2024 Ole Miss Recruiting Tracker: Rebels Crack Top Schools for Virginia WR Young-Stieff
The preparation for the 2022 football season is under way in college football but the path towards building the future of the sport is never on hiatus.
It's true for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, fresh off of a top 25 recruiting class and its raid of the NCAA transfer portal of late. The program has gone through considerable transition, from coaching staff to roster, coming off of the first 10-win regular season in program history.
Can the Rebels start taking away recruits from programs like Bama, Georgia and A&M by getting on recruits earlier than ever? That appears to be the aim based on the following information.
Stick with The Grove Report as we track the top class of 2024 recruits that the Rebels are getting out in front with by offering early.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 3:00 PM UPDATE
Another top junior recruit has put Ole Miss on his list of top programs.
Virginia Beach (Va.) Green Run wide receiver Tasean Young-Stieff announced his final 10 programs under consideration on Thursday via social media. Along with the Rebels, in-state Virginia Tech and Liberty made the cut as well as North Carolina, Duke, Maryland, Penn State, ECU, Coastal Carolina and Marshall.
Young-Stieff has been in regular contact with Rebel coaches for more than a calendar year, as it offered back in September 2021.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 12:00 PM UPDATE
Another class of 2024 quarterback to eye for Ole Miss has the Rebels in his top group. In late October, Davi Belfort announced a top seven that included programs from all over the country on social media.
Lane Kiffin's program was joined by Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Penn State, Michigan State and Virginia Tech. The Miami (Fla.) Gulliver standout, who is the son of MMA star Vitor Belfort, most recently saw games at Michigan State and Florida.
A varsity starter since his freshman season, Belfort was targeted and offered by Ole Miss back in January.
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12, 8:30 AM UPDATE
An emerging class of 2024 quarterback recruit has the Rebels in the mix after narrowing his list of options.
On Tuesday, Demond Williams Jr. announced a top 10 among his contenders the Lane Kiffin's program made the cut. The Chandler (Ariz.) Basha quarterback holds two dozen offers, but appears to be focusing on Oregon, Utah, UCLA, Cal, Arizona, Arizona State, Arkansas, Michigan State, Virginia Tech as well as Ole Miss.
The junior passer, listed at 5-foot-11, has been in contact with Kiffin and company since it was permitted on September 1. Williams was initially offered by the staff in June and took a visit to Oxford in July.
FRIDAY, JULY 29, 12:30 PM UPDATE
Walker White, a 2024 quarterback out of Little Rock Christian Academy (Ark.), is in Oxford this weekend.
White took a visit to Ole Miss in May, and he raved about the visit to John Garcia Jr. afterwards.
"It was awesome, I loved it," White said. "It was all awesome, my favorite part was for sure talking ball. I loved every bit of it and getting on the inside of the offense. I also loved spending time with the (coaches') family-- they were all so nice and hospitable."
SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 3:42 PM UPDATE
The Rebels have offered one of the top arm talents in the state of Texas, in The Woodlands (TX) 2024 quarterback, Mabrey Mattauer.
Texas District 13-6a Overall MVP in his sophomore season, throwing for 2,461 yards and 25 touchdowns, with six interceptions. He also ran 87 times for 444 yards and 15 scores.
THURSDAY, JUNE 9, 5:30 PM UPDATE
One of Ole Miss' underclassmen football commitment just earned an offer from Alabama and Nick Saban.
Jordan Lockhart, the Bellflower (Calif.) St. John Bosco linebacker who committed to Ole Miss as a member of the class of 2024 back in December, continues to pick up recruiting momentum elsewhere.
In addition to the offer he announced from UA, Lockhart posted video of the performance that led to the Tide coaches offering him a spot on their roster.
While it's something to eye, it is relatively early in Lockhart's recruitment. He has frequented Oxford and of course is the younger brother of current Rebel linebacker Danny Lockhart.
The rising-junior recruit did tell Rivals.com he would return to Tuscaloosa, possibly for a game in the fall.
MONDAY, JUNE 6, 10:00 AM UPDATE
Current Ole Miss quarterback commitment Marcel Reed is playing for Nashville (Tenn.) Montgomery Bell Academy, and the Rebels are trying to push for other top 2023 prospects in the Volunteer State like offensive lineman Brycen Sanders from Chattanooga (Tenn.) Baylor School. The Rebels are also pursuing a top 2024 prospect from the state of Tennessee.
Marcus Goree, Jr. is a versatile athlete that could end up on either side of the football in college. Playing for Cleveland (Tenn.) Bradley Central, Goree excelled as a receiver and free safety during the 2021 football season. His length is prototypical for the secondary, and that's likely where many programs will recruit him. Still, he's an accomplished wide receiver prospect as well.
