Ole Miss Football Eliminated From Contention for Top-10 Quarterback Prospect

Jackson (Ala.) four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth is down to two programs after narrowing his focus to a pair of SEC schools on Wednesday.

Duckworth, the No. 6 rated signal-caller in America, is entering a critical stretch in his recruitment process with two schools piquing his interest.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder has checked in with multiple programs this summer with the South Carolina Gamecocks and Auburn Tigers beginning to separate themselves from the pack.

He's become a hot commodity on the recruiting scene this offseason after backing off of a commitment to Shane Beamer and South Carolina last June.

After reopening his recruitment, Duckworth took America by storm with his play on the field during his junior campaign.

Duckworth threw for 3,109 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions while also logging 631 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground in 14 games played.

He’s now accumulated over 6,400 total yards and 80 touchdowns across 30 games in three seasons for Jackson, according to On3 Sports.

Duckworth recently trimmed his list to five schools: Ole Miss, Florida State, South Carolina, Auburn and North Carolina.

“There are some other schools I am looking at, but Ole Miss, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida State are the main schools I am focused on right now,” Duckworth told On3’s Chad Simmons last month.

“All of those are talking to me a lot, they want me to visit in the spring and I am planning to take official visits to all four.”

Now, Duckworth has gone public with the decision to shift his focus to two SEC schools with the Ole Miss Rebels now eliminated from contention.

It's the South Carolina Gamecocks and Auburn Tigers that will battle for his pledge down the stretch.

Duckworth has canceled his official visit to Ole Miss that was set for the weekend of June 20, according to On3 Sports.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 QB Landon Duckworth is down to Auburn and South Carolina, he tells me for @on3recruits

The 6’3 200 QB from Jackson, AL has cancelled his remaining OVs to Florida State & Ole Miss

Where Should He Go? 👀https://t.co/1ownbB6Q44 pic.twitter.com/hBi2p7eA6L
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 12, 2025

It's a significant development for the Ole Miss Rebels with Kiffin and Co. now shifting focus elsewhere.

The program currently holds a commitment from three-star signal-caller, Rees Wise, but are looking to sign a pair of quarterbacks in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle.

What are the Rebels getting in Wise?

Meet the Quarterback Pledge: Rees Wise

Austin (Tex.) Westlake three-star quarterback Rees Wise committed to Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels in April after going public with a decision.

“I started off with a list of Top 10 schools, really had no clue about these schools, did some research on all of them and kind of got down to a Top 3 and Ole Miss was on it. Started to fall in love before I even got there,” Wise told On3.

“First visit was absolutely amazing. Coach (Alex) Brown moved there while I was making the list and now he’s a coach there. It just became my dream school once I visited.”

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Texas native comes in as a Top-50 signal-caller in America with Ole Miss sticking out early in his process.

With the Rebels beginning to separate themselves from the pack, the April visit to Oxford was the cherry on top to get Ole Miss over the hump in his process.

“I absolutely loved it,” Wise told On3 Sports. “Same as last time. It was perfect. Visited in the fall so I didn’t get to see it at its full potential, but the spring, came up and the campus was amazing.

"I kept comparing it to the Masters, that’s how pretty it was. All the flowers and trees, stuff like that. Got to meet a lot more coaches than last time. Really enjoyed that. Staff was amazing. Got to talk to Kiffin a little bit. I just really loved the staff and everything about it. Really cool for me.”

Rees is quarterback commitment No. 1 for the Rebels in the 2026 Recruiting Class with Kiffin and Co. eyeing a second in the coming months.

More Ole Miss News:

Ole Miss Football Target, Top-10 Quarterback in America Earns Elite 11 Invite

Ole Miss Basketball Beats Out North Carolina Tar Heels, UCONN for Top-50 Prospect

Ole Miss Women's Basketball Lands in Early Top-25, Named 'Offseason Winners'

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