All Aboard! 2020 Ole Miss National Signing Day Update
OXFORD, Miss. — Wednesday morning brought a flurry of faxes into the Ole Miss football office as recruits took advantage of the beginning of the early signing period and sent in their National Letters of Intent, cementing their scholarship acceptance with the Rebels and jumping on board with new head coach Lane Kiffin.
Ole Miss found itself in an atypical position entering signing day, with some players having committed to Coach Kiffin and some to former coach Matt Luke. But regardless of to whom they committed, the newest Rebels have helped address many areas of need, with eleven prospects signing as of early this afternoon.
Here’s a closer look at each of the newest Rebels who have signed thus far!
OL Tobias Braun
The day begin at 6:55 a.m. with the first signee sending in his letter, Tobias Braun. The 6-foot-7, 306-lb. Braun is a three-star offensive tackle from Texas and Germany. He took his official visit to Oxford last weekend subsequent to his offer on December 12. Braun is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports and Rivals was rated the No. 10 player in Germany by the 247Sports composite ranking. Tobias played high school football at Salisbury School in Salisbury, Connecticut as a senior, earning all-league and all-New England honorable mention honors. He originally came to the United States as a junior in high school and played at Brook Hill High School (Texas). Tobias chose Ole Miss over offers from Arkansas, Missouri, Michigan, Florida State, Oregon, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Indiana, Arizona State, Kansas State, Iowa State, Texas Tech and Rutgers.
LB Cedric Johnson
Three-star defensive end Cedric Johnson sent in his letter at 7:05 a.m. today after he initially committed to the Rebels on June 15. He’s a 6-foot-3, 225-pound edge rusher from Mobile, Ala. who is rated the No. 35 weak-side defensive end in the country by Rivals and the No. 39 prospect in Alabama. He was a four-year letterwinner at Davidson High School, making 56 tackles as a senior with 16.0 sacks (1.8 sacks/game), 10 QB hurries, one forced fumble, one pass deflection and two fumble recoveries. Cedric chose Ole Miss over Tennessee, Kansas, Southern Miss, Air Force, Florida Atlantic and others.
DL DeSanto Rollins
Rollins, a 6-f00t-4, 290-pound defensive lineman from Baton Rouge, La., submitted his NLI at 7:15 a.m. today. He was named first team all-state in 2018 and 2019, posting 63 tackles with seven sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries as a senior. DeSanto, rated the No. 61 defensive tackle and No. 31 player in Louisiana by ESPN, chose Ole Miss over offers from Tennessee, Oregon, Colorado and Virginia, among others.
TE/WR DaMarcus Thomas
Four-star (Rivals) TE/WR DaMarcus Thomas of Saraland, Ala. sent in his NLI at 7:15 a.m. Rivals has DaMarcus ranked as the No. 13 tight end nationally and the No. 13 overall Alabama. He helped the Saraland Spartans reach the 2018 Alabama Class 6A state championship and finish with a 13-1 record, and powered his team to a 10-1 finish as a senior, tallying 739 receiving yards and seven touchdowns as a senior. DaMarcus chose Ole Miss over Tennessee, Southern Miss, Army, Louisiana and Tulane.
QB Kade Renfro
Stephenville High School QB Kade Renfro faxed in his NLI at 7:30 Wednesday morning. The 6-foot-4, 195-pound signal caller from Desdemona, TX is tabbed as the No. 27 pro-style quarterback in the nation by 247Sports. As a senior, he passed for 2,372 yards with 17 touchdowns, averaging 215 yards per game. He also carried the ball 91 times for 211 yards. He earned MVP honors at the Elite 11 Houston Regional and chose Ole Miss over offers from Florida State and UCF. He will be an early enrollee.
LB Austin Keys
Collins, Miss. linebacker Austin Keys signed with the Rebels at 8:35 a.m. Wednesday. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound recruit is ranked as a 4-star prospect by ESPN and is listed as the No. 7 inside linebacker in the nation and the No. 5 player in Mississippi by ESPN. During his senior season, he notched 58 tackles, including 10 for a loss, in 11 games He also forced and recovered a pair of fumbles apiece, while picking off one pass. Keys chose Ole Miss over offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana and Southern Miss.
