Ole Miss had to wait a few weeks and endure a few visits elsewhere, but in the end, the Rebels continued their dominance in the transfer portal Sunday, landing former UCF wide receiver Jaylon Robinson.
Robinson, who visited Ole Miss last month, chose the Rebels over TCU, Tennessee and Miami, schools he visited in recent weeks.
He will arrive at Ole Miss later this month, where he is expected to play a major role in the Rebels' passing game in 2022.
In an exclusive blog entry with Sports Illustrated, Robinson revealed the reasoning behind his decision to transfer to Ole Miss.
"I talked with my family, and we had been talking about it for a long time -- I went to Oklahoma first, then to UCF, but I always felt like I needed to get back to the big stage (not saying UCF isn't the big stage).
"I want to play in the SEC because that has always been one of my dreams. Going back, after my injury last year, to show that I can perform at a higher level and still do the same thing I did in the AAC will be another dream come true.
"The stressful nights, all the traveling, meetings, the overthinking, the reminiscing, and switching between schools and coaches is over. I just had to sit back and think about what my heart was telling me.
"My heart told me that I have decided to be an Ole Miss Rebel. From the start, my heart was telling me, from the first visit, that I was going to be an Ole Miss Rebel."
Robinson credited the presence of former UCF staffer Kevin Bolden, who Lane Kiffin hired earlier this year as Ole Miss' director of recruiting strategy.
"I was pretty comfortable with him," Robinson said in his blog on SI. "They gave me a warm welcome. Derrick Nix, the receivers coach, is very genuine. He's a kind man. I love his attitude, his approach and the way he talks and presented himself in a high manner. Relationships are key for me, like who can I bond with? Who could I make a connection with the quickest? I think Ole Miss gave me that.
"It is a big stage, and you get to do it at the highest level. I am just ready to get back into my groove and the old way of things. My sophomore year, I feel, still, like I left a lot on the table and wasn't me. It was just a little butter to the bread.
"I have some more flavor I am going to bring to Mississippi. I trust Lane and the plan they have for me. I am excited because they are a very fun coaching staff. You have to enjoy the process, and I have enjoyed it with them. I am excited about the season.
"You take a big risk when you do something like this, and I knew that it was going to be a risk going in. Having to learn a new system and compete for a spot -- because not everything is given, but I am very confident in my style of play and what I can do on the field so I wasn't really worried about playing time or competing. I'm going to compete.
"After meeting all of the rest of the coaches, it was a vibe from the start. They had the best presentation for me with how they plan on utilizing me and putting me in different situations. Just using me, kind of like how they used Elijah Moore, I would say as like a high school player. Where you have fun—lining up in the backfield and all of the crazy things you want to enjoy. Lane (Kiffin) said I was the missing piece for them to be more explosive."
Robinson joins a wide receiver room that is being renovated on the fly. Mississippi State transfer portal wide receiver Malik Heath has already committed to Ole Miss, and it's anything but a secret that LSU transfer portal wide receiver Deion Smith will be announcing his intentions soon as well. Louisville transfer portal wide receiver Jordan Watkins enrolled in January and went through the spring.
Ole Miss has definite needs at the position. Dontario Drummond and Braylon Sanders are gone off last year's team and Jalen Knox and Jonathan Mingo suffered injury-plagued springs. Mingo had to have another surgery on foot, one that he broke midway through the 2021 season.
"I am ready for the first game," Robinson said. "I hope these six months are going to be some of the best in Ole Miss history. I am coming to make history, I'm coming to leave a mark. I have a high mindset, and it is not going to go down. I have goals that I have to reach and I have goals that I will reach. I think the coaching staff will help me achieve those goals."
Robinson, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound Fort Worth, Texas, native, caught 55 passes for 979 yards and six touchdowns in 2020 before having an injury-riddled 2021 season. Robinson caught 18 passes for 322 yards and two touchdowns last fall.
Robinson suffered a knee injury early last season at Louisville, then was only available on a limited basis towards the end of the year.
"It was very frustrating," Robinson told Rivals.com earlier this year. "I think I learned a lot from it. I was down when I got hurt. It made me realize how much I love football. So just getting back into it and coming back I think I'm gonna go 10 times harder this year because I know how it feels not to have it."
