Neal McCready
How well is recruiting going for Ole Miss? It's mid-November, and there is a scarcity of names on the Rebels' board.
Offensive line is a priority for the Rebels, and there's a lot of focus being put on the pursuit of Avery Gennesy. Sources cclose to Ole Miss feel good about him, and Gennesy has consistently mentioned Ole Miss in his top group. Gennesy's mother doesn't want him going far away to school, and sources close to Ole Miss' recruiting of him feel the Rebels have gained some momentum in the past two weeks. Still, anyone counting out Texas A&M and Ohio State are simply being naive.
East Mississippi Community College defensive lineman Jarran Reed's visit went very well and Ole Miss wants him, per sources. Ole Miss is hopeful Reed and his junior college teammate, former Alabama defensive end D.J. Pettway, matriculate to Oxford together. The feeling among sources close to Ole Miss is the Rebels lead for both players, but there seems to be an anxiety that things could change with one or both at any minute.
Rivals100 safety Jamal Adams has apparently narrowed his list to Ole Miss, Florida and Texas. There is still a lot to shake out for Adams. Will Mack Brown survive at Texas? What's the situation at Florida? Ole Miss has been the most consistent school in Adams' recruiting, but in my opinion, it's too early to make a solid prediction.
I continue to hear Ole Miss feels great about its chances with four-star linebacker Nyles Morgan and four-star wide receiver Markell Pack. The Rebels, I'm hearing, are still trying to make a run at four-star running back/Alabama commitment Bo Scarbrough. He could make another trip to Oxford for the Rebels' date with Missouri next weekend. If he shows, that's obviously a good sign for Ole Miss.
Akeem Judd has been backing up Jovon Robinson this season at Georgia Military Academy, but I'm told by strong sources that Ole Miss running backs coach Derrick Nix loves Judd.
Ole Miss and Florida are the leaders for Homewood, Ala., offensive lineman Jordan Sims. Auburn isn't going to take Sims, per sources close to the Tigers. He'd love an Alabama offer, but that doesn't seem likely. Ole Miss appears to be the leader for Sims.
Ole Miss continues to be optimistic about C.J. Hampton, even though Hampton continues to take trips to Tuscaloosa. There will be concern in Oxford until his signature comes in, but sources close to Ole Miss maintain the Rebels will be fine.
Ole Miss would like to add a junior college linebacker, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. Louisiana cornerback Terrence Alexander is still a strong option at cornerback, depending on what happens with Holmes Community College cornerback Tee Shepard. Alexander cut his list to Ole Miss, Stanford and Ohio State on Thursday.
Ole Miss continues to be in strong shape for Covington, La., defensive lineman Garrald McDowell. LSU is a threat if the Tigers offer, but Ole Miss is a solid leader. There is some speculation that Ole Miss remains a threat to steal Greenville, Miss., linebacker/defensive end Gerri Green away from Mississippi State, but I'm not sure I buy it. Green had ACL repair surgery Thursday.
I continue to hear Ole Miss is more of a threat for Malachi Dupre than most people think, but LSU remains the prohibitive favorite there.
Chase Parham
I'm going to reiterate or add on to what Neal said for a couple paragraphs. We talk to different people.
I'm also hearing Ole Miss continues to feel great about DJ Pettway. He's not talking publicly, but it's Ole Miss and Alabama with Tennessee lurking, and I've sensed increased optimism from people close to Ole Miss in the past week. Pettway doesn't seem to want to deal with many of those who were involved with his past history. Alabama landing the No. 1 player nationally I'm sure didn't hurt the Rebels in their pursuit of Pettway, but I think Ole Miss was leading anyway.
I'm really intrigued to see what Florida does with Will Muschamp. As you know by now, Florida assistant Joker Phillips is Adams' godfather, and he was in Jamal's parents' wedding. Does Jeremy Foley shake up the Gators staff -- either all the way or with assistants? Foley's endorsement of Muschamp come across as too strong to be sincere, but it's fascinating if he views it as a season with too many injuries and bad luck or a coach who might not can get it done and you need to change before the ship sinks.
Ole Miss loves Terrence Alexander. If he ends up elsewhere, it won't be for a lack of trying by the Rebels.
