Neal McCready
If you read Thursday’s story on RebelGrove.com updating the recruiting of Rivals100 running back Andrew Buie, you know Ole Miss is in very good shape in the race for his services.
I asked Buie if he had any thoughts on Ole Miss’ 49-48 double-overtime loss to Jacksonville State last Saturday. He really didn’t. His answer was sort of ho-hum.
“I just thought about how you can’t overlook anybody,“ Buie said. “That’s probably what they did. They probably went into it thinking it was an easy game and that can get you beat.”
Buie’s sentiments echo those of every prospect I’ve talked to, whether it be on the phone, via text, on Facebook.com (I know, I know, it’s kind of creepy, and I really hate doing it, but for some prospects, it’s the only way to interact) or by e-mail. Two things to remember about prospects: 1. They’re kids and, like most kids, they’re self-obsessed. They either aren’t paying that much attention to college games or they think they’re so good that had they been playing, an upset such as Saturday’s wouldn’t have happened. 2. They’re not fans. They don’t live and die with each play or each game or even each season. They move on quickly. Ole Miss doesn’t need to roll a 3-9 or a 4-8 out there, but if the loss to Jacksonville State turns out to be a fluky bump in the road, it won’t be that big of a deal, in my opinion.
Speaking of prospects, Ole Miss will have five coaches at high school games on Friday night in south Louisiana. Cornerbacks coach Chris Vaughn will be checking out East St. John’s game. Larry Dauterive‘s team has a four-star cornerback named Floyd Raven. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Raven has cut himself off from all media, and that has led to some wild rumors, but several prospects who know Raven have told RebelGrove.com that Ole Miss continues to lead Texas A&M for his services. LSU hasn’t yet offered, and a couple of sources close to Les Miles’ program insist the Tigers won’t. Raven remains very much of a priority for Ole Miss, a point that will be reiterated on Friday night. Raven is expected to attend Ole Miss’ game against Tulane in the Superdome on Saturday night.
Destrehan, La., four-star center Ethan Hutson will also be in the ‘Dome on Saturday. Hutson committed to Ole Miss in July, and his father, Mark Hutson, is the Green Wave’s offensive line coach. Ole Miss’ offensive line coach, Mike Markuson, will be scouting Hutson’s game Friday night.
Terry Price, Kim Dameron and Ron Dickerson will also be on the road scouting prospects, but I’m honestly not sure where they’ll be. I was told Price and Dameron will be at Amite, but I don’t know if that’s Mississippi or Louisiana.
With Ole Miss sitting at 19 commitments and none wavering at this point, much of the focus is going to turn to the 2012 class soon. However, there are still some major targets out there to finish up the 2011 class. You know the obvious names: Buie, Raven, Nickolas Brassell, Tobias Singleton, Damiere Byrd, Tre Mason, Josh Pinkston, P.J. Jones, Cameron Clear and Cedrick Cooper immediately come to mind. There are some other names to keep an eye on, however.
For example, Ole Miss is making a strong run at Tampa, Fla., three-star linebacker Keith Lewis. The 6-2, 200-pounder has more than 20 offers and is hoping to get his list down to a workable top five by the end of this month. Another three-star linebacker from Florida, Kent Turene, has remained in constant contact with the Ole Miss staff. Turene committed to Southern Cal, but committing to travel all the way across the country for college and actually doing it are two different things. It’s still likely he’ll end up with the Trojans, but Ole Miss is sure to show Turene its depth chart at middle linebacker and hope that that the prospect of very early playing time in the SEC is appealing.
On to basketball, where the Rebels are two weeks away from perhaps the most significant hoops recruiting weekend in school history. Cleveland, Miss., four-star forward Johnny O’Bryant and Lepanto, Ark., four-star guard Ky Madden _ two players who have become big friends over the past two years _ will visit together on Sept. 24-26.
The sense from program insiders is the Rebels are emerging as big leaders for O’Bryant and that only Baylor stands as significant competition in the race for Madden.
Ole Miss hosted San Antonio, Texas, forward/center Anthony Walker last weekend on an official visit and then followed that up with a visit to his Texas school on Thursday. The sense from Ole Miss sources and from Texas Tech media outlets close to Pat Knight’s program is the Rebels and Red Raiders are in a two-team race for Walker. Ole Miss believes Walker is a guy who could grow into a shot-blocking, rebound-grabbing presence in the middle of the paint, a dynamic the Rebels have lacked in recent seasons.
