Vassallo: Rebel Recruiting Roaring

Shea Patterson (courtesy SEC Community)

It’s only two weeks and one more day before we can officially welcome the 2016 Ole Miss football recruits, but who’s counting? The answer…everyone!

What is materializing could be the finest recruiting class ever for the Ole Miss Rebels. That’s a huge statement in light of the fact that this school has witnessed many Allstar squads throughout its history.

I had the pleasure to see two of our commits (Benito Jones and DeKaylin Metcalf) play here in Oxford recently. Both of these young men are rated as four-star players. Whoever is handing out the stars may want to reevaluate this pair as I would love to have an entire team consisting of this level of stardom. All SEC is written all over these guys and probably All American as well.

I realize they have yet to compete at the college level, however, the excitement they will bring to SEC football will bring smiles to Reb fans for the next several years. For those unfamiliar with this outstanding duo, Benito is a 6-2, 285 linebacker, defensive tackle from Wayne County while DeKaylin is a 6-4 Wide Receiver, weighing in at 205, from here in Oxford.

247 Sports currently has the Rebs ranked 7th nationally with 20 “hard commits.” (Alabama is 15th as of this posting.) A few other standouts included in this group are:

• Shea Patterson – five-star quarterback at 6-2, 192 lbs. from IMG Academy in Brandenton, Florida
• Gregory Little – five-star offensive tackle at 6-5, 305 lbs. from Allen High School in Texas
• Bryce Mathews – four-star offensive tackle at 6-6, 280 lbs. from Nashville Brentwood Academy in Tennessee
• and four-star Octavious Cooley – a tight-end listed at 6-3, 220 lbs. from Laurel High School in Mississippi

SEC Country recently highlighted another one of our commits, Donta Evans, a 6-2, 225 linebacker from Archer High School in Georgia. Donta is an outstanding pianist which he enjoys for relaxation and prefers Ole Miss over other suitors because of Coach Freeze coupled with the college small town feel of Oxford.

SEC Country mentioned another top talent out of Madison, Nigel Knott (a 5-11, 175 linebacker, cornerback), who is considering Alabama, MSU and Ole Miss. Knott visited Oregon on the same day that the Rebs were giving the Tide its only loss.

With recruiting being so volatile up until the 11th hour, it’s difficult to suppress the excitement until it’s all official until that Wednesday in February. Let’s hope we can keep everyone committed in check and add a few other stars as well, even if they are of the four category!

Steve Vassallo is a HottyToddy.com contributor. Steve writes on Ole Miss athletics, Oxford business, politics and other subjects. He is an Ole Miss grad and former radio announcer for the basketball team. Currently, Steve is a highly successful leader in the real estate business who lives in Oxford with his wife Rosie. You can contact Steve at sovassallo@gmail.com or call him at 985-852-7745.

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