Ole Miss 2015 recruiting wrap-up

Now that the dust has settled from National Signing Day, The Rebel Walk offers you an assessment of how our Ole Miss Rebels fared.

At the end of the February 4^th signing day, many Rebel fans were somewhat distracted by the young men who chose not to join Rebel Nation, as opposed to the great players who did sign on the dotted line.

But take a few minutes and consider the following:

• The 2015 Class has three Top-100 players, which is the second-highest number we have signed in the last decade.
• The class has 11 five and four-star players, the second highest in the last decade. (18 of the players were ranked four-star by at least one of the recruiting services.)
• The average star rating of the 2015 class is 3.5, while that of 2013’s top-10 ranked class was 3.62.
• Of the national polls, 247Sports has the Rebels ranked the highest at No. 15. Scout has Ole Miss ranked at No. 16, while ESPN has the Rebels at No. 19. The lowest the Rebels are ranked is No. 21 by Rivals.

Did we get every young man we would have liked to have seen join the Rebels? Of course not, but Coach Freeze and his staff are to be complimented on putting together a group of young men that fit our program both on and off the field.

Signees you will see on the field this fall

Some of the fantastic recruits the Rebels signed will be players you are certain to see on the field this fall. These include:  wide receiver Van Jefferson, wide receiver Damarkus Lodge, wide receiver/kick returner/punt returner Jalen Julius, running back Eric Swinney, quarterback Chad Kelly, offensive guard Javon Patterson, defensive tackle D.J. Jones, linebacker Terry Caldwell and cornerback Tony Bridges.

Players with the highest impact potential

QB Chad Kelly definitely has the potential to be a high-impact player for the Rebels, as he will either win the job this spring or push redshirt sophomores DeVante Kincade and Ryan Buchanan to step up and take charge of the QB position.

Defensive tackle D.J. Jones will make his presence felt as will cornerback Tony Bridges.  They, along with linebacker Terry Caldwell, will be part of a defense that has the potential to be as good, if not better, than the 2014 defense.

Players Rebels will appreciate

Three years from now, Ole Miss fans will look back and appreciate these players for joining the program:

Austrian Robinson –  6-5 253  Give this 6-foot-five, 253 lb defensive lineman some time to develop, and you’ll see a quality student-athlete who definitely reaches his potential.

Joe Anderson – The 6-foot-4, 232 lb defensive lineman is a sign-and-place, but when he gets to Ole Miss, the wait will have been worth it!

Alex Givens and Michael Howard – Givens, a 6-foot-6, 270-lb offensive lineman, Howard, a 6-foot-6, 248-lb offensive lineman, are two players we believe will have Rebel players asking themselves, “Drew, who?”

Shawn Curtis – This 6-foot-3, 247-lb middle linebacker is one to keep your eye on. He could be a player whose name you hear called out early on draft day a few years from now.

While not specifically mentioned above, DB Zedrick Woods, DB Montrell Custis, DB Cameron Ordway, TE Willie Hibbler, DT Ross Donelly, DB Armani Linton, DE Rasool Clemons and QB Jason Pellerin, are excellent young men who will make their marks on the program.

The Rebel Walk will bring you a more in-depth look at each of these young men as we get closer to spring practices.

Rebels ranked No. 2 in nation for 2016

2015 recruiting is wrapped up, though the Rebels did leave a scholarship open for a late qualifier or transfer, and now the focus shifts to 2016.

Are you aware that at this point, the current 2016 commits have the Rebels rated as the No. 2 class in the nation?

We’ll go out on a limb and predict now that next year’s class will be the best ever! But make no mistake, they will be joining players from an excellent 2015 Ole Miss recruiting class.