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For Dent, committing to Ole Miss a dream come true

For Jackson Academy (Miss.) QB Kinkead Dent, this past Sunday's trip to Oxford will be a trip he does not soon forget.

It was at that time, that Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke told him he had a scholarship offer at the University of Mississippi, and he committed to Ole Miss, with no hesitation.

" Committing to Ole Miss is a dream come true, both for me and my family."

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Dent caught up with RebelGrove.com prior to his announcement to talk about his decision.

"It all happened so fast, I don't think it's really hit me yet that I'm going to be an Ole Miss Rebel," Dent said about the last several days. "It started with a phone call from coach (Phil) Longo last Monday. He told me that they've been re-evaluating QB targets, and that I was one they were focused on. He filled me in on all the details, and told me that they were now going to take two QB's in this class."

It felt like an offer was coming for Dent, but he didn't get his hopes up going into his Sunday trip to Oxford.

"Once I had got there, I was able to sit down with (Phil) Longo and (Matt) Luke, and we talked for quite a bit. They were telling me how much better I looked as a quarterback prospect, and how much change they saw in my game from last year to this year, and how they see that (trajectory) continuing at the next level."

After that conversation came the offer. Head Coach Matt Luke personally gave him the offer.

"Luke watched my film himself, and evaluated me before offering, Dent said about the conversation. "The offer coming from Matt Luke meant so much to me. He's probably the only person in that building that loves Ole Miss as much as I do."

Dent's been an Ole Miss fan all his life.

"I've been through it all as an Ole Miss fan. The wins against Alabama? I was there. The loss against Jacksonville State? I was there. The Egg Bowl this Thanksgiving? I'll be there. I've been through all the ups, all the downs, and everything between."

"The wins against Alabama? I was there. The loss against Jacksonville State? I was there. The Egg Bowl this Thanksgiving? I'll be there."
— Dent

If he committed to the staff on Sunday night, why the wait until Tuesday, you ask? The answer is something that would blow the minds of recruiting analysts around the country.

"I wanted to call each one of my public schools, and tell them my plans, and thank them for everything," Dent said about the delay. "Georgia, Colorado State, Tulane, Toledo, and Cincinnati and a handful of others were recruiting me, and I wanted to thank them for recruiting me, and to tell them I was committing to Ole Miss.

I didn't want them to find out on social media, I wanted to tell them myself.

They knew I never really had a timetable for a commitment, and that I wanted to wait to see what Georgia was going to do.

I took one official visit to Colorado State, and I will take one more, to Ole Miss."

As for Dent's high school career, that ended last Friday in a loss against fellow Ole Miss commit and Jackson Prep RB Jerrion Ealy. His non-SEC football career will officially conclude after taking place in an All-Star Game with the other private school's best on November 30th. Immediately following the conclusion of the game, he will head to Oxford for his official visit with Ole Miss.

What did the coaches tell him set him apart from the rest of the targets they had identified at the QB position?

"They talked a lot about how much more mature my game had gotten in such a short period of time," Dent said about his conversation with Longo and Luke. "They see me making confident throws, stepping up in the pocket, and quickly going through my progressions, and they were impressed. They also commented on the fact that my release had gotten quicker. This is all just a dream come true, man."

Dent will sign next month, and will enroll in January. He will be one of two, or (likely) three scholarship quarterbacks when spring ball starts.


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