Going into the weekend, Ole Miss had 24 commitments for the class of 2019, the most in the country (other than Army) What that number will be when the dead period restarts on Wednesday is yet to be seen.

Jeffries is either the first or second commit for Ole Miss at the linebacker position, depending on the scheme you expect Ole Miss to run, and where four-star JUCO LB Sam Williams projects for the next level.

Lafayette LB Eric Jeffries has an interesting story to tell, given that he hasn't played meaningful football since his freshman year at Oxford High School.

He told that story to RebelGrove on Monday morning in an exclusive interview, just moments after giving head coach Matt Luke the news.

"He was pumped up about the whole thing," Jeffries said about the conversation this morning. "I committed to him a while back, this morning was just about making everything official, and getting some loose ends tied up. We talked about my family, and how much fun everyone had this weekend."

For Jeffries, this wasn't always the expected outcome. Let's rewind to last summer, when Eric and his family made one of the tougher decisions they've ever had to.

"My parents were splitting up, and we had been living in Oxford's school district," Jeffries said. "Once the divorce was final, my mom and I couldn't afford to live there anymore, and we had a decision to make. Do we try to find an affordable place in OSD, or do we make the move to Lafayette's school district, and break the family mold?"

Jeffries' family history includes several Oxford High graduates, but this circumstance was different. The decision Jeffries would make would go on to shape him into who he is today.

"I'll never regret this decision, but it definitely does put a chip on my shoulder," Jeffries said about the choice to transfer to Lafayette, which would eventually cost him is junior season of eligibility. "We've got a mission to accomplish this season at Lafayette, and that's a state championship. That's why I'm doing this today, to get it over with, so I can focus on the season. We've got big goals, and we are going to surprise some people."

While that decision will go down as one of the biggest in Jeffries' life, his relationship with Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke goes back even further than that.

"I can't explain to you how excited I am to be a part of Luke's first full class as a head coach," Jeffries said with a grin on his face. "He's been recruiting me since the 9th grade."

The prior relationship with Luke, combined with his spring and camp performances, led to his June offer from the coaching staff.

"Luke knew what I was capable of. The wait for an offer wasn't because of him, the staff wanted to see me workout. I showed them what I had, and the rest is history."

Committing to Ole Miss for Jeffries was an easy decision, and being able to stay close to home plays a large role in that.

"I've always loved Ole Miss," Jeffries said about his decision. "I'm excited to call this place home, and seeing the group they've got currently, I'm excited to get up there and compete. Being able to be so close to home for me is big, and those Saturday's in the fall are going to be a great chance to bring my family back together. I'm looking forward to that."

While Jeffries plans to remain committed to Ole Miss until he signs (and enrolls) in December, he does plan on "being a kid" and taking some other visits. He plans on participating in spring ball next season, and fighting for reps as freshman in the fall.