Sports composite rankings system.

Alabama: Five-star RB Najee Harris

The Northern California native is regarded as the No. 3 player in the entire country. Harris is fast, elusive, powerful, and has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and make people miss in space.

Plus…he’s 6-foot-3, 226 pounds. If there’s one prospect comparable to Adrian Peterson, Harris would be it.

Arkansas: Four-star DB Montaric Brown 

The 4-star, in-state defensive back is a very good player.

He’s rangy from the safety position. Brown is athletic enough to cover smaller players in space, and is also physical enough to come up in run lanes and pack a punch on running backs.

Bret Bielema did very well to land Brown — who had many big-name programs pining for his services.

Auburn: Five-star OL Calvin Ashley

Auburn landed a massive player — literally — in OT Calvin Ashley.

Registering at 6-foot-6, 310 pounds, the 5-star tackle is regarded as a top-30 player nationally. He’s got terrific feet and lateral quickness, to go with long arms and great lower body strength.

Barring injury, Ashley looks primed to come in right away and play from day one.

LSU: Five-star athlete JaCoby Stevens

Stevens is one of the best defensive backs in the entire Southeast region.

A Tennessee native, the 5-star athlete has the look of a vintage LSU secondary player. He’s big, fast, physical, and very intuitive when diagnosing the said play and reacting accordingly.

Mississippi State: Four-star RB Kylin Hill

The 4-star in-state running back was a very nice get for Dan Mullen and his staff.

Hill hits the hole hard — bouncing up field and churning his legs forward for tough yardage. He appears to be a perfect fit for Mullen’s run-based offensive scheme.

Ole Miss: Four-star WR D.D. Bowie

Ole Miss’ only 4-star commitment, Bowie is a fast-twitch athlete with immense athleticism. He can be split out wide on the perimeter with his deep speed, and can also be put in the slot — where his elusiveness can be on display.

He’ll be a nice toy for QB Shea Patterson to work with in the future.

Texas A&M: Four-star WR Jhamon Ausbon

Hailing from famed IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., Ausbon is a big-time pass-catcher.

He’s got a very good catch radius — and is adept at leaping up and plucking the ball out of the air like a piece a fruit. Ausbon also plays with immense physicality. He’s easily one of the most heavily recruited receivers in the country.

Kevin Sumlin and company did extremely well to land this prospect.