Ole Miss is also hoping it can land the services of Memphis guard Andre Hollins, who visited Auburn last weekend and hasn’t named a favorite. However, multiple sources believe Stanford remains the team to beat for Hollins, though many wonder if, in the end, he’ll be willing to go all the way to Palo Alto when he can play SEC basketball close to home where his family can see him regularly.
Finally, keep an eye on Ole Miss’ pursuit of Okolona, Miss., guard David Gardner. Memphis is the favorite for Gardner, but insiders believe the Rebels are in great position to pull off a small upset and land Gardner’s signature.
Chase Parham
I’ll start with clarifying my statement earlier in the week about Nick Brassell and Tobias Singleton. I mentioned that I’m not sold the two are currently as tight as both have stated in recent interviews. Singleton and Brassell said at the Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen photoshoot back in July they would play college football at the same school, and Singleton kept the same thought going when I interviewed him for that enormous profile piece a couple weeks ago in Madison. However multiple sources indicate that a pretty good rivalry has developed between the two players. Madison Central and South Panola are quite often about their rivalry, and both teams’ best players are showing some of the same thoughts ? fighting for top billing ? along with Donte Moncrief ? in this in-state recruiting class.
But this is what I want to clarify after getting emails the first of the week. Brassell and Singleton get along, and they still may end up at the same college. It’s just not a package deal, by any means. In my opinion, Mississippi State’s best tool in recruiting Singleton is the Bulldogs’ inability to get Brassell to take MSU as a serious threat. So, when Singleton talks to State, the Bulldogs can go on and on to him about being the top player, and there’s no fear of upsetting or having things get back to Brassell. Since the two players talk and share thoughts, Ole Miss has to be a little more careful. The Rebels ? according to pretty much all sources ? continue to have a solid lead for Brassell. Singleton is going to watch quarterbacks and go through this process. It’s an in-state battle right now, with the Oklahoma schools still lingering in the background.
Don’t expect a lot of big-time stats from Ole Miss commit Senquez Golson this season. The Pascagoula, Miss., cornerback is being avoided like the plague early this season. Opponents aren’t running his way often, and they are completely staying away in the passing game. However, he could get a few more touches on the offensive side of the ball. I talked to Golson this weekend, and against Moss Point tonight (and likely the rest of the way), the speedster expects snaps out of the Wildcat formation and from the backfield. Pascagoula has had some offensive injuries, and Golson gets first look. I’m curious to see how this works, because most fans don’t realize it, but Golson is likely the fastest commit on Ole Miss’ page. He ran quality track times in boat shoes, of all things, during the summer.
Brandon and I tried to contact as many prospects as possible following Ole Miss’, 49-48, double overtime loss to Jacksonville State Saturday. All the ones we reached remained solid and weren’t concerned about the Gamecocks’ upset victory. Most said they wanted to see the Rebels respond in the coming weeks, but everything was still in working order as far as their commitments. The key item Ole Miss has going for it is the unity in this class of in-state ? and a few out-of-state -- prospects. They are a really close bunch and feel like the group as a whole is a difference-maker. They all said it wouldn’t happen when they were on the field. Brassell witnessed the debacle, but he had Moncrief, Justin Bell, Cody Prewitt and other influential prospects around him to spin things positively for Ole Miss and keep the topic on them playing together and avoiding upsets like the one that just happened. I said earlier in the week that the players that didn’t answer the phone could be the ones that weren’t sure of their commitment status, but through sources, we have identified at the entire class is pretty stable currently. However, the next four weeks are critical, as Ole Miss needs to avoid further calamity.
After being in Mike Blakely’s top five for a good while, Ole Miss seems to be slipping in the elite running back’s order. Most concentration is centered on Auburn, South Carolina and Florida. However, Ole Miss is in good shape with a couple other premier backs and could very well land one.
Sunshine State lineman Terry Bell is all Florida State right now. Shocker if he ends up anywhere but Tallahassee, Fla.
Garden City, Kan., Community College defensive tackle Maurice Couch continues to list Ole Miss in his top six. The latest list is USC, Kansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and South Carolina. Couch is originally from Orlando, Fla.
