Another big weekend for visitors
Ole Miss is set to host more than a dozen prospects in its
second back to back weekends of welcoming some big name prospects that Rebel head
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football coach Ed Orgeron is attempting to lure to Oxford.
The list of expected visitors includes six prospects who are
committed to the Rebels along with two who are committed to Miss. State and one
committed to Auburn.
One late change to the list is a prospect who pparently a change of heart
in
Copiah-Lincoln C.C. defensive tackle Jesse Bowman. Bowman reportedly cancelled his
trip to Ole Miss on Thursday. Bowman signed with Miss. State out of high school and
has long been considered a State lean and is expected to re-sign with the
Bulldogs. However, Ole Miss has been recruiting him and had a visit planned before
Bowman apparently backed out. Another change of heart by Bowman that puts
him in Oxford at the last minute shouldn't be ruled out.
Sources told RebelSports.net earlier this week that Bowman has
committed to State, although no announcement has been made by the junior college
star.
While Bowman may be out, there's plenty of remaining stars for
Orgeron to impress this weekend.
Heading the list are two four-star prospects who are from the
west coast and being recruited by defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen.
Four-star defensive end Kenny Rowe is expected to join athlete Malachi Lewis,
another four-star prospect with more than 30 offers in hand, on a visit this
weekend.
Another four-star prospect also expected is Miss. State
commitment Co-Eric Riley. Louisiana defensive tackle Rolando Melancon
was initially expected this weekend but will be delayed for a second straight
week due to participating in a playoff game.
Two other uncommitted prospects are Allen Bell, a 6-foot-2, 190
defensive back from Independence C.C. in Independence, Kansas who recently named
Ole Miss his leader, and Jonathan Frink, who Ole Miss has been
recruiting hard for months, but has yet to receive a verbal pledge.
Bell was scheduled to visit Louisville last week but missed
out due to a snow storm and has plans to visit Nebraska next weekend.
Bell, a 6-foot-2, 190-pound athlete that runs a 4.38 forty,
led his Independence C.C. team with a 23 yard average on kick off returns and
over 18 yards per punt and scored a 60 yard touchdown on one return.
Bell prepped at Rickards High School in Tallahassee, Fla. He
signed with Independence out of high school to run track and only joined the
football team this spring according to a Rivals.com report.
With three years of eligibility remaining and several
departures in the Rebels' secondary, Bell would be a huge pick up for Ole Miss.
The visit will be key to a Frink commitment. He took
summer school classes at Ole Miss as a junior last summer that included going to
class with some football players. The fact that didn't sway him to commit
should be a cause for a red flag to the Rebel staff and Frink is going to have to have an
experience this weekend that assures him Ole Miss is the right place for him. If
that doesn't happen, the Rebels are in jeopardy of losing another local player. Frink at least ten offers in hand, but his recruitment has been unusually low
key to this point.
One other committed player who may be visiting is Marshall
Williams. Williams is committed to Auburn and announced several weeks ago
that he'd visit Cal, Ole Miss and Alabama, but he's already cancelled his Cal
visit.
Williams, is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound outside linebacker that runs a
4.5 forty and would be a nice pick up for Ole Miss after Rory Johnson bolted for
the NFL last week. Williams led Southwest DeKalb High School in Decatur,
Ga. to an 8-2 record and says he had 80 tackles and three sacks this season.
AuburnSports.com reported earlier this week that Williams may need to attend prep school which could
affect his visit and how hard the staff goes after him.
The remaining visitors are all Rebel commitments.
The Rebels appear very firm with the commitments from Jamison
Hughes, Stanley Porter, Isaiah Smith, and
Bradley
Sowell.
Larry Dennis, a 6-foot-3, 260 pound athlete that runs
a 4.6 forty, and currently enrolled in Compton C.C. in Compton, Calif. committed
last week and also appears to be firm and set to sign in the early signing
period on Dec. 20.
The Rebels may have some work to do with Alex Williams, a
verbal pledge who recently set up a visit to Florida State and is being pushed
in that direction by his father.
Oklahoma and Nebraska are also vying for his services. The
Sooners sent several coaches to New Orleans for a visit this week. Williams may
also visit Oklahoma and Nebraska before signing day. On the plus side when it
comes to Ole Miss and Williams is that he attends O.P. Walker High School in New
Orleans, where running backs coach Frank Wilson previously coached and has
recruited very well.
Editor's note: The list is subject to change - stay tuned
to RebelSports.net for the latest changes through the weekend and for post-visit
coverage beginning on Sunday).
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