It’s touring season in college football recruiting. Prospects are making stops at campuses, some to actually camp but mostly to check out options and meet coaching staffs. That’s certainly been the case in Oxford, as a plethora of top targets have dropped by the Manning Center to get to know the Ole Miss coaching staff and check out the Rebels’ program.
The following are some nuggets I’ve gathered from talking to sources in the past few days. They’re not really assembled in any order, so forgive me if they come across as a bit scattershot.
Macon, Miss., defensive end Jeffrey Simmons’ stock is skyrocketing _ I’ll be a bit surprised if he’s not a four-star when the next ranking cycle is completed _ but his recruiting hasn’t changed much. Simmons really likes Alabama, and he’s a top target of the Crimson Tide’s. The feeling of sources close to the Ole Miss program is Alabama and the Rebels have a slight lead over Mississippi State, but proximity to Starkville and a liking for the Bulldogs’ defensive staff are major factors. In short, it’s really close here in mid-June. Rivals.com’s Jason Howell spoke with Simmons at a camp in Houston, Texas, recently and told me in Baltimore last week Simmons said he likes Ole Miss’ program more than Mississippi State’s but he felt more comfortable in Starkville than he did Oxford.
Germantown, Miss., athlete/viral video star Nigel Knott remains really open to a lot of schools. Sources close to the Ole Miss program still think it’s going to come down to Ole Miss and Alabama. Mississippi State, per sources, feels really good about him as well. If there’s a leader right now, per sources, it’s Alabama.
Starkville wide receiver A.J. Brown remains a very hot commodity. Per sources, Alabama leads Ole Miss and Mississippi State, LSU is likely fourth and Auburn could get in Brown’s top three with a move. There’s no doubt at this point Brown is open to leaving Starkville. In Ole Miss’ favor is a strong relationship with Laquon Treadwell and the draw of five-star quarterback Shea Patterson and the idea of playing with him. Like Simmons and Knott, it’s just too close to call.
The same holds true for Meridian’s Raekwon Davis, despite his commitment to Alabama. My sources all agree at this point that LSU is a major player _ if not the leader _ for Davis. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are in the mix as well.
Davis’ teammate, defensive back Quincy Lenton, really likes Ole Miss, per sources. Ole Miss’ depth chart at safety _ lots of experienced players due to graduate in the next couple of years _ is very attractive to Davis.
Along those lines, there’s a lot of optimism in Oxford regarding the Rebels’ pursuit of Rivals100 safety Deontay Anderson. Like Lenton, he loves Ole Miss’ depth chart and believes he could play a significant role very early in his college career if he signed with Ole Miss. Texas A&M is the Rebels’ primary competition. Anderson might wait a while to make a decision, but there’s some feeling in recruiting circles he could do something before end of summer.
Speaking of Texans, Ole Miss was really impressed with Grand Prairie defensive back/Ole Miss commitment Greg Eisworth at the Rebels’ elite camp recently. Per sources, the Rebels see him as a taller Mike Hilton and also feel he could play wide receiver at the collegiate level if necessary.
Back to defensive linemen for a moment. Starkville’s Kobe Jones’ stock jumped at Ole Miss’ camp. The feeling from sources is it will be tough to pull away from Mississippi State, but after watching him perform in Oxford, the Rebels will go after him hard.
Defensive end/Ole Miss commitment Charles Wiley’s athleticism wowed Ole Miss’ coaches at the camp earlier this month. If anything, Wiley was so impressive that there’s now concern is his stock could skyrocket. Ole Miss feels he’s a top-100 player.
There’s been a lot of (hopeful) talk that Patterson’s presence on Ole Miss’ commitment list would lead to a mass exodus of top prospects from Louisiana signing with the Rebels in February. Maybe it ends up happening, but the Rebels have work to do.
Ole Miss has lost some momentum with New Orleans wide receiver Clyde Leflore-Chriss. The Rebels, per sources, are running third behind LSU and Texas A&M at this point. Leflore-Chriss still hasn’t made a trip to Oxford.
