Daily recruiting notes are presented by A-1 Discount Tree and Lawn Service. For removal, trimming, stump grinding, demolition and land clearing, call A-1 at 601-981-4900 (tel:601-981-4900) or check out their website www.A1DiscountTree.com(http://www.a1discounttree.com/Here's Monday's thread, in case you missed it. There was a decent amount there and if you missed a couple of days, you can probably answer a lot of your questions there.
RECRUITING: - Monday, Dec. 11 Transfer Portal/Recruiting Notes, presented by A-1 Discount Tree and Lawn Service
Daily recruiting notes are presented by A-1 Discount Tree and Lawn Service. For removal, trimming, stump grinding, demolition and land clearing, call A-1 at 601-981-4900 (tel:601-981-4900) or check out their website www.A1DiscountTree.com(http://www.a1discounttree.com/ Here's Sunday's thread, in...
olemiss.forums.rivals.com
I think the theme that is clearly emerging -- and this is cool for most but takes some of the fun out of the "recruiting" part for others -- is this is all about budgets. A program has X to work with. It's trying to fill a certain number of holes, filling in with quality depth in other places. If a program deviates from that budget very far in a certain area, it has less to work with in other areas. Further, some programs are behind in NIL and at some point, they just have to pivot to a less expensive item (player) at a certain position. These are people, so the personal stuff absolutely matters. Fit. Meshing with coaches. Feeling comfortable/at home. Etc. But at the end of the day, especially as it pertains to portal, this is all about money.
Auburn landed a commitment Monday from Snow College transfer portal offensive lineman Seth Wilfred. I saw that and sort of wondered what it might mean for the Tigers' pursuit of Southern Miss transfer portal offensive lineman Gerquan Scott, who visited Ole Miss last week and then spent the weekend at Auburn.
Auburn is also in on Memphis transfer portal offensive tackle Makylan Pounders and several others. Last week, strong sources told me Scott would end up at Auburn. On Monday, however, media covering the Tigers indicated that Scott might not be "a take" on the Plains. There was some buzz in media circles that Scott will announce a commitment to Ole Miss today. I'll be fully honest here. None of my sources mentioned Scott yesterday. Does that mean anything? No. I knew nothing regarding Louis Moore, either, until the Indiana transfer portal defensive back announced his commitment. Ole Miss is keeping a lot of portal stuff as quiet as possible, and I'm hopelessly behind. I'll reach out to Scott this morning and see if I can initiate some contact. Apparently some Ole Miss sources are reporting they expect Scott to commit to Ole Miss. That's probably accurate, and if it is, it's another sign of just how healthy Ole Miss' NIL situation is. Auburn likely decided it couldn't -- or didn't need to -- meet Scott's price.
By the way, the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder, should he transfer to Ole Miss, brings versatility to the Rebels' line. He'd likely play guard in Oxford, but he has FBS experience at tackle, and that never hurts.
I don't expect a decision anytime soon from South Carolina transfer portal wide receiver Juice Wells. He's going to take at least one more visit before deciding.
And of course, as Tuesday gets rolling, most eyes are on the defensive line. Florida transfer portal defensive end Princely Umanmielen (it's going to take me a minute to type that name without referring to notes) is on campus now. Ole Miss, per sources, leads and is going to try to get this done. Unamnielen is excellent off the edge, something the Rebels didn't have a lot of this season. He's also solid against the run.
I don't know when, but Texas A&M transfer portal defensive tackle Walter Nolen is due on campus this week. Nolen visited Oregon over the weekend but didn't commit. Sources indicate Ole Miss has the NIL wherewithal to get it done if it is only about NIL. I continue to hear Nolen is Priority No. 1 for the Ole Miss staff, the elite interior defensive lineman that can be the difference between a very good and an elite defense. The 6-foot-4, 290-pounder had 37 tackles and four sacks last season for Texas A&M. He's an absolute handful for opposing offensive linemen, a chaotic force that occupies blockers and frees up linebackers and safeties to make plays in the running game.
Walter Nolen - Ole Miss Rebels Defensive Tackle - ESPN
View the profile of Ole Miss Rebels Defensive Tackle Walter Nolen on ESPN. Get the latest news, live stats and game highlights.
Finally, I'm told all of Ole Miss' high school commitments are solid here eight days before National Signing Day, including William Echoles, who is still getting attention from Alabama. I'm told, via sources, there's nothing for Ole Miss to worry about at this point. Lancaster, Texas, running back Kewan Lacy, meanwhile, has set a Thursday decision date. I anticipate Lacy will commit to Ole Miss over Missouri, Alabama and others.
More when/if I get it...
Personal note: I'll be out of pocket this evening from around 5 until around 10, as Oxford plays at Hernando tonight. I'll catch up on recruiting developments when I get back.
