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Ole Miss recruiting: 4-star S Deontay Anderson likes Rebs, pitching prospects looking good

Hugh Freeze has been busy trying to round up a top five class and Mike Bianco is adding some real talent that's close to home.

By Zach Berry
Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Here at the Cup, we know y'all loooove crootin. So we figured, give the people what they want. Well, here you go, the Cup presents to you our new weekly crootin roundup, "#TheNetwork Files". This is where you will be able to find the scuttlebutt on all things crootin and it won't be restricted to just football. If there is anything going on in the other sports that we believe to be pertinent information, you can find it here.

#TheNetwork Files will be a recruiting roundup of sorts once a week that will compile several newsworthy links, tweets, Instagrams, Vines, etc. that we at the Cup think that you as our loyal readers should know about. From who Ole Miss is offering in football to replace Jaylen Walton to what transfer Randy Kennedy found while combing the NJCAA waiver wire, #TheNetwork Files will be your guide to the wide world of crootin.

Lone Star safety is liking Ole Miss

Four-star free safety Deontay Anderson has not committed yet, but he has some schools in mind that are on his proverbial radar. In a recent interview with Texas A&M's Rivals.com site, he mentioned the Rebels multiple times when asked who is jumping out to him the most during his recruitment. We all know Dave Wommack likes his big, physical safeties and Anderson does not disappoint. Standing 6'1 and weighing in at 192-pounds, Mr. Anderson will attack you from the third level in run support and shows impressive ball skills when the ball is up for grabs in the air. A&M and Alabama are the early favorites for the Texas prep star, but the Rebels have a history of doing quite well in Texas. One thing is for sure, the kid from Manvel, Tex. runs very well.

Recruiting hot beds are main focus for Rebs

A recent tweet from UGA Football Live showed the cities in the U.S. that produce the most draft picks in the NFL Draft and the results were reflective of where Hugh Freeze and Co. croot the most. To no one's suprise, Metro Atlanta holds the top spot, followed by South Florida and the Dallas area.

With the Nkemdiche effect and the crootin of multiple players from the Sunshine State, the Ole Miss staff is definitely making a point to have a presence in these areas.

2017 LB next in line to make Oxford home?

Ole Miss fans might remember a certain wide receiver by the name of Shay Hodge who was well-known for his circus catch in the Egg Bowl and outrunning dudes from Florida to make a Heisman winner cry. Now to the present, there's another youngin' who also hails from Morton, Miss. that is an impressive specimen and has earned himself offers from Ole Miss and Alabama already. Freddie Hartz, a 6'2, 230-pound linebacker was recently spotlighted by Yancy Porter of OMSpirit.com. As Porter discusses in the profile, he is a large, mean football player who enjoys inflicting gratuitous amounts of pain on ball carriers. He's also quite the all-around athlete for Morton HS. This is a name to keep an eye on in the coming years.

New Rebel WR bulks up, breaks state track record

Incoming four-star wide receiver Van Jefferson knows the rigors of the SEC and he's not taking any days off. Yancy Porter also doesn't take days off as he interviewed the Brentwood, Tenn. star and learned that he is now up to 188-pounds. A big-time leap from where he was his senior year: 175-pounds. This is just another example of Paul Jackson's off-season training regiment for incoming freshmen taking its toll and Jefferson knows it is key if he is wanting to contribute in 2015.

Although he has been hitting the weights and the whey protein, Jefferson isn't losing any speed as he recently ran a state-best 21.7 in the 200m. I think it is safe to say that Grant Heard is well on his way in stealing the WRU torch from Tennessee sooner rather than later.

Diamondbear commits making folks look silly

Football croots aren't the only ones making noise in the headlines. 2016 Ole Miss baseball commits Jason Barber, Houston Roth and Greer Holston have been absolutely dealing all season. Barber and Roth play for the No. 6 nationally-ranked Oxford Chargers and were two huge reasons why they finished 35-1 this season and won the Mississippi 5A state title.

In game one of the title series, Roth tossed a complete game one-hitter and struck out 10. He finished 9-1 on the year and had a minuscule 1.26 ERA. Speaking of microscopic ERA, Barber's is 0.00. No, that's not a typo. Oxford's ace and 5A Player of the Year finished the season 12-0 on the mound and gave up ZERO EARNED RUNS after silencing the George County bats to secure the title for the Chargers. Barber finished his junior campaign with 110 strikeouts in 78 innings. I'm no Peter Gammons, but I'm fairly certain that's damn good.

Not to be outdone, St. Stanislaus' Holston is leading the Rock-a-Chaws to getting some hardware. The 2016 croot has done it all this season as he and his teammates are on their own journey to swipe the 4A state title.

Holston, the No.1 player in the state, already has a no-hitter this season and has lead his squad to a 28-5 record and one win away from the 'ship. Holston is someone who sits comfortably in the upper 80s, lower 90s and has a hammer slider to boot to keep you off-balance at the plate and to whiff repeatedly when trying to hit him. Pitching was a roller coaster ride this season for Mike Bianco's club, but I think it's safe to say that he's addressing that on the crootin trail and help is on the way.