Prized Ole Miss Football Commit Labeled Top-10 Running Back in America

De Kalb (Miss.) Kemper Country four-star running back Damarius Yates revealed a commitment to Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels in May after a spring visit to Oxford.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pounder out of the Magnolia State had the Alabama Crimson Tide, Florida State Seminoles and Tennessee Volunteers, among others, battling for a pledge, but Kiffin and Co. ultimately win out down the stretch.

“The way that they treat my family like they’d treat their family,” Yates told On3. “Also, they made sure I’m good on everything that I need.”

Yates, a Top-10 running back in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, took a visit to Oxford in May with the program sealing the deal from there.

“My Ole Miss visit was great,” Yates said. “I liked their players, the way their scheme is. The offensive scheme that they run. The brotherhood that they have. Basically, it’s a great place to be. They’re my No. 1 pick right now.”

During his junior season in 2024, he rushed for 1,339 yards and 15 touchdowns while also reeling in 30 receptions for 453 yards and four touchdowns.

Yates believes Ole Miss udnerstands the best ways to utilize his skill set once he makes his way to the next level in 2026.

“They will show me how they use me out of the backfield,” Yates said. “Coach Smith is a great coach. He’s going to keep it real with you. He’s not just an ordinary coach to say something to make you feel good about yourself.”

Yates' Kemper County High School head coach, Darius Wren, detailed what the Rebels are getting in the dynamic playmaker.

"He's a joy to coach," Wren told 247Sports. "Anytime you get a chance to coach a player with his skill set and intangibles, it is exciting. You know you do not get to coach to many kids that have the talent and the mindset that go hand in hand.

"He is very coachable and a down to earth kid that loves his teammates and wants to share the spotlight with them.

"I think a cool story is a couple weeks ago, he felt like our freshman running back had a better practice week than him and he came and told me he deserved to start over him. I think that is the type of unselfishness he brings."

Now, all eyes are on the Top-10 running back ahead of his senior campaign in the Magnolia State.

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