DB Derek Bermudez
At 9:10 a.m. Jacksonville, Fla. native Derek Bermudez submitted his NLI to the Rebels. The 6-foot-0, 180-pound defensive back was a recent Florida State decommit who chose Ole Miss over offers from LSU, Georgia, Auburn, Florida, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Florida State, Miami, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Illinois and Rutgers. He’s a consensus three-star prospect by all the outlets and has the ability to play both safety and cornerback.
RB Kentrel Bullock
The Rebels got their running back when Kentrel Bullock sent in his NLI at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday. The 5-foot-11, 19o-pound Columbia, Miss. native decommitted after Ole Miss fired Coach Luke; however, he recommitted this week and is the first RB signed by Lane Kiffin as head coach at Ole Miss. The four-star prospect (247Sports) is ranked the No. 7 player in Mississippi and amassed 1,966 yards rushing as a senior, adding 349 yards receiving and five scores. Kentrel was named Mississippi Class 3A Mr. Football and represented the Magnolia State in the Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game. He chose Ole Miss over Mississippi State, Memphis, Louisville, Indiana, Auburn, and Iowa State, among others.
LB Jakivuan Brown
At 9:45 a.m., Horn Lake, Miss. linebacker Jakivuan Brown sent in his NLI. The 6-foot-2, 235-pound Brown is rated a four-star prospect and No. 3 overall player in the state by 247Sports. He helped Horn Lake capture its first-ever state championship in 2018. As a senior, he racked up 72 overall tackles, including 17 TFLs and six sacks. He also posted five pass breakups, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and four interceptions and scored a pair of touchdowns on defense. Jakivuan chose Ole Miss over offers from LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Oregon, Baylor and Indiana, among others.
OL Eli Acker
Heritage Academy offensive lineman Eli Acker sent in his NLI at 12:45 p.m. Wednesday. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound Columbus, Miss. native is listed as a four-star prospect by ESPN and ranked the No. 8 player in the state of Mississippi by both 247Sports Composite and ESPN. He is a three-year captain at Heritage Academy and helped lead the Patriots to the MAIS 5A state championship. The MAIS 5A Player of the Year chose Ole Miss over offers from Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi State, Arkansas, Notre Dame, Miami and Nebraska, among others.
LB Daylen Gill
Daylen Gill submitted his NLI at 2:20 p.m.Wednesday. He is a unanimous 3-star prospect across all major recruiting sites and is the No. 94 overall JUCO prospect and No. 7 safety. He has been named NJCAA second team All-American and led Jones College with 61 total tackles, 17.0 TFL as a sophomore, adding 3.5 sacks, one interception, five QB hurries, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Daylen finished third on the team with 62 tackles as a freshman, adding 20 TFL, 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and one interception. He played junior college football with current Rebels Jonathan Haynes and Jamar Richardson. Daylen chose Ole Miss over Louisville, Purdue and others. In high school as a senior, Daylen amassed 164 tackles, 13.0 TFL, 4.0 sacks, seven QB hurries, five forced fumbles, five passes defended, one fumble recovery and one interception, averaging 10 tackles per game over 15 contests. He was named defensive MVP and all-district as a senior and played alongside fellow Rebel linebacker Ashanti Cistrunk.
DB Lakevias Daniel
At 7:25 p.m. Wednesday evening, defensive back Lakevias Daniel submitted his NLI to the Rebels. The unanimous 3-star prospect from Jones College is ranked the No. 8 JUCO cornerback in the nation (247Sports Composite) and was named to the NJCAA all-region 23 team. Lakevias totaled 18 tackles, one sack, three interceptions, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles as a sophomore. He chose Ole Miss over Louisville, West Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and others. He will be a mid-year enrollee.
Hotty Toddy!
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