Rivals recruiting analyst Barton Simmons watched South Panola and MUS last Friday and had an interesting take on junior defensive tackle Isaac Gross
“Strengths: The main strength that Gross has is his quickness off the ball. When he wants to, he explodes off the snap and can be in the backfield before most linemen are able to react. The speed and athleticism to run down quarterbacks and running backs is there and he has the versatility to play defensive end in a 3-4 or even a 4-3 defensive end spot.
Weaknesses: Gross plays a lot of nose in the South Panola defense and that isn't really his best position for the next level. The big MUS inside linemen were successful in neutralizing him at times because he isn't really a two-gap player, which is what he is asked to be much of the time. Even at the 3-technique, Gross will need to add some size and strength.”
You wonder if he ends up being a run-stopping end instead of a tackle before it’s over.
Four-star defensive back Wayne Lyons has cut Ole Miss from consideration. Lyons -- known for his extensive questions sent to college programs and his incredible talent -- cut his list to 14 and included Ole Miss, but the Rebels didn't make the final seven. The seven are Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame, Florida, Stanford, Auburn and Tennessee.
I’ll hit just a little baseball quickly. Fall ball begins Sept. 17 with scout day, and some decisions have to made regarding the roster. The Rebels brought in 20 players for the 2010 class, and there are 39 total players on Ole Miss’ roster. Only 35 players can be on the roster for the first game. I won’t get on an NCAA rampage here, but schools are forced to cut kids or kind of unofficially redshirt players because of the roster limits. Last year, three injured pitchers and two players no longer with the program were on the 35-man roster. Ole Miss has to protect itself and avoid that scenario, but a couple players could be dismissed because of the cuts. I expect Tanner Bailey to not count against the 35 since he’s injured, and then Ole Miss will likely take a couple freshmen and sit them out as some sort of redshirt, however they won’t be able to practice. Bad situation, as the NCAA continues to just kill baseball with all these regulations. It makes no sense.
Ole Miss could add a name or two to the commit list for 2011 in the coming weeks, but I expect the coaches to see how the large number of current newcomers look before gathering a lot of guys for the future classes. Roster management is a chore in baseball ? and a guessing game. One recruiting name to watch here soon is Madison Central pitcher Zach Irwin. I expect a visit shortly.
This post was edited on 9/10 8:59 AM by Chase Parham
If you read Thursday’s story on RebelGrove.com updating the recruiting of Rivals100 running back Andrew Buie, you know Ole Miss is in very good shape in the race for his services.
I asked Buie if he had any thoughts on Ole Miss’ 49-48 double-overtime loss to Jacksonville State last Saturday. He really didn’t. His answer was sort of ho-hum.
“I just thought about how you can’t overlook anybody,“ Buie said. “That’s probably what they did. They probably went into it thinking it was an easy game and that can get you beat.”
Buie’s sentiments echo those of every prospect I’ve talked to, whether it be on the phone, via text, on Facebook.com (I know, I know, it’s kind of creepy, and I really hate doing it, but for some prospects, it’s the only way to interact) or by e-mail. Two things to remember about prospects: 1. They’re kids and, like most kids, they’re self-obsessed. They either aren’t paying that much attention to college games or they think they’re so good that had they been playing, an upset such as Saturday’s wouldn’t have happened. 2. They’re not fans. They don’t live and die with each play or each game or even each season. They move on quickly. Ole Miss doesn’t need to roll a 3-9 or a 4-8 out there, but if the loss to Jacksonville State turns out to be a fluky bump in the road, it won’t be that big of a deal, in my opinion.
Speaking of prospects, Ole Miss will have five coaches at high school games on Friday night in south Louisiana. Cornerbacks coach Chris Vaughn will be checking out East St. John’s game. Larry Dauterive‘s team has a four-star cornerback named Floyd Raven. Perhaps you’ve heard of him. Raven has cut himself off from all media, and that has led to some wild rumors, but several prospects who know Raven have told RebelGrove.com that Ole Miss continues to lead Texas A&M for his services. LSU hasn’t yet offered, and a couple of sources close to Les Miles’ program insist the Tigers won’t. Raven remains very much of a priority for Ole Miss, a point that will be reiterated on Friday night. Raven is expected to attend Ole Miss’ game against Tulane in the Superdome on Saturday night.
Destrehan, La., four-star center Ethan Hutson will also be in the ‘Dome on Saturday. Hutson committed to Ole Miss in July, and his father, Mark Hutson, is the Green Wave’s offensive line coach. Ole Miss’ offensive line coach, Mike Markuson, will be scouting Hutson’s game Friday night.
