Ole Miss Football, Georgia Bulldogs and Ohio State Buckeyes Fighting for Coveted EDGE

Lane Kiffin and Co. are in the mix for the Lone Star State stud, set to visit Oxford this summer.
Courtesy of Landon Barnes' X/Twitter.

In this story:


Duncanville (Tex.) four-star edge rusher Landon Barnes continues locking in on his recruiting process this offseason with an official visit schedule now set.

Barnes, a consensus Top-20 EDGE in the nation, is coming off of a dominant junior season that quickly put his name on the map for the top programs in America.

Now, the 6-foot-3, 235-pounder has become a household name in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle with his finalists set.

Barnes revealed a top eight schools in May consisting of the Ole Miss Rebels, Georgia Bulldogs, LSU Tigers, Texas Longhorns, Ohio State Buckeyes, Washington Huskies, Arizona State Sun Devils and SMU Mustangs.

The Top-150 prospect in America has the attention of multiple schools and that includes Kiffin's Ole Miss Rebels.

On Thursday, the Ole Miss staff went in-home for a visit with Barnes as the Rebels turn up the heat for the Lone Star State prospect.

Now, he's set an official visit with the Rebels where he'll be in Oxford during the weekend of June 6 for a multi-day stay.

Barnes has also set official visits to see the Washington Huskies [May 30], Georgia Bulldogs [June 13] and Ohio State Buckeyes [June 20].

Ohio State, Georgia and LSU remain heavy-hitters in his recruitment with Kiffin and Co. prioritizing the talented defensive lineman.

For Ole Miss, the program that currently on a heater on the recruiting trail after landing back-to-back-to-back Top-250 commitments and have other targets on their radar.

Rebels in Contention for Coveted Offensive Lineman

Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have their sights set on Clarksville (Tenn.) Kirkwood four-star offensive lineman Kamari Blair as a priority in the 2026 cycle.

Blair, the No. 22 rated offensive tackle in America, has cruised up the recruiting rankings as a sought-after prospect by multiple programs.

That includes Kiffin and Co. as his recruiting process ramps up heading into the summer months.

The 6-foot-6, 280-pounder has received significant SEC interest with a myriad of programs set to battle it out for his services down the stretch.

Now, Blair has revealed his six finalists with the Ole Miss Rebels joining the South Carolina Gamecocks, Tennessee Volunteers, Kentucky Wildcats, Florida State Seminoles and Wisconsin Badgers.

It's a list consisting of multiple heavy-hitters as the Rebels look to position themselves as the offseason continues.

More Ole Miss News:

The 2025 NFL Draft Recap: Ole Miss Sees Multiple Rebels Selected

Ole Miss Lands Commitment From Sought-After Transfer Safety

Super Bowl Champion, Ole Miss Star Wide Receiver AJ Brown Earns Prestigious Honor

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and Ole Miss Rebels On SI: @OleMissOnSI for all coverage surrounding the Ole Miss program.

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations


Published
Zack Nagy
ZACK NAGY

Zack Nagy is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Ole Miss Rebels On SI, a Sports Illustrated Publication. Nagy has covered Rebel Football, Baseball, Basketball and Recruiting, looking to keep readers updated on anything and everything involving Ole Miss athletics. Nagy has covered the Southeastern Conference for over half a decade after being born and raised in New Orleans (La.).

Share on XFollow znagy20