Neal McCready
If Dannon Cavil is right, Ole Miss is going to land a very impressive recruiting class in February.
If a handful of normally reliable sources are right, the Rebels could be in for some good news on the recruiting front before the summer ends.
Suffice it to say that while actual news is predictably scarce these days, there's quite a bit going on under the proverbial surface.
First things first: In a discussion with Cavil on Tuesday morning, the San Antonio wide receiver/Ole Miss commitment told RebelGrove.com he full expected his friends/fellow prospects/Memphians Jason Carr and Donald Gray would eventually join him in Oxford.
"I think they're going to flip," Cavil said. "We're good friends (Cavil is a self described military brat who lived in Memphis before moving to Texas). I've been talking to them and I have a good feeling that they're seeing what I'm seeing."
Cavil said Carr, a Rivals250 defensive end, committed to Tennessee earlier this year because of his father's ties to the school as well as the Vols' pitch that UT would "take care of him after football, find a job for him after football."
There's certainly nothing wrong with that sales pitch from Derek Dooley. If a school isn't using former players to inform prospects of opportunities created by playing at that school, it's missing the boat. That pitch is big for Carr's father, according to sources, and my opinion in Carr will stick with the Vols.
However, Carr can lumped into one big category of coveted prospects: They like Ole Miss. They like Hugh Freeze. They like the idea of early playing time, a "new" program and a family-type environment. But they want to win, and until they see the product on the field in Oxford this fall, there's going to be some doubt and some reluctance.
Does that mean Ole Miss has to have a winning season to have a top-flight recruiting class? No, absolutely not. But understand this: Other programs are planting seeds of doubt in prospects' minds about Ole Miss, pointing out the current SEC losing streak, the lack of a presence in the most recent NFL draft and Freeze's lack of head coaching experience at the BCS level. That's a lot for Freeze to overcome today. In my opinion, Ole Miss must look like a much more polished product this fall ? one with more energy, more organization and more potential. That can't happen, obviously, until September. Until then, I expect some degree of hesitancy. Fans shouldn't freak out about that, at least in my opinion.
Still, there are rumblings that some commitments could be coming soon. Canton, Miss., offensive tackle Daronte Bouldin is leaning to Ole Miss. Georgia tight end Evan Engram and running back Peyton Barber appear to be leaning the Rebels' way as well.
I have talked to many people about the recruiting of the nation's top recruit, Robert Nkemdiche. On Thursday, rumors began to circulate that he could be on the verge of a commitment to Clemson, and that happened yesterday afternoon. Two of his Grayson HS teammates, including David Kamara, are committed to the Tigers. They're in it, obviously, and are now the clubhouse leaders. Know this: Alabama has felt very confident. So has LSU. Georgia's in it. Mississippi State is on the fringe. Ole Miss is in the mix and will be to the end due to the presence of Rebel defender Denzel Nkemdiche. It's just June, but Clemson was able to get the public commitment.
With Nkemdiche, it is going to come down to who's the decision-maker. Is it the prospect himself, his coach, his parents, his friends, his brother or some combination thereof. As of today, however, it appears Clemson (Again, obviously), Alabama and LSU lead the Rebels. Ole Miss must look promising on the field this fall, in my opinion, to have a real shot. Nkemdiche, I'm told, plans to be in Oxford for the Rebels' opener against Central Arkansas.
As you know by now, Kailo Moore committed to Mississippi State this week. It was a shock to Ole Miss, as Moore had been telling Ole Miss he was Oxford-bound. It's June; it's far from over, but to disregard the commitment is foolish.
There are rumblings Batesville's Antonio Conner could be committing to the Bulldogs soon as well. I'd be a bit surprised (a commitment to Alabama would be far less surprising to me), but the Nick Brassell situation appears to have _ unfairly _ hurt Ole Miss at South Panola. Again, there's time to make amends and repair damage, but opposing schools are telling the South Panola prospects what happened with Brassell at Ole Miss wouldn't have happened in their programs. Freeze and Co. will have to overcome that to land Conner's services. (As an aside, multiple Ole Miss sources indicated they never were blown away by recent Miss. State commitment Deon Mix, and Mix didn't blow anyone away at the recent NIKE camp in Memphis either).