Ole Miss feels better, per sources, about its chances for Patterson four-star wide receiver Mykel Jones.
The Rebels have also made a significant move for Kentwood four-star wide receiver/Alabama commitment Shyheim Carter. The feeling from sources is Ole Miss is in great shape, but LSU will keep making a strong push and Alabama will remain heavily involved. In the end, per sources, LSU will be a major factor.
River Ridge offensive tackle Willie Allen’s recruiting isn’t that complex right now. Allen’s family favors Alabama; the kid himself prefers Ole Miss, but it’s close. He is also enamored with the idea of playing for the Crimson Tide.
Springhill athlete Devin White has vacationed with Patterson this summer; the two are great friends. However, Ole Miss is no lock for White. Alabama has emerged as a major player. LSU has made him a priority. Whit’s relationship to Patterson is strong, but if you made me _ and others I talked to in Mississippi and in Baltimore last week _ bet, I’d put my money on Alabama.
The nation’s top offensive tackle prospect, Greg Little, dominated in Baltimore and then started a Southeastern swing, stopping in Oxford Monday and Alabama Tuesday. Both schools will get official visits, per sources. Little’s visit to Ole Miss went well. He spent a lot of time with Laremy Tunsil and knows he could have an immediate impact in Oxford. The visit to Alabama went well, too. If you judge social media _ and who knows what anything means on Twitter when it comes to recruiting _ Little was more fired up about Alabama than he was Ole Miss. Regardless, Texas A&M remains the team to beat for his signature.
As we reported earlier in the week, junior college offensive tackle Na’Ty Rodgers should commit soon. Ole Miss is a prohibitive favorite. Another junior college lineman, Garrett Bolles, appears to be leaning to Auburn, per sources. Another Ole Miss target in the junior college ranks, ASA (New York) School tackle Charles Baldwin, just committed to Alabama.
The Rebels are also in the mix for several other offensive linemen. Per sources, Ole Miss feels it will get a visit from Honolulu four-star offensive guard Michael Eletise. The Rebels, per sources, also feel they should get an official visit from Brentwood, Tenn., offensive tackle/Rivals250 standout Bryce Mathews.
Ole Miss, per sources, continues to feel good about its pursuit of Tyrone, Ga., three-star offensive lineman Chandler Tuitt. Georgia has offered Tuitt, but Ole Miss is recruiting him harder. Ole Miss continues to evaluate in-state offensive lineman Greg Eiland and Javious Bardney.
Some quick hits:
-- Ole Miss feels very good about its standing with Waynesboro, Miss., defensive lineman/Rebel commitment Benito Jones.
-- Sources believe Batesville, Miss., defensive end Drelon Porter will be part of Ole Miss’ 2016 signing class. Speaking of South Panola, by the way, Ole Miss appears to be the favorite for 2017 defensive lineman O’Bryant Goodson.
-- Sources continue to maintain Morton, Miss., 2017 athlete D.D. Bowie, who committed to Alabama recently, will likely change his mind several times in the next 19 months or so. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others remain very much in the mix for Bowie.
-- Ole Miss coaches, per sources, were very impressed with what they saw from commitments Octavious Cooley and Justin Conner during their camp performances.
-- A name to watch: Pisgah, Miss., athlete T.J. McGinnis. Ole Miss, per sources, really liked what it saw from him at camp. Likely a safety on the college level, Ole Miss will watch him closely. He could garner an offer.
-- Ole Miss, per sources, would take another running back if it could find one that fits. The Rebels really like Canton, Ga., running back Brittain Brown, put he’s committed to Duke. Georgia Tech could pull him away from the Blue Devils, per sources, but it appears his list stops there.
-- Ole Miss loves Clinton, Miss., 2017 running back Cam Akers, and while the Rebels are very much in the mix early on, it appears Mississippi State is the leader at this point.
