Ole Miss entertained No. 2 Alabama on Saturday in Oxford, going toe to toe with the Crimson Tide before falling, 63-48.
The Rebels were tied at 42-42 in the fourth quarter before Alabama's talent and depth allowed the Crimson Tide to pull away, but the Rebels made sure to make the most of it on the recruiting "trail."
Due to the COVID-induced NCAA dead period, Ole Miss couldn't host official or unofficial visitors Saturday. Instead, the Rebels did the next best thing, hosting 59 "virtual visitors" on a tour of Oxford, the Ole Miss campus and then Saturday's showdown with Nick Saban and Co.
"We're just trying everything," Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said. "We're in a very difficult situation as a first-year staff. A lot of these kids, we've never met them and may never meet them before they come. And it's hard. Usually they want to go to the established programs and they can't visit anywhere. That's what you do. You come into programs that are building like this normally because of relationships, because you went there and you loved the campus and you loved the staff or the head coach or the position coach or whatever it is. We're just trying everything that we can.
"I do feel the last three weeks since we've been playing, recruiting feedback has been a lot better than it was prior to that. I think kids are excited with the product that they see, the energy that we play with, the way our sidelines (are) and the way our players play. I think they're excited about that.
"On defense, I think they also see, 'Hey, I can go there and help them win.' On offense, they see, 'Hey, I can go there and have those type of numbers like Matt (Corral) is or like Elijah (Moore) is or like the two backs (Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner) going for over 120 (yards) against Alabama. So I think there's a lot of good things going on right now."
Ole Miss commitments Drew Donley, Kyndrich Breedlove and Trey Washington all spent the day at their future home. A handful of top junior college targets, including defensive tackles Isaiah Iton and Jalen Wiliams, also spent the day doing virtual tours of Ole Miss.
Most of the visitors, including quarterbacks Gavin Winsatt and Nicco Marchiol, were 2022 prospects.
Other 2021 prospects in "attendance" Saturday included Duke commitment Riley Leonard, Georgians Cedrick Nicely, JJ Hawkins, Trevin Wallace and Treyvian Staley, Floridian offensive lineman Albert Reece and Northwest Mississippi Community College defensive lineman Nijel McGriff. Keon Coleman, an Opelousas, La., product who recently de-committed from Kansas, also spent the day with Ole Miss. The Rebels also entertained 2021 junior college offensive lineman Harlan Obioha.
Other 2022 prospects included athlete Destin Wade; running backs Jamarion Miller, Emmanuel Henderson and Jamie Felix; wide receivers CJ Washington, Omari Kelly, Jason Essex, Kendrick Law, Cameron Miller, Taylor Groves, Donovan Green and Jaishon Davis; tight ends Karson Gay, Blake Gunter and Corbin Page; offensive linemen Neto Umeozulu, Drew Shelton, Carter Edwards, Byrson Hurst, Riley Quick, Emery Jones, Jacob Hood and Andrew Chamblee; defensive linemen Daniel Owens, Jamaal Johnson, Keahnist Thompson and Chris McClellan; linebackers Keaten Wade, Devin Smith, Jaron Willis and Aubray Smith; defensive backs Landon Hullaby, Ashton Whitner, Devin Moore, Kajuan Banks, De'Kelvion Beamon, Kaydin Pope and and Jaris McIntosh.
The NCAA recruiting dead period has been extended through Dec. 31, meaning there can be no in-person contact between coaches and prospects. The early signing period is scheduled for mid-December and the late period begins in early February
