2020 4-star QB Jack Miller puts Ole Miss in his top 5. Can Phil Longo make it 3-for-3?

Since taking over the Ole Miss offense, Phil Longo has not only taken a team that lost Shea Patterson to a knee injury khaki-pant wearing man baby and turned junior college transfer, Jordan Ta’amu, into the Southeastern Conference’s most efficient passer, but they are now arguably one of the most explosive offenses in the conference. They led the SEC in passing yards per game (328.4), were 5th in total yards and points, and even averaged 133.9 yards per game on the ground.

And despite a disappointing 6-6 finish in 2017, Longo’s first cast into the recruiting waters reeled in four-star, Elite 11 quarterback Matt Corral last December.

Now, before the start of the 2018 season, Longo struck again and brought in yet another four-star quarterback after Grant Tisdale verbally committed to the Rebels. And now that the Ole Miss offensive coordinator has his next two quarterbacks the future is set, right?

Wrong.

Class of 2020 quarterback target Jack Miller recently released his top five schools and Longo and the good guys made the cut. The 6’4, 210-pounder from Scottsdale, Ariz. is the No. 77 player in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 5 pro-style quarterback. The Chaparral High School product holds a bevy of offers but is now focused on his top five: Florida State, LSU, Ohio State, Ole Miss, and South Carolina.

“I’m probably going to take a trip to Ohio State and LSU and whoever else I really like this summer, and then plan to make an early decision before the season,” Miller told AZCentral.com.

As a sophomore, the Rebels’ top QB target tossed the rock for 1,735, 20 touchdowns, and also toted it for 306 yards and four more touchdowns. Miller initially attended Scottsdale Christian Academy, but in just two seasons at Chaparral High School, he has collected nearly 5,400 passing yards and 73 touchdowns through the air.

Jack is a long and well-built quarterback who is effortless with his throws and is sneaky fast with his long strides and elusiveness within and without the pocket. He’s got a big arm and can thread it in a tight window or put some air under it and drop it in the bucket.

To be honest, and this is extremely high praise, but his mannerisms on the field, his gait when he runs, and his delivery reminds me of former Heisman Trophy winner and current Tennessee Titans quarterback, Marcus Mariota. The release is quick, the wheels are there, and there’s very little wasted movement with just about anything he does when throwing the football.

Miller’s 247Sports Crystal Ball is currently heavily-favoring the Ohio State Buckeyes, but don’t count out the Rebels just yet. Jack’s mother is originally from the Magnolia State’s capital city, his sister attends Ole Miss, and his family frequents The Grove and Oxford during the fall to visit his sister and attend home games.

“Ole Miss was always a favorite since middle school,” his dad, Jack Miller Sr. tells Gridiron Now.

He initially became enamored with the Rebs because of his close relationship with former offensive coordinator Dan Werner (hence the Gamecocks’ presence in his top five), but it appears that new head coach Matt Luke and Longo have reached out made it known that the big-time signal caller from Arizona is their guy for the class of 2020.

“He needs to get acquainted with Coach Luke and Coach Longo, but likes what he has seen so far, since they have been involved in the program,” Miller said. “With their success in recruiting, we will visit soon or come during (next) season (for a visit).”

Last week at the Adidas 7v7 National Championships, Miller told 247Sports that he would be making a decision soon. And despite Ole Miss having Matt Corral and Grant Tisdale slated to run Longo’s offense for the foreseeable future, it’s pretty much status quo for school’s to get at least one quarterback in every class.

Urban Meyer and Ohio State currently have five quarterbacks on their roster.

• 4-star Tate Martell
• 4-star Joe Burrow
• 4-star Dwayne Haskins
• 4-star Matthew Baldwin

So, whether or not Miller chooses the Buckeyes or the Rebels, he will be competing with incumbent position players. It’s not just Columbus and Oxford, almost every Power 5 program has more than one elite quarterback on the roster.

And whether or not folks across the country want to admit it or think it’s truly real or “valid”, Ole Miss is a desirable place for quarterbacks right now.

The NCAA is now gone, but the offense is still cooking. And so is the recruiting.