'It was Definitely the People,' Newest Rebel Transfer Jared Ivey Says
"I'm loving it already."
It won't be easy for Jared Ivey to forget the weekend he had. On Friday, he announced his intentions to transfer from Georgia Tech. By Saturday he had new offers and set up a visit to Ole Miss, a trip he would leave as new member of the Rebels football program.
Ivey visited Oxford on Saturday and Sunday and simply stayed in town to enroll in classes on Monday. The Rebels have attacked the transfer portal as well or better than any FBS program, with Ivey serving as the icing on the cake on a weekend that also included USC transfers commitments from Jaxson Dart and Michael Trigg.
The Rebels were ready to make a move toward Ivey, the 6'6" pass rusher, immediately after he entered the transfer portal. As soon as he was in the database, Lane Kiffin's program went all in.
"They were the first call as soon as I hit the system," Ivey said. "More or less that the SEC football aspect couldn’t be overlooked but that what they’ve built here was a true family and that everyone from staff to players to fans -- were fully bought in."
Oregon, Miami and others tried to make a quick turnaround trip happen, but the time in Oxford was enough for the sophomore to make a quick decision.
"It was definitely the people," he said. "We clicked differently than I did with any other school.
"I was in the meeting room with Coach Kiffin, Coach (Randall) Joyner and Coach (Chris) Partridge chopping it up and told them there was no way I wouldn’t be back the next day to get this thing rolling."
Ivey followed through on the commitment and is ready to compete in the spring for the new-look Rebels. He saw significant action at Tech over the last two seasons. In 20 career games, he has registered 40 tackles, including seven for loss and 1.5 sacks. Ivey forced a fumble against North Carolina in the fall, too.
Originally enrolling at Tech in 2020, the Suwanee (Ga.) North Gwinnett product would have up to three years of eligibility remaining due to the pandemic-influenced extra year of eligibility from his freshman campaign.
"The first thing they wanted to do was get me on campus to show me the vibe was real and it did not disappoint," he said. "Shout out to Jonathan Hess.
"I was here all day Saturday and Sunday morning. The basketball game was exciting, the campus is beautiful and watching some tape of my future teammates with Coach Joyner really set the tone."
Ole Miss has landed double-digit prospects in the portal to date, most notably Dart, Trigg, Ivey, running back Zach Evans, wide receiver Jordan Watkins and linebacker Troy Brown. Each should be eligible to help aid the 2022 Rebel roster.
Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Rebels? Click Here.
