Ole Miss basketball signee Zach Naylor reaffirms commitment to Kermit Davis

After granting two signees their release from the 2018 Ole Miss basketball signing class, Kermit Davis and his staff have been extremely busy sending out offers, conducting in-home visits, and evaluating talent for the 2018 class and beyond.

But, they received some good news finally on the recruiting front when junior college forward Zach Naylor tweeted out his intentions to stay in the class and join the new head coach in Oxford.

The Weatherford College prospect played center for the Coyotes this past season and was a force. The 6’7 Houston, Tex. native averaged 20 points and nine rebounds per game in the 2017-2018 season. This is a big win for Kermit because the Rebs will lose Marcanvis Hymon and Justas Furmanavicius so forward depth is pivotal for this year’s class.

More offers are being sent out.

Now that Naylor is staying on board, Davis and his staff know a little bit more about where the numbers sit for this 2018 class. Rivals’ Corey Evans has been busy reporting lots of recruiting activity all over the country, and the Rebs are right there in the mix with several big-time programs.

The Florida teammates from Kissimmee were both extended offers from Kermit this week. Palermo, a 2019 three-star small forward holds offers from Florida Gulf Coast and Middle Tennessee and has generated interest from Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, and Wake Forest. The 6’5 forward is teammates with four-star Omar Payne who also received an offer. The No. 16 power forward in the country holds offers from several big-time programs, most notably Auburn, Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Pittsburgh, Texas, and Wichita State.

The Rebs new staff then went North to the Tar Heel State to extend another 2019 offer to Jaelyn Withers. The Huntersville, N.C. native is a top 100 player and has an impressive offer sheet himself. Boston College, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, N.C. State, Oklahoma State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech have all offered the 6’8 four-star.

Who will win the Magnolia Mystery sweepstakes?

One name that has been under for radar for the better part of the recruiting cycle is three-star small forward Michael Barber. The Jackson Academy star holds offers from Ole Miss, Baylor, Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, Ohio State, and UNLV among others, but hasn’t really tipped his hand whatsoever.

The 6’7 Flowood, Miss. native is a top five player in Mississippi and the 76th-ranked small foward in the country, yet he seems in no hurry to make a declaration. He has been very quiet on the trail, only unofficially visiting Ole Miss. It remains to be seen if he will be recruited by the new staff (I would say yes), but he is an extremely talented basketball player who has played on Team USA’s U-16 club and has been named to Clarion-Ledger’s 2017 Dandy Dozen Basketball team.

Barber averaged a double-double this past season for the Raiders, filling it up with 18.1 points and 14.7 rebounds per game. Where will he sign in 2018?