Goree received offers from Notre Dame and Ole Miss on June 3 and June 4 respectively. His first Power Five offer came from Vanderbilt on March 24, and that was followed by an offer from Louisville on March 26. Since then, Michigan and Michigan State also extended scholarship offers to the talented athlete, among others.
At 6'1", 170-pounds, Goree is the type of long and lean athlete that SEC programs need to consistently compete at the highest level. It will be interesting to see which programs he camps with and/or takes an unofficial visit during this summer.
FRIDAY, MAY 27, 11:00 AM UPDATE
One of the newest Ole Miss targets will be in town this coming week.
Gibson Pyle, who announced an offer from the Rebels on Wednesday, will make the trek to Oxford on Wednesday, June. 1. The Houston (Texas) Cain High School two-way lineman announced the visit plans on social media Friday.
Listed at 6'4", 265 pounds, Pyle has added near double-digit offers despite being a current sophomore in high school. Kansas State and Colorado have recently hosted him for visits ahead of what appears to be a busy camp schedule this offseason.
Pyle tagged Ole Miss offensive line coach Jake Thornton in his offer Tweet, so perhaps he is projected to play offensive line should he choose the Rebels in the end.
FRIDAY, MAY 20, 7:25 PM UPDATE
The Rebels are continuing to delve into the underclassmen recruiting scene, this time with the opportunity to host top 2024 quarterback recruit Walker White. He's headed to Ole Miss on Saturday.
A physical specimen at 6’3”, 215-pounds, the rising junior signal caller has a chance to be one of the nation’s best. Watching his film, he possesses good pocket awareness, understands when and where to use touch as compared to throwing a bullet, and provides the needed accuracy to play in the SEC West. He’s also been good when the cameras are rolling.
Proving his talent, White did quite well at this year’s Nashville Elite 11 Combine, as noted by SI All-American’s John Garcia, Jr.
“Walker White, another rising-junior in the 2024 class, has an impressive build and showed steady accuracy all afternoon long. Arm strength and a classic motion will only increase the attention around the Arkansas native as an upperclassman.”
To read the entire article about White and the other quarterbacks that participated, go here: Nashville Elite 11.
TUESDAY, APRIL 12, 9:50 AM UPDATE:
You never forget your first and for Raemon Mosby, the first will always be Ole Miss.
On Tuesday morning, the Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake defensive back, who moved from Louisiana after his sophomore season in 2021, picked up his first college scholarship offer after connecting with Rebel cornerbacks coach Sam Carter.
"We chopped it up, had some things in common talked football and just connected," Mosby said. "It feels good. Motivated me even more to go harder and just to continue to work."
The 6' secondary projection -- who plays with Cam Newton's 7-on-7 team coming off of a season in which he registered 36 tackles, two interceptions and a half-dozen pass breakups for Marrero (La.) John Ehret High School -- set up a trip to see Oxford up close now that the offer is in hand. He will be in town for the Grove Bowl on April 23.
While surprised of the news, Mosby says the extension is "only the beginning" for his trajectory and recruitment.
"I was shocked and thought it was a dream," he said. "It felt good. I was just blessed and was just thanking God.
"I called my mom right after."
FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 9:30 AM UPDATE:
As Ole Miss revs up its 2023 recruiting efforts, the 2024 class is already under construction as well. One of the in-state targets that just received an offer would be Chris Davis, a very gifted athlete that had a big sophomore campaign including 17 rushing touchdowns from just 90 carries. That absurd statistic is also accompanied by a 10.7 yards per carry average and 953 yards rushing for Picayune (Miss.) Memorial.
Still early in his recruitment, Davis holds offers from Florida State, Georgia Tech and Boston College in addition to the Rebels. He's a twitchy athlete that makes defenders miss in space. In addition to running back, Davis could play cornerback, safety, or receiver with his natural gifts.
MARCH 23, 9:20 AM UPDATE:
One of Ole Miss new 2024 quarterback targets likes the first impression the Rebel staff provided.
Dante Reno, the Windsor (Conn.) Loomis Chaffee School quarterback fresh off of a New England-area championship in scoring 27 total touchdowns and throwing for more than 2,500 yards as a sophomore, has more than a dozen scholarship offers already to his name.
Ole Miss jumped in last week when he made contact with analyst Seth Dodge.
"They like me a lot," Reno told The Grove Report. "I love their staff. "That was my first impression, they were awesome."
The son of Yale football coach Tony Reno, Dante reports interest from programs like "Clemson, Georgia, Florida, Florida State, Texas and Ohio State" among those yet to offer.
MARCH 19, 8:25 PM UPDATE:
The South supplies the best prep talent in the country overall. That's no debated. When it comes to finding quarterback talent, however, it's good to spread your wings and look far and wide. No position impacts the final score any more than the signal caller.