Terry Price, Kim Dameron and Ron Dickerson will also be on the road scouting prospects, but I’m honestly not sure where they’ll be. I was told Price and Dameron will be at Amite, but I don’t know if that’s Mississippi or Louisiana.
With Ole Miss sitting at 19 commitments and none wavering at this point, much of the focus is going to turn to the 2012 class soon. However, there are still some major targets out there to finish up the 2011 class. You know the obvious names: Buie, Raven, Nickolas Brassell, Tobias Singleton, Damiere Byrd, Tre Mason, Josh Pinkston, P.J. Jones, Cameron Clear and Cedrick Cooper immediately come to mind. There are some other names to keep an eye on, however.
For example, Ole Miss is making a strong run at Tampa, Fla., three-star linebacker Keith Lewis. The 6-2, 200-pounder has more than 20 offers and is hoping to get his list down to a workable top five by the end of this month. Another three-star linebacker from Florida, Kent Turene, has remained in constant contact with the Ole Miss staff. Turene committed to Southern Cal, but committing to travel all the way across the country for college and actually doing it are two different things. It’s still likely he’ll end up with the Trojans, but Ole Miss is sure to show Turene its depth chart at middle linebacker and hope that that the prospect of very early playing time in the SEC is appealing.
On to basketball, where the Rebels are two weeks away from perhaps the most significant hoops recruiting weekend in school history. Cleveland, Miss., four-star forward Johnny O’Bryant and Lepanto, Ark., four-star guard Ky Madden _ two players who have become big friends over the past two years _ will visit together on Sept. 24-26.
The sense from program insiders is the Rebels are emerging as big leaders for O’Bryant and that only Baylor stands as significant competition in the race for Madden.
Ole Miss hosted San Antonio, Texas, forward/center Anthony Walker last weekend on an official visit and then followed that up with a visit to his Texas school on Thursday. The sense from Ole Miss sources and from Texas Tech media outlets close to Pat Knight’s program is the Rebels and Red Raiders are in a two-team race for Walker. Ole Miss believes Walker is a guy who could grow into a shot-blocking, rebound-grabbing presence in the middle of the paint, a dynamic the Rebels have lacked in recent seasons.
Ole Miss is also hoping it can land the services of Memphis guard Andre Hollins, who visited Auburn last weekend and hasn’t named a favorite. However, multiple sources believe Stanford remains the team to beat for Hollins, though many wonder if, in the end, he’ll be willing to go all the way to Palo Alto when he can play SEC basketball close to home where his family can see him regularly.
Finally, keep an eye on Ole Miss’ pursuit of Okolona, Miss., guard David Gardner. Memphis is the favorite for Gardner, but insiders believe the Rebels are in great position to pull off a small upset and land Gardner’s signature.
Chase Parham
I’ll start with clarifying my statement earlier in the week about Nick Brassell and Tobias Singleton. I mentioned that I’m not sold the two are currently as tight as both have stated in recent interviews. Singleton and Brassell said at the Clarion-Ledger Dandy Dozen photoshoot back in July they would play college football at the same school, and Singleton kept the same thought going when I interviewed him for that enormous profile piece a couple weeks ago in Madison. However multiple sources indicate that a pretty good rivalry has developed between the two players. Madison Central and South Panola are quite often about their rivalry, and both teams’ best players are showing some of the same thoughts ? fighting for top billing ? along with Donte Moncrief ? in this in-state recruiting class.
But this is what I want to clarify after getting emails the first of the week. Brassell and Singleton get along, and they still may end up at the same college. It’s just not a package deal, by any means. In my opinion, Mississippi State’s best tool in recruiting Singleton is the Bulldogs’ inability to get Brassell to take MSU as a serious threat. So, when Singleton talks to State, the Bulldogs can go on and on to him about being the top player, and there’s no fear of upsetting or having things get back to Brassell. Since the two players talk and share thoughts, Ole Miss has to be a little more careful. The Rebels ? according to pretty much all sources ? continue to have a solid lead for Brassell. Singleton is going to watch quarterbacks and go through this process. It’s an in-state battle right now, with the Oklahoma schools still lingering in the background.