Finally, a couple of nuggets: Multiple sources indicate Ole Miss has cooled a bit on Plano, Texas, TE Christian Morgan. Also, a source close to Memphis, Tenn., RB Jordan Wilkins insists the Rebels are in the mix for Wilkins. Auburn appears to lead, and Vanderbilt is also a factor.
Some fans have been panicking a little over tweets and retweets involving Ole Miss commit Mark Dodson. From all accounts, relax. There doesn't seem to be an issue with Dodson that anyone is aware of. He was at Ole Miss' camp a couple weeks ago and is recruiting for the Rebels.
Chase Parham
First a little football to add to what Neal said. Regarding Kailo Moore, there doesn't appear to be much concern on Ole Miss' part. Sure, the Rebels would obviously rather him not be committed to MSU, but there's no panic on Ole Miss' side. Moore, per sources, has initiated communication with the Ole Miss staff multiple times since the commitment. This is a major reminder to remember that it's June. Also, it'll now be interesting to see how track plays a factor. Ole Miss recently hired Brian O'Neal as its new coach, and he has name value after helping Florida to four national titles in four years. Also, it's worth noting that Florida successfully handled the football-track career of Jeff Demps, O'Neal should be able to use that if it's applicable.
Ole Miss appears to be on the schedule for five-star running back Derrick Green. He's expressed interest in attending the Rebels' camp the middle of next month and just getting the nation's top running back to campus would be a victory. It's a credit to the doggedness of the staff, as it's not like Green is out searching for offers or exposure. Green will cut his list to 10 in the relatively near future. In an article published a few days ago, he listed eight schools that stood out: Virginia Tech, Alabama, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Not much to add on Nkemdiche, other than I should have listened to a source a couple months ago. I was told while in Tuscaloosa for baseball that Alabama was most worried about Clemson, and the Tide thought the Tigers held the lead. Looks like the source ? and presumably Bama ? was right.
On to baseball to wrap some things up and set the table for what's ahead. Ty Hensley remains the only person left to either sign professionally or announce he's attending college. I still expect Hensley to sign with the Yankees. Most think the prolonged negotiations are more about the actual deal rather than the decision on what to do. In the meantime, Hensley is being incredibly smart and publicly keeping his options open. He tweeted about not ready to give up hitting and has worn an Ole Miss polo at several public events since the Draft. The deadline is July 13, so there's still a ton of time for him to get the deal done. My advice is to watch with interest but don't get your hopes up yet. Chances of Ole Miss are still very low.
Gavin Cecchini signed with the Mets for $2.3 million -- $250,000 under his recommended slot value. Stryker Trahan signed for $1.7 million -- his slot value exactly. Dylan Chavez signed for less than $100,000, but the exact number isn't known at the moment. Alex Yarbrough signed for his exact slot value of $302,800.
Brett Huber had an MRI this week and will get some bone chips in his elbow cleaned up soon. It's a minor procedure, and he should be fine for fall ball, but it's almost certainly the issue that sidelined him for part of the 2012 season. Huber will return as a fifth-year senior in 2013.
Ole Miss has been out recruiting at national events this past week. Cliff Godwin is at the Metrodome in Minnesota for the Perfect Game Jr. National Showcase and National Showcase. It's a major event for the players and opportunity for coaches to get accurate numbers and compare top-level recruits. Carl Lafferty has been in Texas for an Area Code event. I expect a few more commitments prior to the fall signing period. Currently, the Rebels have seven high school commitments for 2013. Six of the seven are ranked nationally, with the exception being JB Woodman, an outfielder from Edgewater, Fla., and he will be before it's over. A long way to go, but it looks like a talented class that won't be "too talented."
RHP Cheyne Bickel - No. 76 nationally
MIF Dalton Dulin - No. 99 nationally
RHP Ryan Leone - No. 113 nationally
LHP Evan Anderson - No. 121 nationally
3B Colby Bortles - No. 263 nationally
OF Carlos Williams - No. 435 nationally
OF JB Woodman
Texas recently fired longtime hitting coach Tommy Harmon, and Godwin was initially pegged as a potential candidate, but I haven't heard anything of note. It appears that Arkansas assistant Todd Butler is the likely target if the Horns go after an SEC assistant.
