The success of Ole Miss’ latest football recruiting weekend landed coach Houston Nutt a new verbal commitment from defensive tackle Uriah Grant as well as several other commitments who came to Oxford and re-affirmed their desire to play for the Rebels in the coming year.Ole Miss currently has 21 players committed to sign national letters of intent on Feb. 2. This number does not include the five junior college players who have already signed and will participate in spring drills with the team.
Nutt and his staff are hoping to sign up some more top talent from Mississippi, including Philadelphia linebacker C.J. Johnson (6-foot-3, 243-pounds, 4.63 seconds in the 40-yard dash), Amanda Elzy (Greenwood) cornerback Jermaine Whitehead (6-0, 183, 4.4), and South Panola wide receiver Nickolas Brassell (6-0, 175).
Another top target for the 2011 class who visited Oxford this past weekend was Lake Worth, Fla., running back Tre Mason (5-9, 180). Mason, who attends Park Vista High, rushed for 1,643 yards and 24 touchdowns this past season and was a finalist for the Lou Groza High School Player of the Year award given to the top player in Palm Beach County. Mason has a ton of top offers besides Ole Miss including Penn State, Michigan and West Virginia, but his visit to Oxford put the Rebels at the top of his wish list along with Auburn.
Mason told Chris Nee of Rivals.com that he enjoyed the coaching staff and the facilities at Ole Miss.
“Coach (Chris) Vaughn and all of the coaches were great,” Mason told Nee. “They showed me a good time and that they are a family. They showed me how they welcome another player. Everything went cool.”
Mason is considered a four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com. If Mason commits and then signs with the Rebels, he will be the second running back in this class, although Chief Brown (6-2, 195), who played running back at Winona, is projected to play safety.
Still committed
Another offensive player who said the weekend visit to Oxford went well was Madison, Ala., wide receiver Collins Moore (6-2, 185, 4.5). Moore said Monday night he was still committed to the Rebels despite a request by Nutt to grayshirt, which means he would not be a part of the team in 2011 and then gain financial aid in Jan. 2012. Moore then added he would make his decision on where to go on Feb. 2 and that a “million things could happen between now and then.”
Moore gave a verbal pledge to the Rebels this past August and he said he was surprised when he was asked to grayshirt because of an issue over space in the class. Other schools that he would not name started calling him Monday to talk about his status with the Rebels. Moore, who attended three Ole Miss games this past fall, was considering LSU and Kentucky before he chose the Rebels.
Moore is rated as a three-star prospect by both Scout.com and Rivals.com and is currently getting ready for the track season where he competes in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles and the 4×400 relay.
MSU gets RB
Johnson, Whitehead and Brassell are all getting recruited by Ole Miss and Mississippi State and wherever the trio ends up, they will ultimately add to the existing classes at those schools.
MSU got a verbal commitment from Hargrave Military Academy running back Derrick Milton (5-11, 191, 4.47) Monday night raising its class total to 24 players committed for 2011, not counting a junior college offensive lineman that has already signed. Teams are only allowed to bring in a maximum of 25 players each year and sign up 28, although some schools may have the ability of signing extra players and counting them backwards to the previous class.
Milton had an offer from Ole Miss, Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Memphis and is considered a three-star back by both scouting services. He rushed for 740 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 43 carries for Hargrave this past fall a year after 1,870 yards and 13 TDs as a senior at Pineville (La.) High. (January 25, 2011, Page 8)
