BOOM! 4-star 2025 Safety Ladarian Clardy Commits to Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss kicked off Saturday with a monster commitment from 4-star 2025 safety Ladarian Clardy, out of Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, who announced his pledge to the Rebels via his Instagram live this afternoon.
This has been one of the most anticipated commitments of the class. The 5-foot-10.5, 175-pound Clardy stands as the No. 15 safety and No. 22 athlete to come out of the Sunshine state.
Clardy recently picked up an offer from LSU, his “dream school,” as he referred to them. Prior to that, his five finalists were: Ole Miss, Washington, Florida State, UCF and Vanderbilt.
This is another down-t0-the-wire win for Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on the recruiting trail as Clardy was holding well over 43 offers, but at the end of the day those could not supersede the bond that was built between Clardy and the Ole Miss Rebels.
Clardy — and his family — had taken a number of visits to Ole Miss throughout his recruitment.
In an open letter penned to the Pensacola News Journal yesterday, Clardy writes about the importance of a relationship in his search for a school:
“With my top schools, all my boxes are filled. It’s not mandatory that I play early, but I’m looking at schools where I have the best shot to get on the field early. I’m a relationship type of guy. That’s a main thing to me. Feeling wanted, just chopping it up. When I’m talking to coaches, it’s not just about football. Sometimes, it’s just how life is going.”
Ladarian Clardy in the Pensacola News Journal
— Ladarian Clardy (@_ladarian34) July 10, 2024
While Clardy had been set to announce his commitment on August 3, he changed the date to September 21, a significant date in his life. His older brother, who played college football at Kennesaw State, passed away on September 21, following his birthday on September 20.
Ladarian was the 2023 Pensacola News Journal Defensive Player of the Year, recording 57 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, four interceptions and eight passes defended in 12 games last season.
Through his first three games as a senior, Clardy has notched 18 total tackles, one interception and one forced fumbled for Escambia High School in Pensacola, Florida, according to his MaxPreps player profile.
Check out my highlight😟🔥 @NinoFreeman8 pic.twitter.com/zcJs55VUKK
— Ladarian Clardy (@_ladarian34) September 14, 2024
In his story in the Pensacola News Journal, Clardy talks about each of the schools on his list of finalists. About Ole Miss, he writes:
“I love how they can just go in the portal. They want the best guys to compete for a national championship every year. For those guys to come together from different schools – it’s different styles and personalities – and for them to bond together in just a couple months, the way they get after it, that’s what I love. Also, coach Lane Kiffin, too. That’s my guy.”
Ladarian Clardy on Ole Miss
Clardy brings the Rebels’ commitments for 2025 to 17.
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.
