Ole Miss DL JJ Pegues breaks down ‘The Last Dance’ recruiting pitch returning players used in offseason
OXFORD, Miss. – On November 29th, 2023, defensive lineman JJ Pegues announced he would be returning to Ole Miss in 2024 for his final season.
Unfinished business!!!! Spot The Ball!!!@LetsGo_Bo5 @grovecollectnil @CoachGolding pic.twitter.com/syXGqFR4wH
— JJ Pegues (@JeremiahPegues4) November 30, 2023
Being a multi-year veteran and making the announcement as early as he did, Pegues quickly started recruiting transfer portal prospects, along with former teammates, to influence their return. According to JJ, the blueprint was simple.
“This is the Michael Jordan year, ‘The Last Dance.’ We have a lot of vets on this team that are hungry and want to win. It was really just, ‘come here and be able to learn from great minds like Pete Golding, Coach Kiffin, and Coach Joyner.’“
Seemingly enough, his efforts were extremely successful. Other than JJ, Ole Miss returned Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, Jared Ivey, Ulysses Bentley IV, Caden Prieskorn, and others.
Additionally, the Rebs also reeled in the No. 1 transfer portal class (247 Sports) in the nation, including two premier defensive linemen, Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen. Even though it’s early, Pegues has already started to see their impact in a unique way.
Ole Miss transfer portal acquisitions:
#1 EDGE Princely Umanmielen
#1 LB Chris Paul Jr.
#2 EDGE Tyler Baron
#2 WR Juice Wells
#2 IOL Gerquan Scott
#11 S Key Lawrence
#14 CB Tahveon Nicholson
#16 S Tamarion McDonald
#19 S Louis MooreHUGE favorites to Land #1 PLAYER Walter… pic.twitter.com/Qn0Ldzf51M
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) December 17, 2023
“They really just added more information in the room. We have a lot of young guys and vets, but being able to come from another team and knowing different techniques and different languages, it helped me, JI (Jared Ivey), Jamarious Brown… It makes us play at a higher level because we have other guys playing at a higher level at other schools.“
JJ Pegues
JJ also spoke in regards to two of the most anticipated freshmen, Kam Franklin and Jeffrey Rush.
“Kam and Rush have been making strides ever since the spring started. They really lock in and focus on the small things. I feel like Coach Joyner has put a big emphasis on me, JI, and the leaders in the room to bring along the freshman to try and do the right thing so they can follow our lead.“
JJ Pegues on Kam Franklin and Jeffrey Rush
Welcome @KamarionFrankl1 to the Sip!! 🏈 pic.twitter.com/thAypNO7iq
— The Grove Collective (@grovecollectnil) February 7, 2024
Between the seasoned vets, accomplished transfers, and eager freshmen, this defensive line has a chance to end up in the history books for Ole Miss football.
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Zach Moreth
Zach is a freshman at Ole Miss and is studying Sports Administration. Outside of watching and playing sports, he enjoys spending time with his loved ones and being active. I’m excited to help cover our amazing Ole Miss sports teams!
