What Does Former JUCO WR Deion Smith Add to Ole Miss Rebels' Stacked Receiving Corps?

What will elite receiver Deion Smith bring to the Ole Miss Rebels' offense in 2024?

Deion Smith catches a pass in the endzone as The LSU Tigers take on Central Michigan Chippewas in Tiger Stadium. Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. Lsu Vs Central Michigan V1 7368 / SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY Network via Imagn

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebels already had one of the more talented receiving corps in the country entering the 2024 college football season, but that unit is set to get even stronger when Deion Smith joins the team on June 1.

Normally, roster additions this late in the offseason are not by any means ground-breaking, but Smith’s arrival in Oxford is a really big deal.

Originally a member of the LSU Tigers' 2021 recruitment class, Smith was a four-star prospect coming out of Jackson Academy. The Jackson, Miss., native was rated as the No. 1 overall recruit in the state, and the No. 12 wideout in the 2021 cycle, per On3. The 6-3, 202-pound receiver spent his freshman year with the Tigers before transferring to Holmes Community College. In his lone season in Baton Rouge, Smith recorded 11 receptions for 186 yards and two touchdowns.

In eight games with the Holmes Bulldogs in 2023, Smith accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 48 receptions, averaging 132.9 receiving yards per game. He is the No. 1 JUCO wideout for a reason.

Smith now joins Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, Antwane "Juice" Wells, Ayden Williams, Cayden Lee, and Noreel White to make up what could turn out to be the best receiving corps in the country once the 2024 season has wrapped up. Toss in tight end Caden Prieskorn, and quarterback Jaxson Dart is going to see an elite receiver everywhere he looks.

While the addition of Smith gives Dart another reliable target, it also takes even more pressure off of his new teammates at wideout. With all of this talent on the field, defensive coordinators are going to get headaches trying to make sure everyone on the Ole Miss offense is accounted for in 2024.