This post was edited on 6/15 7:22 AM by Chase Parham
If Dannon Cavil is right, Ole Miss is going to land a very impressive recruiting class in February.
If a handful of normally reliable sources are right, the Rebels could be in for some good news on the recruiting front before the summer ends.
Suffice it to say that while actual news is predictably scarce these days, there's quite a bit going on under the proverbial surface.
First things first: In a discussion with Cavil on Tuesday morning, the San Antonio wide receiver/Ole Miss commitment told RebelGrove.com he full expected his friends/fellow prospects/Memphians Jason Carr and Donald Gray would eventually join him in Oxford.
"I think they're going to flip," Cavil said. "We're good friends (Cavil is a self described military brat who lived in Memphis before moving to Texas). I've been talking to them and I have a good feeling that they're seeing what I'm seeing."
Cavil said Carr, a Rivals250 defensive end, committed to Tennessee earlier this year because of his father's ties to the school as well as the Vols' pitch that UT would "take care of him after football, find a job for him after football."
There's certainly nothing wrong with that sales pitch from Derek Dooley. If a school isn't using former players to inform prospects of opportunities created by playing at that school, it's missing the boat. That pitch is big for Carr's father, according to sources, and my opinion in Carr will stick with the Vols.
However, Carr can lumped into one big category of coveted prospects: They like Ole Miss. They like Hugh Freeze. They like the idea of early playing time, a "new" program and a family-type environment. But they want to win, and until they see the product on the field in Oxford this fall, there's going to be some doubt and some reluctance.
Does that mean Ole Miss has to have a winning season to have a top-flight recruiting class? No, absolutely not. But understand this: Other programs are planting seeds of doubt in prospects' minds about Ole Miss, pointing out the current SEC losing streak, the lack of a presence in the most recent NFL draft and Freeze's lack of head coaching experience at the BCS level. That's a lot for Freeze to overcome today. In my opinion, Ole Miss must look like a much more polished product this fall ? one with more energy, more organization and more potential. That can't happen, obviously, until September. Until then, I expect some degree of hesitancy. Fans shouldn't freak out about that, at least in my opinion.
Still, there are rumblings that some commitments could be coming soon. Canton, Miss., offensive tackle Daronte Bouldin is leaning to Ole Miss. Georgia tight end Evan Engram and running back Peyton Barber appear to be leaning the Rebels' way as well.
I have talked to many people about the recruiting of the nation's top recruit, Robert Nkemdiche. On Thursday, rumors began to circulate that he could be on the verge of a commitment to Clemson, and that happened yesterday afternoon. Two of his Grayson HS teammates, including David Kamara, are committed to the Tigers. They're in it, obviously, and are now the clubhouse leaders. Know this: Alabama has felt very confident. So has LSU. Georgia's in it. Mississippi State is on the fringe. Ole Miss is in the mix and will be to the end due to the presence of Rebel defender Denzel Nkemdiche. It's just June, but Clemson was able to get the public commitment.
With Nkemdiche, it is going to come down to who's the decision-maker. Is it the prospect himself, his coach, his parents, his friends, his brother or some combination thereof. As of today, however, it appears Clemson (Again, obviously), Alabama and LSU lead the Rebels. Ole Miss must look promising on the field this fall, in my opinion, to have a real shot. Nkemdiche, I'm told, plans to be in Oxford for the Rebels' opener against Central Arkansas.
As you know by now, Kailo Moore committed to Mississippi State this week. It was a shock to Ole Miss, as Moore had been telling Ole Miss he was Oxford-bound. It's June; it's far from over, but to disregard the commitment is foolish.
There are rumblings Batesville's Antonio Conner could be committing to the Bulldogs soon as well. I'd be a bit surprised (a commitment to Alabama would be far less surprising to me), but the Nick Brassell situation appears to have _ unfairly _ hurt Ole Miss at South Panola. Again, there's time to make amends and repair damage, but opposing schools are telling the South Panola prospects what happened with Brassell at Ole Miss wouldn't have happened in their programs. Freeze and Co. will have to overcome that to land Conner's services. (As an aside, multiple Ole Miss sources indicated they never were blown away by recent Miss. State commitment Deon Mix, and Mix didn't blow anyone away at the recent NIKE camp in Memphis either).
