Ole Miss' second great class in a row (2024)

Ever since head coach Hugh Freeze took over, the Ole Miss Rebels have seen a resurgence on the recruiting trail. Freeze has brought in solid talent from day one, delivering one of the school's best-ever classes in 2013, and that isn't changing with the class of 2014. The Rebels currently rank No. 13 in the country, according to the 247Sports Composite.

And they could still add a few more names by the end of Signing Day, including three-star defensive tackle Elisha Shaw and three-star guard Jordan Sims.

Update, Feb. 5: Ole Miss added a big commit from four-star defensive back Tee Shepard, who was previously committed to Mississippi State.

Early enrollees

Ole Miss is welcoming six early enrollees for the 2014 recruiting class, and their impact could be felt immediately.

C.J. Hampton, out of Meridian (Miss.) High School, is a four-star safety recruit. He's listed as the 98th-best prospect in the country, eighth-best player at his position and No. 2 from his home state. Hampton had offers from a number of other prominent schools, mostly in the Southeast, and chose the Rebels over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and LSU, among others. A long-time Ole Miss commit, he took unofficial visits to a few other schools, but eventuallyreaffirmed his commitment to Freeze's team.

Marquis Haynes is a three-star weak-side linebacker from Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy. Haynes was originally a part of North Carolina's 2013 signing class, but spent a year in prep school and eventually chose the Rebels over the Tar Heels during the current recruiting cycle. He'll have four years of eligibility in Oxford and joins Ole Miss as the No. 1 player at his position among prep school prospects, and the No. 5 prep schooler in the nation.

In addition to Hampton and Haynes, the Rebels have enrolled three-star dual-threat quarterback Kendrick Floss out of Florence (Ala.) High School and three JUCO prospects: three-star offensive tackle Fahn Cooper, three-star inside linebacker Christian Russell and three-star athlete Jeremy Liggins.

Signing Day highlights

Ole Miss has several highly touted prospects joining the program on signing day, the best of whom is likely offensive guard Roderick Taylor. From Callaway High in Jackson, Miss., Taylor is rated as a four-star and is the second-best OG in the class of 2014. He's listed at No. 47 overall by the Composite. Taylor had six scholarship offers from schools in the Southeast, and he picked the Rebels over Alabama, Florida State, Georgia, LSU and Mississippi State. He was named to the preseason USA Today All-American team before his senior year, and the Ole Miss fans at Red Cup Rebellion expect him tobecome a part of an excellent offensive line.

Taylor's truly a special guard prospect, and adds to the impressive offensive line recruiting that Hugh Freeze has already done in short time. With current freshmen Leremy Tunsil, Austin Golson, and Daronte Bouldin making significant progress in fall camp, we should expect those guys to combine with current commits Andy Bauer, Tyler Putnam, and Taylor to form a pretty powerful and deep offensive line in seasons to come.

An already dynamic offense will benefit from the addition of Markell Pack, a four-star wide receiver out of Purvis (Miss.) High School. Pack was originally a Florida State commit, but he flipped to Ole Miss in November. He's ranked No. 133 in the country and the 20th-best receiver in the class. In addition to the Rebels and Seminoles, he received offers from the likes of Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri. With Donte Moncrief leaving Ole Miss for the NFL, the fans at Red Cup Rebellion believe Pack could play a significant roleearly in his career.

This is a particularly big commitment for the Rebels, who possibly (likely?) lose Donte Moncrief to the NFL Draft after this season, and definitely lose Ja-Mes Logan and Jordan Holder to graduation. If the production of Quincy Adeboyejo, Evan Engran, and Laquon Treadwell this season can serve as any indicator, then Pack can expect early playing time close to home next year in Oxford, something which surely contributed to his flipped commitment.

On the other side of the ball, the Rebels have a commitment from defensive end Garrald McDowell, a four-star player from Covington (La.) High School. McDowell is ranked No. 194 overall in the Class of 2014, and he's the 12th-best weak-side DE prospect. He chose the Rebels over scholarship offers from Alabama, Arizona State, Florida, LSU, Miami, Mississippi State, Nebraska and Oklahoma, among others. Like Pack, Red Cup Rebellion believesMcDowell could see immediate playing time.

The Rebels had to add an impact defensive end after missing on their attempt to land DJ Pettway earlier this week. McDowell appears to be just that. He was wanted by programs around the Southeast and is a big body. There is a concern that he may be too much of a "tweener" prospect due to his height and weight combination, but that's something to sort out later. Adding players who are both big and fast will always be helpful to football teams.

Ole Miss is putting together another solid class under Freeze, a necessity to keep up in the SEC West, currently college football's toughest division.

More from SB Nation college football:

Follow @SBNationCFBFollow @SBNRecruiting

• 28 National Signing Day predictions

• CFB players forming a union: Why this just might work

• Grading this year’s 20 FBS coaching hires

• National Signing Day FAQ for casual recruiting fans

• College football news | Auburn might claim three old titles

• Long CFB reads | The death of a college football player