-- Ole Miss, on the other hand, appears to have the early lead in the race for Jackson, Miss., 2017 defensive end Aaron Odom. He’s close with former Callaway teammate/Ole Miss defensive tackle Breeland Speaks.
The following are some nuggets I’ve gathered from talking to sources in the past few days. They’re not really assembled in any order, so forgive me if they come across as a bit scattershot.
Macon, Miss., defensive end Jeffrey Simmons’ stock is skyrocketing _ I’ll be a bit surprised if he’s not a four-star when the next ranking cycle is completed _ but his recruiting hasn’t changed much. Simmons really likes Alabama, and he’s a top target of the Crimson Tide’s. The feeling of sources close to the Ole Miss program is Alabama and the Rebels have a slight lead over Mississippi State, but proximity to Starkville and a liking for the Bulldogs’ defensive staff are major factors. In short, it’s really close here in mid-June. Rivals.com’s Jason Howell spoke with Simmons at a camp in Houston, Texas, recently and told me in Baltimore last week Simmons said he likes Ole Miss’ program more than Mississippi State’s but he felt more comfortable in Starkville than he did Oxford.
Germantown, Miss., athlete/viral video star Nigel Knott remains really open to a lot of schools. Sources close to the Ole Miss program still think it’s going to come down to Ole Miss and Alabama. Mississippi State, per sources, feels really good about him as well. If there’s a leader right now, per sources, it’s Alabama.
Starkville wide receiver A.J. Brown remains a very hot commodity. Per sources, Alabama leads Ole Miss and Mississippi State, LSU is likely fourth and Auburn could get in Brown’s top three with a move. There’s no doubt at this point Brown is open to leaving Starkville. In Ole Miss’ favor is a strong relationship with Laquon Treadwell and the draw of five-star quarterback Shea Patterson and the idea of playing with him. Like Simmons and Knott, it’s just too close to call.
The same holds true for Meridian’s Raekwon Davis, despite his commitment to Alabama. My sources all agree at this point that LSU is a major player _ if not the leader _ for Davis. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are in the mix as well.
Davis’ teammate, defensive back Quincy Lenton, really likes Ole Miss, per sources. Ole Miss’ depth chart at safety _ lots of experienced players due to graduate in the next couple of years _ is very attractive to Davis.
Along those lines, there’s a lot of optimism in Oxford regarding the Rebels’ pursuit of Rivals100 safety Deontay Anderson. Like Lenton, he loves Ole Miss’ depth chart and believes he could play a significant role very early in his college career if he signed with Ole Miss. Texas A&M is the Rebels’ primary competition. Anderson might wait a while to make a decision, but there’s some feeling in recruiting circles he could do something before end of summer.
Speaking of Texans, Ole Miss was really impressed with Grand Prairie defensive back/Ole Miss commitment Greg Eisworth at the Rebels’ elite camp recently. Per sources, the Rebels see him as a taller Mike Hilton and also feel he could play wide receiver at the collegiate level if necessary.
Back to defensive linemen for a moment. Starkville’s Kobe Jones’ stock jumped at Ole Miss’ camp. The feeling from sources is it will be tough to pull away from Mississippi State, but after watching him perform in Oxford, the Rebels will go after him hard.
Defensive end/Ole Miss commitment Charles Wiley’s athleticism wowed Ole Miss’ coaches at the camp earlier this month. If anything, Wiley was so impressive that there’s now concern is his stock could skyrocket. Ole Miss feels he’s a top-100 player.
There’s been a lot of (hopeful) talk that Patterson’s presence on Ole Miss’ commitment list would lead to a mass exodus of top prospects from Louisiana signing with the Rebels in February. Maybe it ends up happening, but the Rebels have work to do.
Ole Miss has lost some momentum with New Orleans wide receiver Clyde Leflore-Chriss. The Rebels, per sources, are running third behind LSU and Texas A&M at this point. Leflore-Chriss still hasn’t made a trip to Oxford.
Ole Miss feels better, per sources, about its chances for Patterson four-star wide receiver Mykel Jones.