Don’t expect a lot of big-time stats from Ole Miss commit Senquez Golson this season. The Pascagoula, Miss., cornerback is being avoided like the plague early this season. Opponents aren’t running his way often, and they are completely staying away in the passing game. However, he could get a few more touches on the offensive side of the ball. I talked to Golson this weekend, and against Moss Point tonight (and likely the rest of the way), the speedster expects snaps out of the Wildcat formation and from the backfield. Pascagoula has had some offensive injuries, and Golson gets first look. I’m curious to see how this works, because most fans don’t realize it, but Golson is likely the fastest commit on Ole Miss’ page. He ran quality track times in boat shoes, of all things, during the summer.
Brandon and I tried to contact as many prospects as possible following Ole Miss’, 49-48, double overtime loss to Jacksonville State Saturday. All the ones we reached remained solid and weren’t concerned about the Gamecocks’ upset victory. Most said they wanted to see the Rebels respond in the coming weeks, but everything was still in working order as far as their commitments. The key item Ole Miss has going for it is the unity in this class of in-state ? and a few out-of-state -- prospects. They are a really close bunch and feel like the group as a whole is a difference-maker. They all said it wouldn’t happen when they were on the field. Brassell witnessed the debacle, but he had Moncrief, Justin Bell, Cody Prewitt and other influential prospects around him to spin things positively for Ole Miss and keep the topic on them playing together and avoiding upsets like the one that just happened. I said earlier in the week that the players that didn’t answer the phone could be the ones that weren’t sure of their commitment status, but through sources, we have identified at the entire class is pretty stable currently. However, the next four weeks are critical, as Ole Miss needs to avoid further calamity.
After being in Mike Blakely’s top five for a good while, Ole Miss seems to be slipping in the elite running back’s order. Most concentration is centered on Auburn, South Carolina and Florida. However, Ole Miss is in good shape with a couple other premier backs and could very well land one.
Sunshine State lineman Terry Bell is all Florida State right now. Shocker if he ends up anywhere but Tallahassee, Fla.
Garden City, Kan., Community College defensive tackle Maurice Couch continues to list Ole Miss in his top six. The latest list is USC, Kansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Oklahoma State and South Carolina. Couch is originally from Orlando, Fla.
Rivals recruiting analyst Barton Simmons watched South Panola and MUS last Friday and had an interesting take on junior defensive tackle Isaac Gross
“Strengths: The main strength that Gross has is his quickness off the ball. When he wants to, he explodes off the snap and can be in the backfield before most linemen are able to react. The speed and athleticism to run down quarterbacks and running backs is there and he has the versatility to play defensive end in a 3-4 or even a 4-3 defensive end spot.
Weaknesses: Gross plays a lot of nose in the South Panola defense and that isn't really his best position for the next level. The big MUS inside linemen were successful in neutralizing him at times because he isn't really a two-gap player, which is what he is asked to be much of the time. Even at the 3-technique, Gross will need to add some size and strength.”
You wonder if he ends up being a run-stopping end instead of a tackle before it’s over.
Four-star defensive back Wayne Lyons has cut Ole Miss from consideration. Lyons -- known for his extensive questions sent to college programs and his incredible talent -- cut his list to 14 and included Ole Miss, but the Rebels didn't make the final seven. The seven are Nebraska, UCLA, Notre Dame, Florida, Stanford, Auburn and Tennessee.
I’ll hit just a little baseball quickly. Fall ball begins Sept. 17 with scout day, and some decisions have to made regarding the roster. The Rebels brought in 20 players for the 2010 class, and there are 39 total players on Ole Miss’ roster. Only 35 players can be on the roster for the first game. I won’t get on an NCAA rampage here, but schools are forced to cut kids or kind of unofficially redshirt players because of the roster limits. Last year, three injured pitchers and two players no longer with the program were on the 35-man roster. Ole Miss has to protect itself and avoid that scenario, but a couple players could be dismissed because of the cuts. I expect Tanner Bailey to not count against the 35 since he’s injured, and then Ole Miss will likely take a couple freshmen and sit them out as some sort of redshirt, however they won’t be able to practice. Bad situation, as the NCAA continues to just kill baseball with all these regulations. It makes no sense.
Ole Miss could add a name or two to the commit list for 2011 in the coming weeks, but I expect the coaches to see how the large number of current newcomers look before gathering a lot of guys for the future classes. Roster management is a chore in baseball ? and a guessing game. One recruiting name to watch here soon is Madison Central pitcher Zach Irwin. I expect a visit shortly.
This post was edited on 9/10 8:59 AM by Chase Parham
