Ole Miss offers JUCO offensive lineman Percy Lewis
OXFORD, Miss. — June 1st could not have come soon enough across college campuses. With the COVID-extended dead period at an end, football coaches are finally able to open their doors to the nation’s top prospects and return to a bit of recruiting normalcy after a long, strange ride.
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk.
You can bet Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin and his staff are wasting no time on the recruiting trail.
In the words of Bear Bryant, “When Mama calls, then you just have to come running.”
Percy Lewis
The Rebels wasted no time in getting the ball rolling and calling on one of their own in-state talents, extending an offer to Sallis, MS native Percy Lewis.
The towering 6-foot-8, 360-pounder is currently ranked as the nation’s No.1 JUCO OT and the top JUCO player in the state for the 2022 class. He’s also committed to to Oregon, but as we all know, it’s not over ’til it’s over!
Lewis has been building his stock and talents this past season out in Perkinston, MS for Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. He has been verbally committed to the Ducks since March 2nd. In an interesting note, he makes the third ‘Sip native in the last three recruiting cycles to commit to Oregon, along with Trey Benson (2020) and Isiah Brevard (2021).
However, that verbal commit hasn’t stopped other Power 5 programs — including the Ole Miss Rebels — from trying to obtain a summer flip from one of the most sought-after JUCO players on the board.
Lewis currently has offers from the aforementioned Oregon, along with Missouri, Auburn, South Alabama, Syracuse and TCU.
The Rebels offered him June 1.
Blessed to receive and offer from the University Of Mississippi 🔥🤝🦍@OLCoachGeorge @CoachThornton61 pic.twitter.com/5tOSOitNWO
— Percy Lewis (@percylewis14) June 1, 2021
His versatility is unquestioned. He played his high school ball at McAdams High School in Sallis, originally as a tight end but later converting over to defensive tackle. He finished out his senior season at McAdams with 90 tackles, 3 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, and 1 fumble recovery.
Surprisingly, Lewis was not on many radars out of high school. But that is far from the case after he has spent a year grinding it out as a JUCO prospect.
Lewis holds a 3-star rating AND the distinction of being ranked the top JUCO 2022 prospect at ANY position, not just at OT.
Percy Potential
Lewis is a naturally-gifted athlete with a diverse skill-set. He’s a raw talent who has recently changed to the offensive side of the ball. If he can focus on putting in work in the weight room and developing the technical aspects of the o-line to compete at the Power 5 level, look out!
They say you can’t teach size — and isn’t that the truth. Lewis’ frame is colossal and will make it easy for him to overpower anyone crossing his way, and that’s definitely advantageous when the Rebs look to protect quarterback Matt Corral.
Lewis obviously has size, immense power, and good feet and quickness. His film demonstrates his innate dominance on a JUCO field — and he’s only beginning to unlock his ability. He will be intriguing to watch.
Ole Miss recruiting
Ole Miss currently sits nationally in the No. 59 spot for its 2022 class (247Sports), with two current hard commits from 4-star recruits Marquez Dortch and Larry Simmons, both in-state commits.
The Rebels currently sit with the No. 14 class in the SEC for 2022; however, don’t worry. Kiffin likely has some commits in his pocket, but doesn’t necessarily want them made public. With the dead period finally behind us, the return of on-campus visits and camps, coaching travel, you can bet you’re going to see some upcoming movement in the Rebels’ class. If Coach Kiffin and company could sign a top 25 class during a pandemic, just imagine what they can do building on the momentum from last season.
Hotty Toddy!
Follow Rebel Walk Director of Recruiting Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo on Twitter here, and stay tuned for the lastest in Ole Miss recruiting.
(Feature image credit: 247Sports)
Lee Ann Herring-Olvedo
Lee Ann is the Director of Recruiting for The Rebel Walk. She is a veteran SEC sports journalist and NFL content writer. She is also the Sr. Editor for MESPORTS digital. Herring-Olvedo is a Brown University graduate who loves good cigars, good games, and a smooth glass of bourbon — not necessarily in that order.
