Rebel EDGE/Ath Target Christian Burkhalter Leaning Non-SEC

Ole Miss has been targeting a pair of Alabamian brothers over the past months. The higher rated of the two seems to be leaning towards a school outside of the Southeastern Conference.

Christian Burkhalter, an athlete recruit playing primarily defensive end out of Spanish Fort, Ala., caught up with The Grove Report briefly last week, updating the status of his recruitment.

Frankly, Burkhalter was very honest:

"I think I just want to go outside of the SEC," he admitted.

A kid that's grown up in the south all his life, it seems like he wants to experience something a little different.

That said, he's not ruling out Ole Miss.

"Ole Miss is probably still in the running for me though, "Burkhalter added. "I like coach Kiffin and those guys a lot."

At 6-foot-5 and now 230 pounds, Burkhalter has played a little bit all over the place over the past few years. Primarily being recruited as a weak-side defensive end, he's played tight end and receiver and some recruiting services list him as an athlete. The 247Sports composite has him at that WDE spot.

For now, Nebraska and Georgia Tech seem to be the top contenders for the Alabama product with UVA and Ole Miss right there as well. The Rebels are really the only SEC school he's even strongly considering at this point.

Burkhalter is actually the brother of Jackson Burkhalter, another Ole Miss target also in the 2021 class. Jackson, a 6-foot-5 pro-style quarterback, recently reclassified from the 2020 class to 2021 class, transferring to Worcester Academy in New England for his final year of high school. The Grove Report caught up with Jackson earlier this summer, which you can read here.

More from The Grove Report:

Ole Miss Makes Cut on Pair of Four-Star DB Prospects

Grae Kessinger Coping with Lost Season, Taking Development into His Own Hands

Ole Miss DC D.J. Durkin Explains How to Return Rebels to SEC's Elite

Behind Enemy Sidelines: NCAA Player Empowerment and a Less Toxic Egg Bowl?

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