If you're in Biloxi on Dec. 8, you can watch the JUCO national title game between Georgia Military and East Mississippi. Jovon Robinson, Akeem Judd, Avery Gennesy, Jarran Reed, DJ Pettway all in attendance. I expect a lot of points.
CJ Hampton is officially visiting Florida State this weekend. Just buckle in and let it play out. I like Ole Miss' chances in February. Not a bad thing when Alabama and Florida State want your commitments. Adding Hampton and Anthony Alford to the defensive backfield is pretty good, huh?
Notable visitors for tomorrow include Florence, Ala., quarterback Kendrick Doss and Gulf Coast CC linebacker Cavellis Luckett. Doss has signed scholarship papers which bind Ole Miss to him. He'll still have to sign an NLI in February to bind him to Ole Miss. Luckett is the guy to watch if Ole Miss takes a JUCO linebacker. He had a big season and has good size to him at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds.
The Under Armour and Army AA games are pretty set with rosters at this point. Here are the Ole Miss targets in each game. It's pretty much split down the middle. As you all likely remember from this past spring, Rivals.com has teamed up with Under Armour in a ton of ways, and one of those is getting exclusive access to a lot of different portions of the all-star event in Florida.
Under Armour
Bo Scarbrough
Jamal Adams
Malachi Dupre
Gerald Willis III
Rod Taylor
Tyler Luatua
Garrald McDowell
Gary Wunderlich
Army
Damien Mama
Ainuu Taua
Clifton Garrett
Davon Godcahux
CJ Hampton
Kentavius Street
Markell Pack
Jordan Sims
Nyles Morgan
This is the list, best I can tell, of the players Ole Miss baseball signed this past Wednesday. Ole Miss hasn't released a list, so it could be off a guy or two, but I'm fairly confident in the following. National rank by Perfect Game is in parentheses.
Moises Castro RHP Walls, Miss.
Matt Martin OF Boisser Parish CC
Jack Kaiser 1B Alvin CC
Sean Johnson Iowa Western RHP
Drake Robison RHP Iowa Western
Ti'quan Forbes SS (22) Columbia, Miss.
Foster Griffin LHP (25) Orlando, Fla.
Tate Blackman SS (54) Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Clay Casey OF (91) Southaven, Miss.
Brady Feigl RHP (276) Chesterfield, Mo.
John Wesley Ray RHP (293) Southaven, Miss.
Michael Fitzsimmons 1B (500) Eads, Tenn.
Joe Wainhouse 1B (460) Kent, Wa.
Kyle Watson SS (451) Southaven, Miss.
Will Stokes RHP Meridian, Miss.
Nic Perkins C St. Charles Mo.
Will Golsan MIF New Hope, Miss.
Calder Mikell RHP Petal, Miss.
You'll notice a much heavier Mississippi presence this time, though some of the Southaven guys play in Memphis but put down Mississippi addresses.
So who should you start worrying about regarding the Draft this coming summer? Here's my best guess.
Ti'quan Forbes is gone in my opinion. 6.56 60-yard dash, 82 MPH across the infield. Power potential at the plate. Can stick at shortstop at the next level. I'll be shocked if he makes it to campus.
Tate Blackman is the one to watch who could end up in Oxford. He had a really bad leg injury a couple years ago but has gotten better, and his 60 times are back where they were pre-injury, when he was ranked the No. 1 middle infielder nationally. Big time baseball family. Ran a 6.65 back in June. Big arm across the diamond. Could depend on team and situation.
Foster Griffin is a left-handed elite prospect. 6-foot-5, lean, up to 92 MPH a couple months ago. Already has an above average changeup. Breaking ball is coming but is behind the other pitches. From a prospect standpoint, there's not much to hate. His dad's a golf pro. Heard some big numbers on his end. We'll see.
JUCO RHP Sean Johnson is another to follow. He's 6-foot-7 and runs it up to 93 MPH with a good slider. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 31st round this past June. A fairly high selection wouldn't shock me, but word is it will take a lot of money to keep him from a junior year of college.
I'm sure others will get scooped up at some point in June, but those are four to focus on. I don't have much of a draft profile for Casey or Feigl yet. Mikell has been up to 94 MPH in some workouts but didn't perform that well at East Coast Pro. That's a good thing for the Rebels.
