Ole Miss Football Transfer Portal Updates: Lane Kiffin’s 2024 transfer targets and commits; Defensive stars Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen set to visit
Posted by Zach Moreth | Dec 11, 2023 | Football, Recruiting
OXFORD, Miss. — Here we are at the end of a week of the transfer portal being open and, it’s been a whirlwind! Ole Miss has already received the commitment of the nation’s No. 1 JUCO wide receiver, Deion Smith, the nation’s No. 1 transfer linebacker, Chris Paul (Arkansas),as well as Ilinois transfer defensive back Taz Nicholson and Indiana transfer safety Louis Moore.
This portal window remains open for this period until the end of the day on January 1, 2024.
The Rebel Walk is here to break down all of the possibilities and keep you posted on which players Ole Miss is looking at.
Keep up with the TRANSFER PORTAL TRACKER for the latest Ole Miss comings and goings!
December 11, 2023 TRANSFER PORTAL UPDATES
Let’s break these transfer targets down by position, starting with one that is currently getting a lot of attention.Defensive Linemen
Walter Nolen – A&M DL, Offered by Ole Miss, SET TO VISIT OLE MISS
Ole Miss could have a very special visitor soon as reports Monday, December 11 suggested that A&M transfer defensive lineman Walter Nolen could be headed to Oxford to check out the Rebels.Nolen was the number two player in the country coming out of high school and is the number one player in the transfer portal with two years of eligibility remaining. NIL will, of course, play a factor in Nolen’s recruitment. Nolen, originally from Olive Branch, Mississippi, has been in contact with Pete Golding since he was a high school recruit.
Nolen has tallied 66 tackles (37 solos), five sacks and a forced fumble during two seasons at Texas A&M. This year, he increased his production with totals of 37 tackles and four sacks.
Nolen visited Oregon this past weekend — and left without committing.
If Ole Miss were able to land Nolen, you would likely see some sort of domino effect for the A&M players in the portal who were his former teammates. The importance of Walter’s decision is one that speaks for itself, and The Rebel Walk will keep you updated when any information breaks on Nolen.
Princely Umanmielen – Florida EDGE – UPDATE: On Ole Miss campus Mondayevening, December 11
Umanmielen, a former four-star prospect from Manor (Texas) High School, appeared in 45 games for the Gators, making 24 starts. He led Florida in sacks, quarterback hurries and tackles for loss in 2023 and was rewarded with being named All-SEC Second Team honors. He started 12 games this past season, tallying a career-high tackles for loss (11.5), sacks (7) and quarterback hurries (17). He also tied a career-high of 39 tackles.Pro Football Focus graded Umanmielen as the Gators’ top defensive player this season, and he leaves Gainesville with 98 tackles, 15 sacks, 24.5 tackles for loss, and three forced fumbles.
Marley Cook – MTSU Defensive Lineman, OFFERED by Ole Miss
Cook enters the portal as a grad-transfer who just finished his redshirt-junior season. The 6-2, 298-pound defensive lineman started for the last two seasons for the Blue Raiders. He’s been a part of the MTSU program since 2019, where he signed as a two-star prospect out of Mississippi.In his last 25 starts, he tallied 7.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss. He was named to the First Team PFF College All-CUSA team for his in 2022. He served as a team captain for the 2023 season.
Samuel Okunlola – Pittsburgh EDGE, offered by Ole Miss
The edge rusher out of Pittsburgh will be one of several highly-coveted players in the portal and the Rebels have extended an offer. Okunlola is 6’4 and collected five sacks, the most on the team, for Pitt this season. The Brockton, MA native is also related to Samson Okunlola, who is an offensive lineman for Miami. Due to that relationship, Miami will have a clear head start in his recruitment if they choose to engage. Regardless of that, though, the experience and potential that Okunlola could bring to defensive line coach Randall Joyner’s make him one that will definitely be pursued by the Rebs.Defensive backs
KeShawn ‘Key’ Lawrence – Oklahoma Safety (Visited Ole Miss Dec. 5, offered)
Ole Miss has offered KeShawn ‘Key’ Lawrence, a 6-foot-1, 206-pound transfer safety from Oklahoma. Lawrence started six games for the Sooners this season, and will have one year of eligibility remaining.The Nashville native tallied 44 tackles in 2023 with two INTs, three pass breakups and a forced fumble. Over the 2021 and 2022 seasons, played in 24 games. He notched 105 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, one interception, seven pass break-ups and five forced fumbles. He earned honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2021.
