Nick Suss|Mississippi Clarion Ledger
OXFORD— The recruiting calendar is about to start heating up.
The dead period for NCAA recruiting will come to an end after almost 15 months on June 1. This means coaches will be permitted to resume in-person recruiting and players will be allowed to take official visits to campuses.
Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss haven't jumped out to a quick start in the 2022 recruiting cycle as far as commitments go, with the Rebels only having two and ranking last in the SEC in the 247Sports Composite rankings. But this is a repeat of Ole Miss' recruiting philosophy last year, when it jumped from a ranking outside the top 50 to top 20 by backloading commitments in November and December.
This year might have to be different, though, because of the talent in Mississippi, which has11 four-star recruits and 23 total ranked in the top 1,000 in the composite rankings. Mississippi only had six with four stars and 14 top-1,000 recruits in 2021.
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Here's where Ole Miss recruiting stands with Mississippi's top prospects in the current junior class, as well as a few lower-ranked in-state prospects to keep an eye on.
No. 1: RB Branson Robinson (Germantown)
The state's top-rated recruit is running back Branson Robinson from Germantown. He's the No. 4 running back in the country per the 247Sports composite rankings and No. 57 player overall.
Ole Miss offered Robinson on Sept. 15. As of April 2, Ole Miss is not among Robinson's top five schools. Those contenders are Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee.
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No. 2: CB Khamauri Rogers (Holmes County)
Rogers is the No. 8 cornerback in the country and, like Robinson, is a top-100 recruit overall. The Holmes County defensive back is a one-time LSU commitment who decommitted from the Tigers in December.
Rogers received his offer from Ole Miss on March 2, 2019. Earlier in April, Rogers cut his list to six (Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Miami), but he's since cut Notre Dame and has entertained interest from Alabama and Clemson.
Rogers attended Ole Miss' spring football game last month, and he plans to take an official visit to Ole Miss at the end of July.
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No. 3: DT Jaheim Oatis (Columbia)
No player on this list has had an Ole Miss offer longer. Ole Miss offered Oatis in 2017 when he was just an eighth-grader.
Oatis committed to Alabama on April 14. Like Ole Miss and Mississippi State, Alabama also offered Oatis when he was in eighth grade.
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No. 4: DT Zxavian Harris (Germantown)
Mississippi's final top 200 prospect, Harris is listed at 6-foot-8 and 335 pounds by 247Sports. Ole Miss offered him on April 16, 2020, and Harris tweeted that he had a Zoom meeting with Ole Miss on April 5. He will use one of his official visits to come to Ole Miss.
No. 5: ATH Marquez Dortch (George County)
Ole Miss offered Dortch on Sept. 1. He committed to the Rebels on Jan. 4 to become the first member of the class.
"I’m hearing that I’ll be a perfect fit with their offense," Dortch told the Clarion Ledger. "And they love me and how Iplay. Ilove how they keep in touch with me. That shows me they really want me."
No. 6: LB Stone Blanton (Madison Ridgeland Academy)
Blanton is the No. 10 inside linebacker recruit in the country. Ole Miss offered him on Aug. 21, and Blanton listed Ole Miss in his top seven as of April 14.
Blanton is uncommitted in football but is a long-time Mississippi State baseball commitment.
No. 7: DE Donterry Russell (Provine)
Russell is the one player in this list who has no publicized connection to Ole Miss. The only offers he's made public have been Arizona State, Mississippi State, Memphis, South Alabama, Arkansas State and Louisiana. Russell did list Louisiana as his seventh offer without publicly announcing his sixth.
No. 8: OT Jacarius Clayton (Tupelo)
Ole Miss offered Clayton, the No. 1 offensive lineman in the state, on Dec. 17. By that time, Clayton had already been a long-time Mississippi State commitment. The lineman committed to Mississippi State on June 1, 2019 and hasn't wavered on his pledge despitea coaching change.
No. 9: OT Bryson Hurst (Gautier)
Hurst had 12 offers as of April 25. Ole Miss is one of them; the Rebels offered on June 9. Mississippi State and Ole Miss are thought to be the leaders, according to the 247Sports crystal ball projections.
No. 10: DE R.J. Moss (Biloxi)
Like Hurst, Moss is a player with multiple offers that might boil down to the in-state SEC rivals. Ole Miss offered Moss on Aug. 27 and is one of Moss' 13 offers. The 247Sports crystal ball projections listOle Miss and Mississippi State as his favorites with the Bulldogs holding a 2-1 advantage.
No. 11: WR Larry Simmons (Moss Point)
Simmons is Ole Miss' second commitment in this class. The Rebels offered the 6-2 wide receiver on April 6, 2020, and he committed Jan. 28.
Other names to watch
Southaven defensive tackle Aaron Bryant listed Ole Miss in his top 10 schools on April 9 and both of the analysts who made a forecast in Bryant's crystal ball pick him to go to Ole Miss.
Madison Central tight end Blake Gunter is the top player in the state at a position of need for Ole Miss, and the Rebels were the first SEC team to offer him.
Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.
