Countdown to the Rebels’ National Signing Day: Who and where to watch

All eyes will be on Oxford, Mississippi—and select high school locations around the country—on Wednesday, February 3, as Ole Miss fans will eagerly watch for the final tally on the Rebels’ 2016 football recruiting class.

Head Coach Hugh Freeze and Ole Miss are poised for a big finish to the 2016 recruiting season, with the class currently sitting at No. 4 in the 247 Sports 2016 Recruiting Rankings. The Rebels have 22 commits, with eight of those already in school.

5-Star Extravaganza

The Rebels currently have more commits from 5-star players (three) than any other school in the country. Two of those 5-star players (Shea Patterson and Benito Jones) already have enrolled and are attending classes at Ole Miss.  The third 5-star of the trio is DE Jeffery Simmons, who will announce Wednesday at 11:00 am.

The only other school in the 247 Rankings that is close to Ole Miss with that many 5-star recruits–at this point–is Georgia, with two.

Who to watch (and where) on National Signing Day

Part of what will ultimately determine the Rebels’ final rankings will be the decisions made by the players listed below. According to 247Sports, here are the Ole Miss targets to watch and, for your convenience, their National Signing Day announcement times and viewing options (where applicable).

Fasten your seatbelts, Ole Miss fans! As Rebels247 Publisher David Johnson says: “Anything can happen–and often does–with recruiting!”

5* Jeffery Simmons

SDE | 6-3.5 | 277
Noxubee County (Macon, MS)

When: 11:00 a.m. CT
Where: Noxubee County (Miss.) High School
Watch: HS FOOTBALL APP

The lowdown on Simmons: Jefferey Simmons has long been considered leaning towards Ole Miss, and there is nothing (at the time of this publication) that indicates otherwise. However, you can be sure that Nick Saban and Alabama (and State) will be making last-minute pushes for the 5-star Simmons.

4* Deontay Anderson

S | 6-1 | 192
Manvel (Manvel, TX)

When: 9:00 a.m. (CT)
Where: Manvel (Texas) High School
Watch: ESPNU

The lowdown on Anderson: David Johnson of Rebels247 said today on his radio show that he feels very good about where things stand with Anderson. The nation’s No. 2 safety has been considered a silent commit to Ole Miss and there’s no reason to believe that will change—at least not at this point.

4* A.J. Brown

WR | 6-1 | 220
Starkville (Starkville, MS)

When: 8:50 a.m. CT
Where: Starkville (Miss.) High School
Where to Watch: HS FOOTBALL APP

The lowdown on A.J.: This one is going to go down to the wire. While a lot of Ole Miss sources feel “good” about Brown signing with Ole Miss, there will still be a lot of excitement as Brown chooses between the Rebels, Alabama, and possibly even his hometown school, Mississippi State.

4* Shyheim Carter

ATH | 6-0 | 190
Kentwood (Kentwood, LA)

When: 8:00 a.m. CT
Where: Kentwood (La.) High School
Watch: N/A

The lowdown on Shyheim: Most recruiting sources believe Ole Miss and Alabama are the frontrunners for Shyheim. Rebels247 also indicates that they wouldn’t be surprised if LSU and Miami made a strong push for him.

4* Jonathan Kongbo

SDE | 6-5.5 | 264
Arizona Western College (Yuma, AZ)

When: 9:00 a.m. CT
Where: Arizona Western Community College
Watch: N/A

The lowdown on Jonathan: Ole Miss feels somewhat confident about their chances with Kongbo. Though the Vols think the former Tennessee commit will end up in Knoxville, they are hopefully going to be disappointed as Ole Miss sources feel “pretty good” about the star JUCO defensive end wearing the red and blue.

4* Terrell Hall

WDE | 6-5 | 250
St. John’s College (Washington, DC)

When: 1:15 p.m. CT
Where: St. John’s High School (Washington, D.C.)
Watch: ESPNU

The lowdown on Terrell: Rebels247 reports, “Alabama appears to be the leader, but Ole Miss got the last official visit and he left with something to think about.”

4* Jacob Mathis

TE | 6-3.5 | 223
Berkeley Prep (Tampa, FL)

When: 9:00 a.m. CT
Where: Berkeley Prep School (Tampa, Fla)
Watch: N/A

The lowdown on Jacob: Many sources continue to believe the Rebels are the frontrunner for the star tight end; however, Florida would love to have him also. The Gators, though, don’t have many spots remaining in their class.

4* Kobe Jones

DT | 6-4 | 265
Starkville (Starkville, MS)

When: 8:50 a.m. CT
Where: Starkville (Miss.) High School
Watch: HS FOOTBALL APP

The lowdown on Kobe: The standout defensive tackle is deciding between Mississippi State, Alabama and Ole Miss. It’s anyone’s guess as to where he will play college ball.

4* Mykel Jones

WR | 6-0 | 180
Patterson (Patterson, LA)

When: 8:00 am CT
Where: Patterson (Louisiana) High School
Watch: Live stream from @Julie_Boudwin via Twitter

The lowdown on Mykel: Rebels247 says: “It simply comes down to class numbers for Jones with Ole Miss and Alabama. He took his official to the Tide, but not to Ole Miss. Tennessee and Oklahoma are also in the mix.”

Stay Tuned

The Rebel Walk’s Courtney A. Smith and Amanda Swain will be on campus in Oxford Wednesday, February 3, for Coach Hugh Freeze’s 2:00 p.m. (CT) press conference. Stay tuned for what is sure to be another GREAT day to be an Ole Miss Rebel!

Hotty Toddy!