Andrew Mukuba – Clemson safety, offered by Ole Miss
The junior from Clemson announced that he would be entering the transfer portal earlier on Tuesday after racking up the most tackles in the entire Tiger secondary this past season. Mukuba surprisingly did not notch an interception but did deflect six passes. As far as we know, Mukuba has only announced offers from Ole Miss and Oregon so far, which hopefully is a good thing for the Rebs. The 6’0, 195-pound Mukuba would play a crucial leadership role in next year’s secondary and would be a fantastic addition for the defense.William Lee lll – Kansas State CB, offered by Ole Miss
Lee is a player transferring out of Kansas State who can do a little bit of everything at the corner position. The St. Louis, Missouri native led the corners on his team with 32 total tackles while deflecting six passes, forcing a fumble, and collecting two interceptions. Lee is 6’3, provides length, and is light on his feet. Other than from the Rebs, Will has heard from Auburn, Florida, and Washington. Keep an eye out for this one to see if Pete Golding can add a key piece to his secondary.Jermod McCoy – Oregon State CB, offered by Ole Miss
The Oregon State cornerback received an offer from Ole Miss last week. He was a freshman last season and led the Beavers in pass deflections and was tied for the lead in interceptions. This is a player who can be at Ole Miss for several years and start to take the next step into becoming an all-conference type player. McCoy’s talents are no secret, as he has also received offers from Washington, Oregon, Auburn, TCU, A&M, and more.Tahveon ‘Taz’ Nicholson – Illinois CB, COMMITTED to OLE MISS
Saturday afternoon, Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and Pete Golding received the second of their defensive transfer portal commitments after DB Tahveon “Taz” Nicholson announced his intent to transfer from the University of Illinois to Ole Miss.Nicholson is the No. 4-ranked cornerback prospect according to On3’s NCAA Transfer Portal player rankings. Nicholson, a junior, has spent his entire college career in an Illini uniform, including this past season, where he recorded 36 total tackles, six pass deflections, and two forced fumbles. The Jacksonville, Florida native recorded 66 tackles throughout his career at Illinois.
During his time at Illinois, Taz was a two-time All-Academic Big 10 recipient as well as the team’s Howard Griffith Impact Player in 2022.
Brandon Turnage – Tennessee CB, OFFERED by Ole Miss
Turnage is a 6-foot-1, 186-pound redshirt senior cornerback. He formerly played at Alabama before transferring to Tennessee in 2021. During the 2023 season, he had 6 tackles and 1 pass deflection.He will have one season of eligibility remaining.
Corey Thornton – UCF CB, Offered by Ole Miss
Thornton officially entered the portal last Tuesday after being a four-year starter at UCF while finishing this past season as the highest-graded defender, according to PFF. The Rebels have offered the talented CB.The veteran corner notched 27 tackles and three interceptions. His presence and experience are something that would greatly benefit Pete Golding and this defense in 2024 as the Rebels will be losing their two senior starting CBS in Deantre Prince and Zamari Walton at the end of the season.
