Ole Miss’ football signing class for 2011 continued to grow over the weekend with the commitments from two important players at positions of need.Madison Central four-star wide receiver Tobias Singleton made Rebels fans from coast-to-coast proud when he donned a blue baseball cap with the Ole Miss script on the front during Saturday’s U.S. Army All-American Bowl shown live on NBC. Singleton, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound wideout who has been timed at just under 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, picked the Rebels during the first quarter of the game held at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Singleton chose the Rebels over several offers including Mississippi State and UCLA, the two programs he was most seriously considering.
“I go by what their academics (are) and their environment,” Singleton told Rivals.com during the week leading up to Saturday’s game. “I don’t go by, ‘Oh they’re winning games’ or ‘They’re going to have me going in here.’”
Known for his blazing speed, Singleton also showed his toughness this season as he doubled as a running back out of Madison Central’s Wildcat package. Singleton finished the year with 56 carries for 383 yards and six touchdowns while also adding 50 receptions for 730 yards and 11 TDs for the 12-2 Jaguars.
“He’s not only a good player, he’s a great player. I know he is as good as advertised,” Madison Central coach Bobby Hall told the Oxford EAGLE during the season. “He’s got speed, he’s got the hands, he’s got the ability to make you miss when he’s in the open field. He’s a track guy and I’ve coached track guys that have all the speed in the world but can’t play football. Tobias is not one of those type guys. He can play and I think he can be a go-to guy for a team as a freshman.”
Singleton is the fourth wide receiver that has verbally committed to play for the Rebels starting with the 2011 season and the second from Mississippi. Singleton is also the second recruit that played in Saturday’s U.S. Army game to chose the Rebels, joining center Ethan Hutson (6-4, 295) from Destrehan, La., on that list. Singleton is considered one of the top 250 players in the nation, regardless of position, by Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com.
South Panola standout Nickolas Brassell was scheduled to announce his school of choice during Saturday’s bowl game but withdrew his name from the announcement list on Friday. Brassell was a Mississippi State commitment until recently. His recruitment is considered open between MSU, Ole Miss and Alabama.
JUCO returner picks Rebs
Joining Singleton as a recent commitment, and mid-year signee, is Blinn Community College athlete Philander Moore (5-9, 185, 4.4). Moore visited Oxford late last week and chose the Rebels Friday, less than a week after he had verbally committed to play for Utah. Moore told the Desert News of Salt Lake City on Friday that Utah dropped its scholarship offer because he was visiting Ole Miss.
“I chose Ole Miss because they gave me the best chance to use myself on offense and special teams,” Moore said in a text message to the paper about his switch.
Moore, a native of Austin, Texas, who can play three years at Ole Miss because he redshirted in 2009, was named to the NJCAA All-American team as a return specialist this past season. He totaled 811 yards and six touchdowns on both kickoff and punt returns. He also saw time as a wide receiver for the Buccaneers, who finished 2010 with an 8-3 record and No. 10 final ranking a year after Auburn quarterback Cam Newton led them to the NJCAA national championship.
Moore is expected to come in and contribute right away as a returner, allowing Jeff Scott, Brandon Bolden and Jesse Grandy, last year’s returners, to concentrate more on their offensive roles. (January 10, 2011, Page 6)
