Former Ole Miss Football Commit Sees Meteoric Rise in Recruiting Rankings to 5-Star

Pinson (Ala.) Clay-Chalkville wide receiver Corey Barber flipped his commitment away from the Ole Miss Rebels during the Early Signing Period in December after making the move to join Lane Kiffin at LSU.

Barber, a Top-50 wideout in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle at the time of his decision, announced his initial pledge to the Rebels in May over the likes of the Tennessee Volunteers, Georgia Bulldogs, and Alabama Crimson Tide, among several others.

The 6-foot,185-pounder from Alabama had a myriad of schools pursuing his services with the "Who's Who" of college football making waves, but it quickly became the Rebels beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

"I’m comfortable there," Barber told Rivals following his initial commitment. "They treat me and my family like family. I’ve been to practice plus an official visit so I’ve spent more time at Ole Miss than the others.

"It’s a great program with a great, experienced coaching staff. And a great and very supportive community."

Corey Barber: Ole Miss Rebels Football. — Courtesy of Corey Barber's Instagram.

Fast forward to Kiffin departing Oxford and making the move to Baton Rouge and the coaching staff at LSU ultimately landed his services in a major move.

"The day [Kiffin] told me he was leaving, he told me he wanted me to come with him and stay with him. He trusts me," Barber said of Kiffin.

"It was to the point where I wanted to be loyal to the ones that were loyal to me. When I made that decision, I felt it was the best one for me."

Now, the former Ole Miss Rebels commit has seen his recruiting ranking skyrocket in the final update via Rivals where he checks in as the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle and the No. 28 overall prospect.

🚨NEW🚨 LSU WR signee Corey Barber ranks No. 28 and five-stars in the final 2026 Rivals300🐯https://t.co/lK2bMAJRP8 pic.twitter.com/2RwX8CgI2G
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 27, 2026

For Ole Miss, the program reeled in multiple game-changing players at the wide receiver position headlined by Top-10 pass-catcher Jase Mathews - who signed with Ole Miss as the No. 2 rated wideout in America.

“The people that didn’t leave I’m still in connections as well, and they’re pulling for me and say I need to stay home,” he told Rivals last week.

Now, all eyes are on the new-look Rebels offense led by Pete Golding as his first full season as the shot-caller in 2026.

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