Ole Miss Football, Texas Longhorns and Ohio State Buckeyes Hold Top Linebacker Hauls

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels reeled in a commitment from Leesburg (Fla.) Tavares four-star linebacker Izayia Williams in May after going public with a decision.

Williams, the top-ranked linebacker in America, flipped his commitment from the Florida Gators to the Ole Miss Rebels fresh off of a visit to Oxford this offseason.

The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder has had a unique recruitment to this point after being verbally committed to multiple programs.

Williams revealed a pledge to Louisville in November of 2023 during his sophomore campaign with the pledge being short-lived.

The Florida native de-committed from the Louisville program just three months later prior to revealing a decision to pledge to the Syracuse Orange in January of 2024.

Fast forward to August of 2024 and Williams once again elected to reopen his recruitment process. He then committed to Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles one month later.

Moving ahead, Williams backed off of his pledge to the Florida State program in November and made the move to join Billy Napier's Florida Gators 2026 Recruiting Class.

The Recap: Williams' Recruitment History

Commits to Louisville - Nov. 2023
Decommits from Louisville - Jan. 2024
Commits to Syracuse - April 2024
Decommits from Syracuse - Aug. 2024
Commits to Florida State - Sept. 2024
Decommits from Florida State- Nov. 2024
Commits to Florida - Mar. 2025
Flips to Ole Miss - May 2025

But he's remained loyal to his Ole Miss commitment this offseason since flipping his pledge from Florida to the Rebels.

Along with Williams in the mix, Ole Miss holds a commitment from Loganville (Ga.) Grayson four-star linebacker Anthony Davis after pledging to the Rebels in August.

Davis, a Top-20 rated linebacker in America, pledged to the Ole Miss Rebels over the Alabama Crimson Tide, Michigan Wolverines and Auburn Tigers after going public with a decision in August.

The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder has cruised up the recruiting rankings across his prep career with Rebels intensifying their pursuit this offseason in order to land his services.

Ole Miss Rebels Football: Anthony Davis. — Courtesy of Anthony Davis' Instagram.

Davis unofficially visited the Rebels on April 17 where he had the chance to soak in the scenes of the Magnolia State for a quick trip around the staff.

“The hospitality they showed me and my family was like no other,” Davis told On3 Sports. “I sat down with the DC for a hour just going over how I fit their scheme and it was great.”

Now, the Ole Miss Rebels flaunt one of the top linebacker hauls in America with two of the top prospects committed, according to Rivals.

Along with Ole Miss, it's the Texas Longhorns, Tennessee Volunteers and Ohio State Buckeyes that round out the schools with the top linebacker units committed.

Top 2026 linebacker classes💪

Read: https://t.co/ZOFolK9osF pic.twitter.com/8XtVTXoYy3
— Rivals (@Rivals) August 10, 2025

Ole Miss currently holds one of the top 2026 Recruiting Classes with the program sitting at No. 19 overall with double-digit commitments to this point.

More Ole Miss News:

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The Preseason Coaches Poll Ranking: Ole Miss Football Comes in at No. 15

What It Means: Ole Miss Football Beats Out Michigan Wolverines for Coveted Linebacker

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