Good morning, Rebel fans, we are back at it again with another recruiting omnibus to get us through the most brutal month of the year for college football fans and outdoor plants alike.
First, I’m just going to go ahead and call myself out for being wrong about Deion Smith. In my recruiting update last week, I suggested that something fishy was going on with the multiple setbacks and delays in getting Smith on campus. Well, I probably wasn’t totally wrong about that, as it certainly seems like the talented all-everything JUCO wideout finished his required coursework by the absolute skin of his teeth. BUT, I doubted him when others with more “inside info” were insisting that it was all going to work out. In this case, I’m ecstatic to be wrong, as Smith likely adds another huge playmaker to an already stacked offense, provided he can get on the same page as Jaxson Dart and Lane Kiffin.
Speaking of bolstering the wide receiver room, I mentioned in last week’s update that Utah State receiver and return specialist Micah Davis was rumored to be a late addition to the 2024 roster. Indeed, the All-MWC Honorable Mention selection has joined the team, and provides another slot option. Perhaps more importantly, Davis likely gives Jordan Watkins a break from punt return duties; you’ll remember that at times last year, an injured Watkins was trotted out to field punts, presumably because Kiffin didn’t trust anyone else to cleanly field a punt in crunch time.
The Rebs had four decommitments over the course of just a few days in June, losing two elite recruits in Akylin Dear and Jerome Myles. Last weekend, Saraland, Alabama wide receiver Dillon Alfred became the second player out of those four to recommit to Ole Miss, joining EDGE/LB Corey Amos, who recommitted during Juice Fest. In my update at the time, I wasn’t particularly worried about losing either, so I won’t turn around and pretend to be ecstatic about their return. Alfred is coached by former Ole Miss wideout Mike Espy, who strongly vouches for his pupil’s skills. Here’s my issue, not just with Alfred, but with Ole Miss wide receiver recruiting in general: in Lane Kiffin’s time in Oxford, he’s signed just two high school wideouts with good size, in Braylon Brown and Ayden Williams, while seemingly recruiting a ton more guys in the 5’10-5’11 range (Dillon Alfred is listed at 5’11). In today’s game, there aren’t too many successful outside receivers under 6 feet, so it seems like the bulk of the Rebs’ wide receiver recruiting efforts are being devoted to slot guys, or very undersized outside guys, making wide receiver a big priority in every transfer portal cycle. With each subsequent year of this trend, it gets harder to get excited about the next undersized wideout Kiffin recruits out of the high school ranks. Maybe Dillon Alfred bucks the trend? But until then, meh.
So who could be next to jump into the boat for Ole Miss in the 2025 class? Two relatively high-profile recruits seem poised to commit to the Rebs in the relatively near future. First, Pensacola, Florida safety Ladarian Clardy, an undersized but highly-rated prospect, appears to be a heavy Ole Miss lean. He’s currently ranked as the #178 player in the country according to On3’s consensus. Based on his Hudl tape, Clardy plays wide receiver, safety, and even some quarterback. It’s clear that he has good ball skills and good speed, but it’s hard to judge much more than that.
Also on the verge of a commitment is Shekai Mills-Knight, a running back for Chattanooga’s Baylor School. Listed at 6’2, 210 lbs, Mills-Knight would be the biggest back Lane Kiffin has recruited to Oxford. He currently ranks as the #348 player in the country, with reported offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio State, Oregon, Florida, Miami, Auburn, and tons of others.
So where does the current Ole Miss class stand in terms of numbers at each position? So far, the class is a little defense-heavy (probably for the best), as the Rebs don’t have a current commit at QB or RB. Two wideouts are committed, in Dillon Alfred and Samari Reed, along with one tight end, Hayden Bradley. Two offensive linemen (Taren Hendrick and Kenneth Boston) round out the offensive side of the class.
On defense, the Rebs have commitments from two traditional defensive linemen (Andrew Maddox, Corey Adams), two EDGE defenders (Talib Graham, Corey Amos) and one linebacker (Jarcoby Hopson). Rounding out the class are defensive backs Keon Young, Cortez Thomas, Maison Dunn, and Major Preston.
Add Ladarian Clardy to that DB group, and it’s a very salty class of defensive backs. The rest of the class… needs some filling out. We’ll keep you updated as things progress from here to National Signing Day.
