OXFORD — The University of Mississippi endured a difficult football season in the fall, stumbling to a 4-8 record and last place in the Southeastern Conference Western Division.
Coach Houston Nutt said his program went a long way toward rectifying those problems Wednesday, when the Rebels announced a 22-person signing class that fills needs in almost every area.
“We weren”t going to lay down, we were going to work,” Nutt said. “And our guys did an awesome job.”
Ole Miss dominated in the Magnolia State, signing five of the top seven recruits on The Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger”s Ten Most Wanted list, including the top three. The Rebels also signed the state”s top five recruits, according to Rivals.com.
The jewel of the class is linebacker C.J. Johnson, a 6-foot-2, 235-pounder who picked Ole Miss over rival Mississippi State. Johnson, from Philadelphia, Miss., is rated a five-star recruit and the No. 2 inside linebacker in the nation according to Rivals.com.
“I have never been more excited about a player,” Nutt said.
Johnson”s arrival should help the Rebels improve a shaky defense, which gave up an SEC-worst 35.2 points per game last season.
Ole Miss also added several highly-regarded receivers, including in-state stars Nickolas Brassell and Tobias Singleton. Brassell (6-0, 175), who played at prep football powerhouse South Panola, is rated the No. 7 receiver in the country and No. 1 overall player in Mississippi by Rivals.com. Singleton (6-2, 190) is rated the No. 20 receiver in the country by Rivals.com.
“This is probably one of the best groups of receivers to ever come out of Mississippi,” Nutt said. “Tobias Singleton, Nicholas Brassell and Donte Moncrief were three huge guys to get.”
Overall, the class received positive reviews, with a No. 18 overall ranking by Rivals.com and No. 24 ranking by Scout.com.
But the day didn”t end without some strange recruiting drama. Nutt said defensive back Floyd Raven”s mother signed his letter of intent and that the highly regarded cornerback will not be attending the university.
Nutt said he considered the incident finished and wanted to focus on his incoming class.
“I want them to want to be here,” Nutt said. “The one thing I know about the other guys” signatures that (our coaches) received is that they want to be here. We”ll leave it at that. Good luck to him.”
Raven”s defection highlighted the one weakness in the class: Defensive backs. Another Ole Miss target, Jermaine Whitehead, signed with Auburn over the Rebels.
But Nutt didn”t let those setbacks overshadow the 22 who signed, and the feeling that the program was back on track after a disappointing fall.
“I felt like the more you got into those living rooms and the more feedback I got from the mothers, the more I got around the conversation of trust, relationship and commitment,” Nutt said. “They felt like they knew where we were going and they wanted to do it here in Mississippi to win a championship. They were hungry for home.”
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