The Rebels have also made a significant move for Kentwood four-star wide receiver/Alabama commitment Shyheim Carter. The feeling from sources is Ole Miss is in great shape, but LSU will keep making a strong push and Alabama will remain heavily involved. In the end, per sources, LSU will be a major factor.
River Ridge offensive tackle Willie Allen’s recruiting isn’t that complex right now. Allen’s family favors Alabama; the kid himself prefers Ole Miss, but it’s close. He is also enamored with the idea of playing for the Crimson Tide.
Springhill athlete Devin White has vacationed with Patterson this summer; the two are great friends. However, Ole Miss is no lock for White. Alabama has emerged as a major player. LSU has made him a priority. Whit’s relationship to Patterson is strong, but if you made me _ and others I talked to in Mississippi and in Baltimore last week _ bet, I’d put my money on Alabama.
The nation’s top offensive tackle prospect, Greg Little, dominated in Baltimore and then started a Southeastern swing, stopping in Oxford Monday and Alabama Tuesday. Both schools will get official visits, per sources. Little’s visit to Ole Miss went well. He spent a lot of time with Laremy Tunsil and knows he could have an immediate impact in Oxford. The visit to Alabama went well, too. If you judge social media _ and who knows what anything means on Twitter when it comes to recruiting _ Little was more fired up about Alabama than he was Ole Miss. Regardless, Texas A&M remains the team to beat for his signature.
As we reported earlier in the week, junior college offensive tackle Na’Ty Rodgers should commit soon. Ole Miss is a prohibitive favorite. Another junior college lineman, Garrett Bolles, appears to be leaning to Auburn, per sources. Another Ole Miss target in the junior college ranks, ASA (New York) School tackle Charles Baldwin, just committed to Alabama.
The Rebels are also in the mix for several other offensive linemen. Per sources, Ole Miss feels it will get a visit from Honolulu four-star offensive guard Michael Eletise. The Rebels, per sources, also feel they should get an official visit from Brentwood, Tenn., offensive tackle/Rivals250 standout Bryce Mathews.
Ole Miss, per sources, continues to feel good about its pursuit of Tyrone, Ga., three-star offensive lineman Chandler Tuitt. Georgia has offered Tuitt, but Ole Miss is recruiting him harder. Ole Miss continues to evaluate in-state offensive lineman Greg Eiland and Javious Bardney.
Some quick hits:
-- Ole Miss feels very good about its standing with Waynesboro, Miss., defensive lineman/Rebel commitment Benito Jones.
-- Sources believe Batesville, Miss., defensive end Drelon Porter will be part of Ole Miss’ 2016 signing class. Speaking of South Panola, by the way, Ole Miss appears to be the favorite for 2017 defensive lineman O’Bryant Goodson.
-- Sources continue to maintain Morton, Miss., 2017 athlete D.D. Bowie, who committed to Alabama recently, will likely change his mind several times in the next 19 months or so. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others remain very much in the mix for Bowie.
-- Ole Miss coaches, per sources, were very impressed with what they saw from commitments Octavious Cooley and Justin Conner during their camp performances.
-- A name to watch: Pisgah, Miss., athlete T.J. McGinnis. Ole Miss, per sources, really liked what it saw from him at camp. Likely a safety on the college level, Ole Miss will watch him closely. He could garner an offer.
-- Ole Miss, per sources, would take another running back if it could find one that fits. The Rebels really like Canton, Ga., running back Brittain Brown, put he’s committed to Duke. Georgia Tech could pull him away from the Blue Devils, per sources, but it appears his list stops there.
-- Ole Miss loves Clinton, Miss., 2017 running back Cam Akers, and while the Rebels are very much in the mix early on, it appears Mississippi State is the leader at this point.
-- Ole Miss, on the other hand, appears to have the early lead in the race for Jackson, Miss., 2017 defensive end Aaron Odom. He’s close with former Callaway teammate/Ole Miss defensive tackle Breeland Speaks.
