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Rebels eye Rivals250 CB for 2010

Perhaps Ole Miss' top position target for the 2009 signing class is at cornerback and the Rebels have several prospects committed who were recruited to play cornerback and even more athletes committed that could end up at the position.
With the position being a priority for the next class, it's a given that fewer cornerback prospects will likely be recruited for the 2010 class. That puts an emphasis on attracting top prospects who fall into the "can't miss' category.
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The Rebels lone, known offer to a cornerback for 2010 thus far is Miami (Southwest HS) prospect Lamarcus Joyner.
Joyner, a 5-foot-8, 166 pound prospect with 4.5 speed already has amassed numerous offers and was named recently to the Rivals250 to Watch for 2010.
Joyner already claims offers from Florida, Florida State, and Miami and has recently picked up offers from Ohio State, Rutgers, and California.
"Notre Dame hasn't offered yet," Joyner said. "But I really like the way they are recruiting me. I get a handwritten letter from (head coach) Charlie Weiss about once a week. I also like the way Ohio State and Rutgers are recruiting me."
For now, Ole Miss is sending mail, with NCAA regulations restricting contact with recruits until Junior Days begin a few weeks after signing day. That's when top juniors begin taking treks to college campus at their own expense to check out their favorite programs.
Ole Miss clearly has some work to do to get Joyner's attention, but a couple of things could help their effort.
"I've watched several of their games on television, and I really like the way they use their athletes," Joyner said. "I couldn't believe that they beat Florida. That's not too bad of a program to do that. I'll definitely be watching the Cotton Bowl when they play there."
Other things that could help Ole Miss is the number of Florida natives that they have on their roster and the way Houston Nutt's staff has recruited Florida.
"I know Korvic Neat (a fellow Miami prep player) committed to them," Joyner said. "I didn't know that Ole Miss recruited that much in Florida, but they really do."
In addition to Neat, Ole Miss has verbal commitments from Artice Kellam, Jamar Hornsby, and Rodney Scott - all Florida natives - and is in pursuit of even more. The Rebels also have approximately 15 players from Florida on its current roster.
"If I go out of state, I'd like to go to a school that has a lot of Florida athletes," Joyner said.
While Joyner may be considered small at 5-foot-8 and 166 pounds, he has the reputation of playing like a major bigger defender with a take no prisoners attitude.
"I think the strength of his game is that he plays with a linebacker mentality," Jon Drummond, his uncle, said in a previous interview published on Rivals.com. "You really fear a guy who is fast and very athletic, but some won't hit you. His main goal is to make contact and be very physical. I think that is what gives him an edge a lot of the time, because most guys don't like guys who come hard and are very tenacious."
Joyner had about 100 tackles in his sophomore season and didn't have his statistics from his junior year. He reports a 2.5 GPA and said his goal is to improve that to the 2.8 to 2.9 range headed into his senior season. He will take the ACT for the first time in February.
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