Ole Miss Football Lands Commitment From Coveted SEC Transfer, No. 2 Cornerback

Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding has landed his first commitment via the NCAA Transfer Portal with Auburn Tigers cornerback Jay Crawford revealing a pledge to the program on Saturday night.

Crawford checks in as the No. 2 rated cornerback in the market with the Rebels wasting no time in securing his services after getting him in for a visit on Saturday.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pounder is coming off of a strong sophomore campaign on The Plains where he logged four pass breakups and an interception to go along with 13 total tackles with Auburn.

Across two seasons, Crawford totaled 11 passes defended and a pair of interceptions where he carved out a role as a critical component in the defensive backfield.

He would end up starting in 18 games, with the accolades galore coming his way during his time with the program - mainly during his true freshman campaign - earning SEC All-Freshman and On3 True Freshman All-American honors.

BREAKING: Auburn starting transfer CB Jay Crawford has Committed to Ole Miss, he tells @On3Sports

In his 2 seasons with the Tigers he totaled 30 tackles, 11 PD, and 2 INT

Crawford is ranked as the No. 2 CB in the On3 Portal Rankingshttps://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/GWOFjZMEPc
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 4, 2026

But once a coaching change occurred at Auburn, the talented cornerback elected to hit the free agent market with Ole Miss swooping in to land his services.

Now, the first Transfer Portal commitment of the Golding Era is in with Crawford revealing his decision on Saturday night while on a visit with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Ole Miss continues multitasking in Oxford with the coaching staff juggling College Football Playoff preparation along with Transfer Portal evaluations along with visitors making their way to the Magnolia State.

The program has bought into what Golding is selling with the program looking to do the same in the Transfer Portal despite balancing a postseason run.

Ole Miss Football. — Courtesy of Ole Miss Rebels Football.

“I know some people were down at first and came here because of Kiffin,” senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris said on Thursday.

“But after realizing how he was and when Coach Golding came in, they saw a difference in how a real head coach is supposed to be, and you’ve seen how we’ve come together.”

The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened for business on Jan. 2 and will run through Jan. 16.

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