Penn State Nittany Lions Commit Set to Officially Visit Ole Miss Football in Week 10

Taylor (Penn.) Riverside three-star defensive lineman Tavian Branch will be in Oxford on Saturday alongside Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels for the program's matchup against South Carolina.

Branch, a Top-50 defensive lineman in America, revealed a commitment to James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions in September after flipping his pledge from Rutgers, but with a recent coaching change, is evaluating his options.

Following the news of Franklin and Penn State parting ways, the 6-foot-4, 300-pounder quickly turned his attention to other schools with Ole Miss getting in on the action early.

Now, an official visit is locked in for this weekend, according to Rivals.

“At this time, I am still committed to Penn State. However, due to the recent changes and uncertainty, I have decided to re-open my recruitment," Branch wrote via X.

Following the news of Franklin's departure with the Nittany Lions, Branch then reeled in offers from both Ole Miss and the Nebraska Cornhuskers as programs keep tabs on the talented defender in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle.

“I am in disbelief,” Branch told The Citizen's Voice. “I understand that this is part of the business. I am going to talk to my family about some things. I need some time to think about this.”

Now, Ole Miss is in on the action with Branch already planning a visit to Oxford to soak in the scenes of a game day visit.

Kiffin and Co. remain active on the recruiting scene with the program looking to flip multiple prospects ahead of the December Early Signing Period.

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Ole Miss set to roll out the red carpet for a number of its top recruiting targets Saturday for South Carolina ↙️

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This weekend, all eyes will be on No. 7 Ole Miss as the program looks to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.

“I’ve challenged them this week starting Sunday, coaches and players, to have a ‘lost-last-game’ mentality,” Kiffin said Wednesday on the weekly SEC Teleconference. “When people lose a game or things in life they’re worried about losing they act a little different.

“Instead of taking all the praise of winning, let’s approach this like we lost last week and look at every single thing and how we can get better. Because we should have played better. That should have been a two, three-score game. We have a lot of things to get better at, coaches and players.”

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