Ole Miss Football Makes Major Move Amid Pursuit of Top Target Trending to SEC Rival

Pete Golding and Co. are turning up the heat for the talented Mississippi native, battling multiple SEC schools.

Courtesy of Ben'Jarvius Shumaker on X.

Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County four-star defensive lineman Ben'Jarvius Shumaker has locked in an official visit with Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels with the hometown program building momentum this offseason.

Shumaker checks in as a Top-50 prospect in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle and the No. 4 rated defensive lineman in America with programs from coast-to-coast battling for his commitment.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pounder out of the Magnolua State has reeled in offers from the likes of the Ole Miss Rebels, Mississippi State Bulldogs, Oklahoma Sooners, Tennessee Volunteers, and Texas A&M Aggies as his meteoric rise continues this offseason.

The Choctaw County (Miss.) product has a former teammate of his already on campus at Ole Miss in former five-star wide receiver Caleb Cunningham where the relationship will be critical in the program's recruiting approach.

But the real connection to keep tabs on for Shumaker is defensive line coach Randall Joyner after the critical assistant coach made the decision to remain in Oxford for the 2026 season.

Joyner and Shumaker have developed strong rapport with the entire Ole Miss assistant coaching pool keeping up with the consensus Top-50 prospect in America.

LOCKED IN! 👀. @LetsGo_Bo5 @ht_recruiting @RebelsFBRec @drm_12 @CoachGolding @_kbolden @wynnjr90 @ChoctawCountyFB @HaydenHulett @D_Mitchell91 @JuJuSports1 @Rebels247 pic.twitter.com/C5bu3Gr0K0

— 𝙱𝚎𝚗’𝙹𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚞𝚜 𝙹. 𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛”4🌟” (@BenJarviuxx) February 22, 2026

Now, an official visit is locked in with Shumaker set to visit the Ole Miss Rebels on a multi-day stay from June 5-7 amid a pivotal stretch in his recruitment process.

But Shumaker will be one the Rebels are battling for until the end with the Mississippi State Bulldogs also in contention with the SEC rival set to host him for a visit, according to 247Sports.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State remain the two frontrunners for the top defensive weapon in the 2027 Recruiting Cycle with the Rebels looking to make a splash this offseason led by Golding spearheading the push for Shumaker.

Ole Miss is coming off of a pivotal January stretch where Golding and Co. checked in with a myriad of priority prospects on the recruiting trail for in-person visits - specifically across Mississippi, Georgia, and Louisiana.

More Ole Miss News:

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Every Ole Miss Football Player That Received an Invitation to the 2026 NFL Combine

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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.