/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58071457/usa_today_10392655.0.jpg)
DINGER DINGER DINGER DINGER DINGER....
That was the sound from the Ole Miss War Room yesterday as Matt Luke and staff locked in two four-star recruits, two JUCO All-Americans, the No. 1 running back in junior college football, and flipped two big-time prospects for the December signing class of 2018.
We've taken a look at the early enrollees who will report to campus in January, but now let's see what the other nine bring to the table next fall and the next three-to-four years potentially.
FULL DISCLOSURE: THIS IS RECRUITING AND SCOUTING AND UNLESS YOU'RE YANCY PORTER ITS HARD TO BAT .1000!! ITS ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE.
4-star WR Elijah Moore
I think we can all look at his measureables (5'10", 160 lbs) and think "damn, I could've made it as an SEC ball player, I used to be 5'10", 160 lbs before Natty Light and apathy turned me into Rush Limbaugh at 33. Well, additionally, you aren't Elijah Moore because he'll most likely be one of the fastest players on the team next year. Coaches are going to work to put him into space and let his speed go to work.
3-star ATH Jalen Cunningham
Listed as a defensive tackle, but rumors are slotted to be an offensive guard in Oxford, Cunningham is a 6'6, 335 lbs monster out of Alabama. Video evidence confirms he is very large, but also that he possesses good hands when he rips and sheds blockers. Those handsy skills could be useful as an offensive lineman down the road.
3-star DE James Williams
The 4th-ranked player out of the Magnolia State, fans are going to remember him for a while as a player that was flipped from Mississippi State on early signing day. His mentor is Breeland Speaks, which to me is delightful as well. He's got a little bit more of a slimmer build right now at 6'5, 265-pounds so he could really go either route and develop into an interior defensive tackle or on the outside as a defensive end.
3-star DB Cam White
MADTOWN MISSISSIPPI PRODUCT - why does that matter? Because they are used to winning pretty regularly and that's a mindset to carry into college. At 6'2 and 195-pounds, White has the makings of a pure safety in defensive coordinator Wesley McGriff's secondary-heavy defense. He also shows the ability to give zero damns when laying folks out - could he be the next diamond in the rough like a Trae Elston? Or will he be C.J. Hampton?
3-star DB Keidron Smith
Everyone likes his height, which for sure is something you can't teach. He notched 74 tackles combined in his junior and senior year and also tallied seven career interceptions at Oxbridge Academy in Florida. Smith is a solid all-around athlete, the only question in my mind is top-end speed and how he'll hang as a CB at this level. His offer sheet is impressive and Michigan made a late run at him before he told them to put an egg in their shoe and beat it.
3-star DL Quentin Bivens
Coached by good ole Todd Mangum, Bivens is a prototypical defensive tackle at 6'3 and 288-pounds. He racked up a ton of tackles (66 in his senior season) while at Wayne County and forced four fumbles along the way as well. He'll help to add depth to a defensive line that needs to be rotated constantly given the frenetic pace of the Ole Miss offense. How quickly he can adapt to SEC speed will be the big question here.
3-star DL K.D. Hill
Another defensive lineman from the Iron State (is this a thing? now it is) who comes in at 6'2, 275-pounds. From the tape I've seen at the MS-AL All Star game, he looks a little undersized, so he is going to have to work his way into some playing time the next four years potentially, but Ole Miss has had success with defensive tackles who were undersized but then turned into All-Americans (ahem, Isaac Gross, anyone?).
3-star LB Jonathan Hess
Yes, a linebacker. We signed one. Out of high school. I can't believe it either. Honestly, if Hess has better lateral movement than a parking cone (see: Tayler Polk), He's going to find some minutes on the field. A 6'5(!), 225-pound product from Vestavia Hills, Ala., he's already been a Rebel the last four years in high school - I think he's going to be a fan favorite when it's all said and done because of his reckless style of play and general “don’t give a shit about his own well-being” attitude when striking folks in the open field.