University of Mississippi Athletic Director Ross Bjork speaks at the Ole Miss Quarterback Club National Signing Day event. PHOTO BY: KAYLA BEATTY
Every year, there are plenty of twists and surprises on signing day, and this year was no different. Ole Miss had its share of ups and downs, snagging some top recruits but losing out on some of their best targets. Overall, the class was ranked as 17th in the nation by 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
The strength of the class is definitely at wide receiver with Texas wideout DaMarkus Lodge and Tennessee receiver Van Jefferson leading the way. Lodge never committed to Ole Miss but was long thought to be a heavy lean to the Rebels and should make an early impact in his first season at Ole Miss. Jefferson was committed to Ole Miss, but after a late push by Michigan and continued interest by Georgia, it wasn’t clear if he would stick to his commitment especially when he delayed his decision several hours. But now that he signed with Ole Miss, his speed and route running make him an excellent edition to the wide receiver corps.
The offensive line was a let down for the Rebels. Top tackle Drew Richmond signed with Tennessee after being committed to the Rebels for months. Richmond de-committed two days before signing day, leaving Ole Miss virtually no time to find a replacement. While Ole Miss did land stellar five-star offensive guard Javon Patterson in the early signing period and two good three-star tackles in Michael Howard and Alex Givens, losing out on Richmond brings down the group as whole, especially because a viable replacement could have been found earlier in the season.
The Rebels could look at Austrian Robinson as a replacement, as the 6 foot six inch, 255-pound prospect played defensive and offensive line in high school and could now move to the vacancy at right tackle.
But possibly the most disappointing moment in the day was when five-star defensive end CeCe Jefferson shocked the nation and signed with the Florida Gators. Jefferson had previously said Ole Miss was his leader, but the pull from the in-state Gators was too much for him to turn down. Jefferson would’ve been one of the top players in the class and seen time right away on the Ole Miss defensive line.
The heartbreak didn’t end there, as top inside linebacker and in-state star Leo Lewis signed with Mississippi State. Lewis had also de-committed recently as well, but the Rebels did have a little more time to look for a replacement and flipped three-star linebacker Shawn Curtis from Pittsburgh.
The Rebels did outstanding at recruiting the secondary, landing two four-stars in Armani Linton and Cameron Ordway. They had already added the top junior college cornerback in the nation in Tony Bridges and also added Georgia defensive back Montrell Custis late in the game. Also in the class is athlete Jalen Julius, who has exceptional speed and could see time at cornerback, wide receiver and returner.
Overall, Ole Miss had some tough misses that really brought down the ranking of the 2015 signing class. Although there will always be that “what could have been” feeling, Hugh Freeze still added a solid group of players and locked in a bright future for the program.
