Ashley among Owls’ summer enrollees
Offensive lineman was five-star recuit at Auburn
Florida Atlantic next year may have a former Auburn offensive lineman blocking for a one-time Alabama running back.
Calvin Ashley, a former five-star recruit at Auburn, has officially enrolled and began summer courses at FAU on Monday. He was one of seven summer arrivals coach Lane Kiffin’s team announced. The additions come after former Crimson Tide running back BJ Emmons, who played a season at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College and took another year off, headlined the spring enrollees in January.
Ashley was rated nationally as the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 26 overall prospect in the 2017 recruiting class, according to the 247 Sports composite rankings.
After redshirting his first season because of an eye injury that required surgery, Ashley appeared in five games last year, starting one. After that Oct. 6 start against Mississippi State, Ashley did not appear again due to a medical issue, which
was kept private.
Ashley originally announced FAU would be his transfer destination on March 18 in a tweet.
“The decision for me transferring from Auburn University was carefully thought about but I eventually came to a decision to do so,” he wrote. “Now that I’ve had some time to explore my options, I’ve come to the decision that I will be enrolling in Florida Atlantic University in the summer. Thank you Coach Kiffin and [offensive line coach Jeff ] Norrid and the rest of the coaching staff for giving me another opportunity. Truly blessed!”
The 6-foot-6, 322-pound tackle originally went to Auburn out of St. John’s College High in Washington, D.C. He also attended Orlando Dr. Phillips and Bradenton IMG Academy in high school. Ashley comes in to FAU as a redshirt sophomore in the upcoming fall. Whether he will be immediately eligible or will have to sit out a season for the transfer is unknown.
Joining Ashley were six other newcomers that are incoming freshmen that signed with FAU either during the Early Signing Period in December or National Signing Day in February. The freshmen beginning during the first summer session are: running backs Kelvin Dean and Larry McCammon, offensive linemen Federico Maranges and Adarius Tolliver, tight end Rahomd Smith and linebacker Eddie Williams.
Dean and McCammon are three-star prospects out of Tallahassee Rickards and Hoover (Ala.), respectively. They will look to contribute to the Owls’ efforts in replacing their two drafted running backs from last year, Devin “Motor” Singletary (Buffalo Bills, third round) and Kerrith Whyte (Chicago Bears, seventh round). Emmons, redshirt junior and St. Thomas Aquinas alum James Charles and Chauncey Mason, a Boynton Beach grad that transferred from Arkansas State, were the primary Owls backs in the spring.
Smith is the younger brother of Owls senior linebacker Rashad Smith, who led the team in tackles last season, and is a Homestead High grad like his brother.
Maranges played at Miami Columbus in high school while Williams was at Miami Palmetto. Tolliver is out of Autuaga Academy in Alabama.
More of the FAU recruiting class will get together for the later summer session, which begins on June 22. Fall camp begins in early August as the Owls open the 2019 season at Ohio State on Aug. 31.