Offensive linemen
Fernando Carmona Jr. – San José State OT, offered by Ole Miss
Carmona announced on Monday that he would be leaving San Jose State in search of a new home with two years of eligibility remaining. The offensive tackle has received offers from Ole Miss, South Carolina, Auburn, Texas Tech, and more. The Las Vegas native presents a strong frame at 6’5 and a little over 300 pounds, similarly to Carter Smith (Indiana), in whom the Rebels also have an interest. Carmona has offers from South Carolina, Texas Tech, Pittsburgh, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Arizona State.Davion Carter – Memphis OL
The 6-2, 290-pound Carter started 25 games during his career at Memphis, starting for all 12 games during the 2023 season. In the 2023 season, Carter only gave up one sack and seven quarterback hurries.Chase Bisontis – Texas A&M OL
Bisontis is the No. 10 overall player to hit the portal and the top-ranked interior offensive lineman to do so, according to On3. For the Aggies, he started all 12 games as a freshman at Texas A&M. Sources say Bisontis has heard from 26 schools already. He played high school football at Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) High School, where he was a four-star prospect.Gerquan Scott – Southern Miss OL, OFFERED by Ole Miss
Scott is reportedly down to Ole Miss and Auburn as his final two choices. He is from Mobile, Alabama, and was a three-star prospect in the 2019 recruiting class. After redshirting in 2019, he started 40 straight games with 32 at left guard, four at right guard and two at center.Update: On Monday, Dec. 11, Scott says he will make a decision in a “day or two.”
Carter Smith – Indiana OT (Visited last weekend)
The 6’5, 300-pound offensive tackle was a redshirt freshman this season, where he took on a much larger role for the Hoosiers. The Powell, Ohio native gained experience against teams like Michigan, Ohio State, Louisville, and Penn State, making him the perfect candidate for offensive line coach John Garrison’s unit. Smith could be used as both a starter or depth piece, with three years of eligibility remaining.Update: Carter’s visit went well at Ole Miss, but he is currently on a Monday/Tuesday visit to Florida State.
Linebacker
Sam Brumfield – MTSU (Visited Ole Miss, OFFERED by Ole Miss)
Brumfield, a Pearl, Miss. native, started 10 games this season for the Blue Raiders and recorded a team-high 82 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 forced fumbles this season. He had a season-high 13 tackles against Murray State on Sept. 16.The 5-foot-11, 226-pound Brumfield attended Northwest Mississippi Community College prior to signing with MTU. He led NMCC with 115 tackles during the 2022 season while also notching 13 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 5 hurries and 2 forced fumbles. He was one of three junior college players in the nation to record 100 or more tackles.
Chris “Pooh” Paul, Jr. – Arkansas LB – Committed to Ole Miss
Paul is a linebacker from Arkansas, where he collected the second-most tackles (74) on the team for the Razorbacks in 2023. The sophomore, a Cordele, Georgia native, would be expected to help fill the absence left with the departure of Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste, Monty Montgomery, and Ashanti Cistrunk. Even with SEC experience, watching Pete Golding develop Paul into an even better player could be a lot of fun for Ole Miss fans.Wide receivers
Ja’Mori Maclin – WR North Texas (OFFERED by Ole Miss)
In 2023, Maclin notched 57 receptions for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 17.6 yards per reception and was one of the most explosive players in the country.As a freshman in 2022, he earned a spot on C-USA’s All-Freshman Team after tallying 16 catches for 380 yards and two TDs. Before the 2022 season, he spent two seasons at Missouri. He played three games in 2020 and missed the 2021 season with an injury.
Will Sheppard – Vanderbilt WR – offered by Ole Miss
The Vanderbilt wide receiver has done nothing but show his productivity since he joined the Commodores in 2020. The Mandeville, Louisiana native has not had a chance to play with a quarterback as efficient as Jaxson Dart; however, he has still put up over 650 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons. In a Lane Kiffin offense, the 6’3, 200-pound Sheppard would become one of the most reliable and consistent players on the field. Between his recent offers from Texas A&M, Tulane, Mississippi State, and South Carolina, the wide receiver will have a chance to take his game to the next level in 2024.Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells, Jr. – South Carolina WR – offered and visited Ole Miss
The South Carolina wide receiver announced Sunday night his intent to enter the transfer portal. Wells will be a graduate transfer who has two years of eligibility remaining. The Highland Springs, Virginia native suffered a foot injury earlier this season against Georgia and has not played since. The 6’1, 210-pound Wells was named preseason All-SEC after a junior campaign where he tallied 68 catches for 929 yards and six TDs and was named first-team All-SEC.He visited Ole Miss last weekend and we are awaiting news.
