4-star SDE Jacarius Clayton commits to Ole Miss over Arizona State and Oregon

Tupelo (Miss.) strong-side defensive end Jacarius Clayton committed to the in-state Mississippi State Bulldogs way back in 2019 when he was a sophomore. Fast forward two years later and he has backtracked on his verbal pledge to the Bulldogs and has now announced that he has committed to the Ole Miss Rebels.

The defensive end in the 2022 class recently officially visited Arizona State but the unofficial visit to Oxford was enough to push things forward and to join Lane Kiffin’s 2022 class. He chose Ole Miss over the Sun Devils and other notable offers from Arkansas, Memphis, Oregon, and West Virginia.

The Mississippi native made 32 tackles as a junior along with 16 tackles for loss and three sacks.

Clayton joins fellow Mississippi prospects Marquez Dortch, Zxavian Harris, Reginald Hughes and Larry Simmons in the 2022 class. Along with Taylor Groves and Kyirin Heath, the 17th-ranked strong-side defensive end is the seventh commit for Kiffin and the Rebels.

How does he fit in?

The 6-foot-6, 275-pounder has shown the ability to move around on the defensive line at the high school level and he could potentially grow into a defensive tackle. The length gives him ample time to push offensive linemen away, find the ball, and get downhill to make the tackle.

His raw power and strength at the point of attack is his biggest advantage and once he learns a lot more about hand placement and leverage he can be a big-time contributor up front for Ole Miss.

Highlights