On Tuesday, Ole Miss received a huge boost to its commitment list for 2015 with the addition of offensive lineman Drew Richmond.
Hailing from Memphis, Tennessee, Richmond is rated as the 86th best player in his class by 247 Sports’ composite ranking and a four-star offensive tackle. Richmond adds a potential star to the offensive line and could see time at tackle as a freshman. In an interview with Rivals, Richmond said the Rebels’ current star at left tackle, Laremy Tunsil, played a big part in his decision to commit to Ole Miss.
During his travels to other schools, Richmond said he plans on recruiting other players to Ole Miss, such as defensive end Kyle Phillips and fellow offensive lineman Javon Patterson.
Kyle Phillips is a four-star prospect from Tennessee who recently listed the Rebels in his top five. Phillips told Rivals he’s visited the Rebels more than any other school and praised the coaching staff and atmosphere of the school. Also in his top five are Alabama, LSU, Tennessee and Tennessee State, where he has family ties.
Patterson is one of the top players in Mississippi and is listed as the number two guard in the country by 247’s composite rankings. Patterson listed Ole Miss in his top five this summer and would have the chance to be an immediate boost to the Rebels’ offensive line if he chooses Ole Miss.
Another offensive line prospect Ole Miss is pursuing is Alex Givens. Givens is a three-star tackle from Nashville, Tennessee, who’s very interested in Ole Miss and the Vanderbilt Commodores. Givens could make his decision very soon.
Other Ole Miss top targets include Leo Lewis and Fletcher Adams.
Lewis is a Mississippi linebacker who had formerly committed to Alabama but now has reopened his commitment. Rated as the number one inside linebacker in the country by 247’s composite rankings, Lewis remains interested in the Crimson Tide as well as Ole Miss, Mississippi State and others.
Adams is the brother of Nelson Adams, a defensive tackle at Mississippi State. Despite this, Adams ranked Ole Miss as his favorite earlier this year. The battle to get Adams’ signature will be heated as Mississippi State, Alabama, Missouri, Auburn and Louisville are also vying for his services.
Adding any of these players would be big for the Ole Miss 2015 class, which recently took a hit when three-star Arkansas wide receiver La’Michael Pettway decommitted from the Rebels. Pettway has expressed a lot of interest in staying in-state and joining the Razorbacks. Ole Miss remains in the race, but Arkansas seems to be his top choice.
Tight end Will Gragg is another Ole Miss target who is receiving heavy interest from the in-state Razorbacks. Gragg is close with some of Arkansas’ commits so that could help sway him to Fayetteville. Also included in his top six are Alabama, LSU, Texas and Mississippi State.
With Pettway likely gone, Ole Miss will try and find other receivers to take his spot. Dontea Jones is one possibility. Jones is already committed to Mississippi State, but Ole Miss could still make a strong push for him. The same goes for Van Jefferson, who is currently committed to Georgia. Jefferson is a four-star and could be hard to pry away from the Bulldogs.
Another player Ole Miss could be looking to steal is Auburn commit Tony Bridges. Bridges is a four-star cornerback attending Gulf Coast Community College in Mississippi. Ole Miss currently has ten players committed for the 2015 class and has until Feb. 4 to fill out the rest of the class.