How well is recruiting going for Ole Miss? It's mid-November, and there is a scarcity of names on the Rebels' board.
Offensive line is a priority for the Rebels, and there's a lot of focus being put on the pursuit of Avery Gennesy. Sources cclose to Ole Miss feel good about him, and Gennesy has consistently mentioned Ole Miss in his top group. Gennesy's mother doesn't want him going far away to school, and sources close to Ole Miss' recruiting of him feel the Rebels have gained some momentum in the past two weeks. Still, anyone counting out Texas A&M and Ohio State are simply being naive.
East Mississippi Community College defensive lineman Jarran Reed's visit went very well and Ole Miss wants him, per sources. Ole Miss is hopeful Reed and his junior college teammate, former Alabama defensive end D.J. Pettway, matriculate to Oxford together. The feeling among sources close to Ole Miss is the Rebels lead for both players, but there seems to be an anxiety that things could change with one or both at any minute.
Rivals100 safety Jamal Adams has apparently narrowed his list to Ole Miss, Florida and Texas. There is still a lot to shake out for Adams. Will Mack Brown survive at Texas? What's the situation at Florida? Ole Miss has been the most consistent school in Adams' recruiting, but in my opinion, it's too early to make a solid prediction.
I continue to hear Ole Miss feels great about its chances with four-star linebacker Nyles Morgan and four-star wide receiver Markell Pack. The Rebels, I'm hearing, are still trying to make a run at four-star running back/Alabama commitment Bo Scarbrough. He could make another trip to Oxford for the Rebels' date with Missouri next weekend. If he shows, that's obviously a good sign for Ole Miss.
Akeem Judd has been backing up Jovon Robinson this season at Georgia Military Academy, but I'm told by strong sources that Ole Miss running backs coach Derrick Nix loves Judd.
Ole Miss and Florida are the leaders for Homewood, Ala., offensive lineman Jordan Sims. Auburn isn't going to take Sims, per sources close to the Tigers. He'd love an Alabama offer, but that doesn't seem likely. Ole Miss appears to be the leader for Sims.
Ole Miss continues to be optimistic about C.J. Hampton, even though Hampton continues to take trips to Tuscaloosa. There will be concern in Oxford until his signature comes in, but sources close to Ole Miss maintain the Rebels will be fine.
Ole Miss would like to add a junior college linebacker, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. Louisiana cornerback Terrence Alexander is still a strong option at cornerback, depending on what happens with Holmes Community College cornerback Tee Shepard. Alexander cut his list to Ole Miss, Stanford and Ohio State on Thursday.
Ole Miss continues to be in strong shape for Covington, La., defensive lineman Garrald McDowell. LSU is a threat if the Tigers offer, but Ole Miss is a solid leader. There is some speculation that Ole Miss remains a threat to steal Greenville, Miss., linebacker/defensive end Gerri Green away from Mississippi State, but I'm not sure I buy it. Green had ACL repair surgery Thursday.
I continue to hear Ole Miss is more of a threat for Malachi Dupre than most people think, but LSU remains the prohibitive favorite there.
Chase Parham
I'm going to reiterate or add on to what Neal said for a couple paragraphs. We talk to different people.
I'm also hearing Ole Miss continues to feel great about DJ Pettway. He's not talking publicly, but it's Ole Miss and Alabama with Tennessee lurking, and I've sensed increased optimism from people close to Ole Miss in the past week. Pettway doesn't seem to want to deal with many of those who were involved with his past history. Alabama landing the No. 1 player nationally I'm sure didn't hurt the Rebels in their pursuit of Pettway, but I think Ole Miss was leading anyway.
I'm really intrigued to see what Florida does with Will Muschamp. As you know by now, Florida assistant Joker Phillips is Adams' godfather, and he was in Jamal's parents' wedding. Does Jeremy Foley shake up the Gators staff -- either all the way or with assistants? Foley's endorsement of Muschamp come across as too strong to be sincere, but it's fascinating if he views it as a season with too many injuries and bad luck or a coach who might not can get it done and you need to change before the ship sinks.
Ole Miss loves Terrence Alexander. If he ends up elsewhere, it won't be for a lack of trying by the Rebels.