Finally, a couple of nuggets: Multiple sources indicate Ole Miss has cooled a bit on Plano, Texas, TE Christian Morgan. Also, a source close to Memphis, Tenn., RB Jordan Wilkins insists the Rebels are in the mix for Wilkins. Auburn appears to lead, and Vanderbilt is also a factor.
Some fans have been panicking a little over tweets and retweets involving Ole Miss commit Mark Dodson. From all accounts, relax. There doesn't seem to be an issue with Dodson that anyone is aware of. He was at Ole Miss' camp a couple weeks ago and is recruiting for the Rebels.
Chase Parham
First a little football to add to what Neal said. Regarding Kailo Moore, there doesn't appear to be much concern on Ole Miss' part. Sure, the Rebels would obviously rather him not be committed to MSU, but there's no panic on Ole Miss' side. Moore, per sources, has initiated communication with the Ole Miss staff multiple times since the commitment. This is a major reminder to remember that it's June. Also, it'll now be interesting to see how track plays a factor. Ole Miss recently hired Brian O'Neal as its new coach, and he has name value after helping Florida to four national titles in four years. Also, it's worth noting that Florida successfully handled the football-track career of Jeff Demps, O'Neal should be able to use that if it's applicable.
Ole Miss appears to be on the schedule for five-star running back Derrick Green. He's expressed interest in attending the Rebels' camp the middle of next month and just getting the nation's top running back to campus would be a victory. It's a credit to the doggedness of the staff, as it's not like Green is out searching for offers or exposure. Green will cut his list to 10 in the relatively near future. In an article published a few days ago, he listed eight schools that stood out: Virginia Tech, Alabama, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Clemson, Oregon and Wisconsin.
Not much to add on Nkemdiche, other than I should have listened to a source a couple months ago. I was told while in Tuscaloosa for baseball that Alabama was most worried about Clemson, and the Tide thought the Tigers held the lead. Looks like the source ? and presumably Bama ? was right.
On to baseball to wrap some things up and set the table for what's ahead. Ty Hensley remains the only person left to either sign professionally or announce he's attending college. I still expect Hensley to sign with the Yankees. Most think the prolonged negotiations are more about the actual deal rather than the decision on what to do. In the meantime, Hensley is being incredibly smart and publicly keeping his options open. He tweeted about not ready to give up hitting and has worn an Ole Miss polo at several public events since the Draft. The deadline is July 13, so there's still a ton of time for him to get the deal done. My advice is to watch with interest but don't get your hopes up yet. Chances of Ole Miss are still very low.
Gavin Cecchini signed with the Mets for $2.3 million -- $250,000 under his recommended slot value. Stryker Trahan signed for $1.7 million -- his slot value exactly. Dylan Chavez signed for less than $100,000, but the exact number isn't known at the moment. Alex Yarbrough signed for his exact slot value of $302,800.
Brett Huber had an MRI this week and will get some bone chips in his elbow cleaned up soon. It's a minor procedure, and he should be fine for fall ball, but it's almost certainly the issue that sidelined him for part of the 2012 season. Huber will return as a fifth-year senior in 2013.
Ole Miss has been out recruiting at national events this past week. Cliff Godwin is at the Metrodome in Minnesota for the Perfect Game Jr. National Showcase and National Showcase. It's a major event for the players and opportunity for coaches to get accurate numbers and compare top-level recruits. Carl Lafferty has been in Texas for an Area Code event. I expect a few more commitments prior to the fall signing period. Currently, the Rebels have seven high school commitments for 2013. Six of the seven are ranked nationally, with the exception being JB Woodman, an outfielder from Edgewater, Fla., and he will be before it's over. A long way to go, but it looks like a talented class that won't be "too talented."
RHP Cheyne Bickel - No. 76 nationally
MIF Dalton Dulin - No. 99 nationally
RHP Ryan Leone - No. 113 nationally
LHP Evan Anderson - No. 121 nationally
3B Colby Bortles - No. 263 nationally
OF Carlos Williams - No. 435 nationally
OF JB Woodman
Texas recently fired longtime hitting coach Tommy Harmon, and Godwin was initially pegged as a potential candidate, but I haven't heard anything of note. It appears that Arkansas assistant Todd Butler is the likely target if the Horns go after an SEC assistant.
This post was edited on 6/15 7:22 AM by Chase Parham
