Cece Jefferson courtesy of scout.com
On the defensive front seven, Ole Miss is in a battle for several high profile targets, including defensive end CeCe Jefferson, defensive tackle Kevin Scott and linebackers Jeffrey Holland and Leo Lewis.
Jefferson is the highest rated of the group, with 247 Sports’ composite ranking putting him as the number seven player in the nation. Jefferson, a Florida native, was long thought to be leaning toward the in-state Florida Gators, but the firing of head coach Will Muschamp set them back. New Florida coach Jim McElwain has done well to make up ground and have the Gators back in serious contention for Jefferson’s signature, but Ole Miss was last named his leader and seems to be in great standing. Jefferson’s recruitment is still open, but as of right now, it looks like he will sign with the Rebels.
Rated by 247 Sports’ composite rankings as the number eight outside linebacker in the country, Jeffrey Holland is also a Florida native and along with Jefferson, has been getting heavy interest from the Gators along with the Auburn Tigers. While there are reports that Jefferson, Holland and 5-star defensive end Byron Cowart will all sign with the same school, those are far from concrete, which is good for Ole Miss as Cowart has narrowed down his choice to either Florida or Auburn. Regardless, Holland visited Ole Miss last weekend and seemed to enjoy the trip, but it will be a tough battle for Ole Miss to beat out Florida and Auburn for his services.
Should Holland sign with the Rebels, he will join junior college linebacker Terry Caldwell and high school commits Zedrick Woods and Leo Lewis. Woods seems firm on his commitment, but Lewis is still receiving heavy interest from the LSU Tigers and could be taking a visit to Baton Rouge this weekend. The Rebels hold a solid lead for 247 Sports’ composite ranked number one inside linebacker, and if they can keep the Tigers from making a late push, they could be adding an impact player for next season.
Ole Miss also got another commitment last weekend from defensive end Rasool Clemons, who held offers from Clemson and Florida State, among others. Clemons needs to add some weight to play at the next level, but the six-foot-six athlete has a chance to be great at defensive end for the Rebels.
At defensive tackle, the Rebels have already signed top ranked junior college defensive tackle D.J. Jones, who could potentially start at nose tackle next season. In addition to Jones, Ole Miss has been working hard to add Los Angeles defensive tackle Kevin Scott next to him.
Scott is a very raw prospect but has electrifying potential. Scott stands at six-foot-five, 280 pounds but with outstanding athleticism to go with it. Scott previously played basketball before playing his first year of high school football his senior year. Scott had an outstanding season, amassing 17 sacks and 20 tackles for loss and is now being recruited by USC, Miami and Ole Miss, among others. Ole Miss appears to be his leader, but USC and Miami are both still showing interest, with the in-state Trojans being the biggest threat to sign him over Ole Miss.
Scott will be visiting Ole Miss this weekend, according to Rivals, putting the Rebels in a great position to potentially get his signature in the following week.