If you're in Biloxi on Dec. 8, you can watch the JUCO national title game between Georgia Military and East Mississippi. Jovon Robinson, Akeem Judd, Avery Gennesy, Jarran Reed, DJ Pettway all in attendance. I expect a lot of points.
CJ Hampton is officially visiting Florida State this weekend. Just buckle in and let it play out. I like Ole Miss' chances in February. Not a bad thing when Alabama and Florida State want your commitments. Adding Hampton and Anthony Alford to the defensive backfield is pretty good, huh?
Notable visitors for tomorrow include Florence, Ala., quarterback Kendrick Doss and Gulf Coast CC linebacker Cavellis Luckett. Doss has signed scholarship papers which bind Ole Miss to him. He'll still have to sign an NLI in February to bind him to Ole Miss. Luckett is the guy to watch if Ole Miss takes a JUCO linebacker. He had a big season and has good size to him at 6-foot-1, 230 pounds.
The Under Armour and Army AA games are pretty set with rosters at this point. Here are the Ole Miss targets in each game. It's pretty much split down the middle. As you all likely remember from this past spring, Rivals.com has teamed up with Under Armour in a ton of ways, and one of those is getting exclusive access to a lot of different portions of the all-star event in Florida.
Under Armour
Bo Scarbrough
Jamal Adams
Malachi Dupre
Gerald Willis III
Rod Taylor
Tyler Luatua
Garrald McDowell
Gary Wunderlich
Army
Damien Mama
Ainuu Taua
Clifton Garrett
Davon Godcahux
CJ Hampton
Kentavius Street
Markell Pack
Jordan Sims
Nyles Morgan
This is the list, best I can tell, of the players Ole Miss baseball signed this past Wednesday. Ole Miss hasn't released a list, so it could be off a guy or two, but I'm fairly confident in the following. National rank by Perfect Game is in parentheses.
Moises Castro RHP Walls, Miss.
Matt Martin OF Boisser Parish CC
Jack Kaiser 1B Alvin CC
Sean Johnson Iowa Western RHP
Drake Robison RHP Iowa Western
Ti'quan Forbes SS (22) Columbia, Miss.
Foster Griffin LHP (25) Orlando, Fla.
Tate Blackman SS (54) Altamonte Springs, Fla.
Clay Casey OF (91) Southaven, Miss.
Brady Feigl RHP (276) Chesterfield, Mo.
John Wesley Ray RHP (293) Southaven, Miss.
Michael Fitzsimmons 1B (500) Eads, Tenn.
Joe Wainhouse 1B (460) Kent, Wa.
Kyle Watson SS (451) Southaven, Miss.
Will Stokes RHP Meridian, Miss.
Nic Perkins C St. Charles Mo.
Will Golsan MIF New Hope, Miss.
Calder Mikell RHP Petal, Miss.
You'll notice a much heavier Mississippi presence this time, though some of the Southaven guys play in Memphis but put down Mississippi addresses.
So who should you start worrying about regarding the Draft this coming summer? Here's my best guess.
Ti'quan Forbes is gone in my opinion. 6.56 60-yard dash, 82 MPH across the infield. Power potential at the plate. Can stick at shortstop at the next level. I'll be shocked if he makes it to campus.
Tate Blackman is the one to watch who could end up in Oxford. He had a really bad leg injury a couple years ago but has gotten better, and his 60 times are back where they were pre-injury, when he was ranked the No. 1 middle infielder nationally. Big time baseball family. Ran a 6.65 back in June. Big arm across the diamond. Could depend on team and situation.
Foster Griffin is a left-handed elite prospect. 6-foot-5, lean, up to 92 MPH a couple months ago. Already has an above average changeup. Breaking ball is coming but is behind the other pitches. From a prospect standpoint, there's not much to hate. His dad's a golf pro. Heard some big numbers on his end. We'll see.
JUCO RHP Sean Johnson is another to follow. He's 6-foot-7 and runs it up to 93 MPH with a good slider. He was drafted by the Cubs in the 31st round this past June. A fairly high selection wouldn't shock me, but word is it will take a lot of money to keep him from a junior year of college.
I'm sure others will get scooped up at some point in June, but those are four to focus on. I don't have much of a draft profile for Casey or Feigl yet. Mikell has been up to 94 MPH in some workouts but didn't perform that well at East Coast Pro. That's a good thing for the Rebels.
