Who is left on the target list for Ole Miss?

At the beginning of the day, Ole Miss and Matt Luke were sitting at No. 62 in 247Sports team rankings. Now after a flurry of letters of intent were faxed in, two big-time flips from conference foes, and some JUCO All-Americans were added to the fold, the Rebels are now ranked 35th. It truly was an historic day given the circumstances.

Luke and his staff have battled uncertainty for an entire year and now that that is no longer a factor, they appear poised to be a force to be reckoned with. Granted the Rebels are still ranked 12th in the SEC, but that is more a testament to the strength of the conference, especially given the years that Alabama, Auburn, and Georgia are having.

Nevertheless, the Rebs addressed their needs on defense (9-of the-14 signees are defensive), signed a U.S. Army All-American quarterback, and flipped a wide receiver from Georgia and a defensive end from Mississippi State. The war is long from over, but the battle was won today.

Now who is left on the board for Luke? With 16 scholarships already tied in to the 2018 class, the Rebs could potentially add anywhere from six to seven more to this class. So who is in the running to join the #MississippiMade movement?

4-star WR Miles Battle

The big wide receiver from Texas has long been rumored to favor the Rebels but has yet to declare. Coach Jacob Peeler has visited him and would love to add another long, explosive receiver to the nWo in order to replace senior DaMarkus Lodge and juniors A.J. Brown and D.K. Metcalf. He has yet to designate when he wants to visit, but right now Peeler and the Rebs look to be in good shape.

4-star WR Marquez Ezzard

Speaking of reloading at the position, the four-star from the Peach State would be a dynamic addition to Peeler’s room and the 2018 class. The once Florida State commit has seen several Crystal Ball predictions turn in for him to end up in Oxford. In fact, the last seven predictions are for the good guys. He reminds me of Brown with his bulk and explosiveness with the ball in his hands. He is certainly one of the top if not THE top target left on the board.

4-star OL Richard Gouraige

The Florida commit didn’t sign early and seems to be mulling things over with his current situation. The Under Armour All-American could possibly see the opportunity to step in for Greg Little when he leaves Oxford for the NFL and take over at left tackle. He might also see that the Rebels have zero offensive tackles in this class right now and Florida has two. Fellow Under Armour All-American and Ole Miss signee Elijah Moore will almost certainly have his recruiting hat on in Orlando when they play in the all-star game in January.

4-star OL Tank Jenkins

Speaking of offensive line, this humongous prospect (6’3, 325-pounds) would be an outstanding get for Coach Jack Bicknell who will be looking to replace All-American Javon Patterson in 2019. Auburn and Louisville are also in the running but Jenkins will be in Oxford for the last weekend in January and I would think that Bicknell and Luke will roll out the red carpet for the Yellowhammer State native.

4-star TE Camren McDonald

This one is quite the long shot but what the hell. The high school teammate of signee Matt Corral recently decommitted from Southern Cal and could potentially make the cross-country trip to Oxford to see his old quarterback and take in The Grove first-hand. As of now, Cal and Texas A&M appear to have the lead, but one would think that maybe McDonald watches Evan Engram on Sundays now and thinks, “hey that could be me”. And Lord knows he watches Dawson Knox do his thing on Saturdays and dreams of doing the same in Longo Ball.

4-star LB Chris Oats

The Ohio native appeared to be well on his way to playing in the Horseshoe, just like most Buckeye State recruits. But, Urban Meyer’s class is filling up quickly and he may not be a take anymore. But, this could be an Ole Miss blessing since he certainly is a take for Luke and he is taking his last official visit to Oxford. Kentucky, Michigan State, and Oklahoma appear to be the biggest competition for Coach Bradley Dale Peveto but the Rebs now how important stocking the cupboard is for that position and they appear to have made Oats their top priority.

3-star JUCO DL Noah Jefferson

Speaking of visiting for the last week in January, Noah Jefferson is a big-time junior college recruit will also be visiting on the 26th. Freddie Roach conducted an in-home visit with the former Southern Cal Trojan earlier this month and would add to an already stout defensive line class if he were to be able to swing Jefferson. Florida appears to be the favorite and Arkansas is nipping on their heels, but the last visit is always key.

3-star RB Charles Strong

Despite signing the No. 1 JUCO running back in Scottie Phillips and grayshirt candidate Isaiah Woullard finally getting his scholarship, Ole Miss lost Jordan Wilkins and their other two backs are either coming off a season-ending injury or are still recovering from one and trying to get back to their old self. Strong is a HUGE recruit who is a true north and south runner. Ole Miss is the favorite right now for the former Florida State commit and he, too, will visit January 26th.

3-star DL Fabien Lovett

If you’ve flipped two, why not flip a third? The Mississippi State commit from Olive Branch gave his pledge to Dan Mullen back in August but could possibly be looking around now that he is gone. Ole Miss needs to continue to build quality depth on defense and the 6’3, 285-pounder would be a fantastic addition for Wesley McGriff. The Mississippi/Alabama All-Star Game participant will visit January 19th and one would venture to think if a flip is going to happen it will be during or after.

3-star LB Kevontae’ Ruggs

Joining Lovett on the official visit weekend will be the outside linebacker from Montgomery, Ala. Ole Miss commit JaKorey Hawkins’ high school teammate would be a great fit for McGriff’s fast, attacking defense and he could potentially even grow into a Marquis Haynes type defensive end. He is the younger brother of Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III and would be a take for them if they decide to extend and offer to him if they have room. If they don’t, look for Roach and the Rebs to make a push for his signature during his visit.