Ole Miss hosted some important recruits last weekend

Matt Luke and his staff wrapped up a top-25 class earlier this month after late signatures from blue chippers Jerrion Ealy, Jonathan Mingo and Lakia Henry. Ole Miss now turns its attention to the 2020 and 2021 classes.

Last weekend, the Rebels held their annual Junior Day. A host of top recruits, both juniors and seniors, were on in Oxford to meet with coaches. Here are the top names you should know.

2021 WR Brandon Buckhaulter

While on his visit, Buckhaulter became the first Rebel commit of the 2021. The 6’3, 190-pounder has yet to be ranked by 247Sports but he has the frame and makeup to be a top-level prospect.

“I just felt home again,” Buckhaulter told the Ole Miss Spirit’s David Johnson. “It’s always been that way. I felt at home today, and I knew I might do it, if I felt at home again today. [Wide receivers] Coach [Jacob] Peeler and Coach Luke made me feel at home again.

“Coach Peeler and Coach Luke were very, very, very excited when I told them.

2021 WR Antonio Harmon

Buckhaulter wasn’t the only pass catcher on campus. Harmon, the four-star nephew of former Rebel running back Michael Harmon, got to spend some time with wideouts coach Jacob Peeler.

“He told me that they are looking to add a big body guy like me into their offense,” Harmon told 247 Sports. “They lost D.K. [Metcalf], A.J. [Brown] and [Damarkus] Lodge. He told me they need some big body receivers in there that can really move to make their offense complete. I’m the type of guy they are looking for.”

Harmon and Peeler are both from Kosciusko, Miss.

“Now we are just getting a chance to get to really know one another,” Harmon said of Peeler. “He’s coming to see me play in my spring game.”

The 6’3, 195-pound pass-catcher would be quite the compliment to Buckhaulter.

2020 LB Bryson Eason and Tamarion McDonald

Two of Memphis’ top linebacker prospects could go a long way in filling a position of desperate need for Ole Miss. Eason, a four-star, and McDonald, a three-star, are both members of the 2020 class.

For Eason, the No. 6 inside linebacker in the class, it was his second Oxford trip in three weeks. Ole Miss, which gave him his first offer, received a bump on the 247 Crystal Ball after Eason’s most recent visit.

The Rebels offered McDonald earlier this month and seem to be really high on him at this point.

Ole Miss has really struggled to recruit both in Memphis and at the linebacker position recently, so Eason and McDonald are important targets.

2020 QB Jimmy Holiday

The 6’2, 190-pounder may not be a quarterback in college if he were to sign with the Rebels, but the athleticism and play-making ability is there in spades. Ole Miss became the fourth school to offer him, joining Air Force, Austin Peay and Southern Miss.

“I feel good about the Ole Miss offer because it’s hard enough to earn an SEC offer,” Holiday told the Ole Miss Spirit. ”To know that it’s a school inside your state that is recognizing your talents means a lot.

“Ole Miss has been recruiting me since last spring. Coach Nix told me to keep working and the day was going to come, so the offer was kind of earned. It didn’t come out of the blue. I talk to Coach Nix a lot and he does a good job of recruiting me and staying in touch on a daily basis.”

The first team All-State quarterback and 6A-Region 2 offensive MVP reminds me a little of former Auburn quarterback Nick Marshall the way he operates in the shotgun, zone-read scheme. He certainly puts up numbers that would make Gus Malzahn proud: 1,429 yards passing and 16 touchdowns with 1,408 yards rushing and 20 touchdowns.