Ole Miss adds Liberty transfer DB Daijahn Anthony
“It’s not the first, but the last step in the race…the last shot in the basket, the last volley in tennis, the last swing of the bat that makes the lasting difference…for that is where the game is won and that is why you must always finish strong.” — Gary Ryan Blair, “The Goals Guy”
OXFORD, Miss. — Liberty transfer cornerback Daijahn Anthony is looking to finish his collegiate career strong, and he will do so with the Rebels as he committed Tuesday afternoon to Ole Miss following a weekend visit to Oxford.
How you gone speak on what I did with my chances when you never took the risk🙏🏽 in god we trust ! @OleMissFB let’s work ! pic.twitter.com/1lgGkZtg3B
— daijahn anthony (@daijahn5) May 3, 2023
The Rebel Walk visited with Anthony, and he explained why he decided to ‘transfer to the ‘Sip.’
“Pete, Coach ‘Ant’ and Coach Neighbors they won me over. I love what (defensive coordinator) coach Pete (Golding) is trying to do and changing the defense around. He is a real dude and one of the smartest coaches I’ve been around!”
Daijahn Anthony
Anthony will have one year left of eligibility and could play either corner or one of the Rebels’ three safety spots.
Fit in the ‘Sip
The 6-foot, 205-pound corner was a force out in Lynchburg where he was a two-year starter for the Flames. Last season he saw action in 12 games and accounted for 29 tackles and two interceptions.
The most memorable of those interceptions came against Arkansas as Anthony intercepted a pass from Razorbacks’ quarterback KJ Jefferson en route to Liberty’s upset of the Hogs.
Nah. @daijahn5 ❌❌❌ pic.twitter.com/fWtBIPp6yZ
— Liberty Football (@LibertyFootball) October 22, 2022
Anthony’s collegiate story began at Shepherd University in West Virginia, where he saw action in 10 games during the 2019 season. He notched five starts during that time and closed the season with14 tackles, 13 solo stops and two interceptions (19 return yards) and three pass breakups.
The Richmond, Virginia native was highly sought after as soon as he entered the portal on April 27, with at least 10 schools contacting him within the first day of his entry. He chose the Rebels over offers from South Carolina, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin, to name a few. He had more than 20 schools who wanted him to make a visit.
Anthony is hungry — but more importantly, no matter where he has stopped along the way, he has established himself as one who works hard at growing and developing even more. He is a much-needed addition to the defensive backs room that has been depleted due to graduation and the transfer portal.
The Rebels saw three key starters in the secondary transfer: Miles Battle (Utah), Tysheem Johnson (Oregon) and Davison Igbinosun (Ohio State). AJ Finley just got selected as an UDFA with the Los Angeles Rams. Markevious Brown and Demarko Williams have entered the portal as well, but have not yet found a home as of this writing.
Ole Miss does return starting cornerback Deantre Prince and has brought in transfers John Saunders (Miami, OH) and Zamari Walton (Georgia Tech).
We asked Anthony what he is most excited about with his decision to come to Ole Miss.
“What am I most looking forward to is just bringing the DB room together and stronger and us feeding off each other — and going to help the team win a national championship.”
Daijahn Anthony
Welcome Home, Daijahn! Hotty Toddy!
(Feature image graphic: Lee Ann Herring, The Rebel Walk)
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.
