Five star prospect Ron Holland decommits from Texas, could Ole Miss and Chris Beard land its highest ranked recruit ever?

At the very least, you’d think Ron Holland has Ole Miss head coach Chris Beard’s name saved in his phone. That’s a good jumping off point.

The five star prospect out of Duncanville, Tex. decommitted via Instagram on Friday afternoon, sending shockwaves through college basketball social media. It seems multiple schools are in the mix for the 6’8” power forward.

Depending on which recruiting site you visit, Holland is ranked anywhere from second to sixth nationally and damn near unanimous best player in the state of Texas. Coach Beard’s connection with UT is obvious, and Holland committed to Beard in November 2022 additionally sticking with the embattled coach after Beard’s arrest a month later.

Now let’s be really honest here - Holland can go to any program in the country, and any head coach in college basketball would find a spot for him on its roster. He is that kind of level of elite basketball player, the kind of player who takes a mediocre team to the tournament or makes a good team great or a great team the best in the nation potentially.

There is not a damn doubt in my mind Beard and his staff are sliding up into the DM’s already, and whether you’re Kentucky or some other blue blood, fans and coaches alike have to think Ole Miss will get into the mix for Holland.

It would mean the highest ranked basketball recruit in the history of the program, a massive shot in the arm for next season’s success and a huge feather in the cap of newly hired Beard. Will it happen? All fans can do is wait and watch, I think it’s a long shot, but at least there’s some angle Ole Miss can legitimately think of landing Holland, which is a far cry from where the Rebels were a few months ago.