That's a good reason for Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss extending a scholarship offer to Boston (Mass.) / Windsor (Conn.) Loomis Chaffee prospect Dante Reno. The rising junior is an advanced passer.
Whether it's escaping pressure and throwing a sidearm pass for a completion or stepping up in the pocket and then rifling a pass to the sideline, He was also accomplished as a rhythm passer that took the final step of his drop and then immediately made the pass. Finally, and most notably, Reno showed deft touch on deep ball after deep ball. It's safet to say that Reno's sophomore film displayed a natural feel for playing quarterback. All of those factors led to the following:
Reno's offer list already includes the Rebels plus South Carolina, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Iowa, Iowa State, Purdue, Syracuse, West Virginia, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Arizona, UCF, and Houston. With two more years of high school remaining, this young man is trending towards being a truly elite recruit.
March 11, 9:15 AM UPDATE:
Arguably the top 2024 quarterback prospect in America now has Ole Miss among the programs chasing a verbal commitment.
South Carolina native and star recruit Jadyn Davis, among the most covered recruits in the country regardless of class, announced an offer from Lane Kiffin, Charlie Weis Jr. and company on Thursday. The Rebels become the latest SEC offer for the prospect with more than 20 extensions already to his name.
Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame, and droves of other programs are already in on a prospect expected to be among the best in the 2024 class when all the dust is settled. Davis has generated buzz since starting varsity games as a freshman in 2020 and earning a spot at the All-American Bowl after an impressive FBU (Football University) run thereafter.
As a sophomore in 2021, Davis threw for 1,732 yards and 14 touchdowns in helping Fort Mill (S.C.) Catawba Ridge High School into the second round of the state playoffs. He has since transferred to Providence Day School in the Charlotte, North Carolina area.
March 7, 1:25 PM UPDATE:
Arguably the top 2024 prospect to visit Oxford over the weekend is Leeds (Ala.) High School star Kavion Henderson.
Checking out campus with a host of fellow Alabamians, the edge rusher was fresh off of an MVP performance at the Under Armour Next All-America Camp in Atlanta. The offer list has ballooned to two dozen, including many in the SEC, so getting his first Oxford trip in was important for the defensive staff.
"They are a great school they have great coaches," Henderson told SI All-American over the weekend. "The campus was great, what shocked me was the D-Line coach (Randall Joyner).
"His energy was unreal. It was crazy."
Henderson again said he was surprised by how much he liked the Ole Miss impression and is considering a return trip. As for Joyner's message to the rising-junior, it was about progressing.
"Keep working and he would love to work with me," he said. "It is a great school and they really care about you."
Henderson also got some face time with Monte Kiffin, father of Lane and former NFL coach, before wrapping up his first trip to Oxford.
March 5, 9:20 AM UPDATE:
College visits are back on in the class of 2023, 2024 and beyond and Ole Miss took advantage during the week before its big junior day weekend.
One of the underclassman prospects to spend time in Oxford is intriguing on the field and on the court in two-sport sophomore Skylar Townsend. The Tanner (Ala.) High School standout is an all-state wide receiver and helped the basketball team to a deep playoff run this year as one of the top scorers in northern Alabama.
On Friday, Townsend spent time with Ole Miss football coaches during his first trip to campus as a recruit.
"Well they like his length and the fact that he’s a multi-sport athlete," Tavaris Townsend, Skylar's father, said. "It was big for them, they want him back at camp and [they're] trying to come up in the spring to see him.
"They like him at outside receiver."
Townsend, listed at 6'2", 165 pounds as a member of the class of 2024, is likely to return to Oxford for the Grove Bowl next month, his father added. As a sophomore at Tanner, he says he registered 32 catches for 699 yards (more than 20 yards per catch) and nine touchdowns.
March 1, 5:45 PM UPDATE:
Getting ahead of the recruiting game, the Rebels extended an offer to a talented skill player in the class of 2024 with Terek Mccant from Seffner (Fla.) Seffner Christian receiving an offer. It appears his first trip to Oxford is now in short order.
"I’ll definitely be visiting in the future," Mccant told The Grove Report. "I feel like Ole Miss is a place where I could potentially get drafted from, they develop players all the time and with my work ethic I don’t think it would be two hard for me to excel from there.
Assistant coach Derrick Nix extended the offer Mccant's way and the multi-dimensional athlete says there are multiple roles to potentially fill in the Rebel offense.
"He says I would be a good fit for their overall scheme as a versatile player who can play wide receiver, running back and return man," he said. "Like an offensive specialist."
Mccant will be at the University of South Florida for a visit on Saturday. Ole Miss represents the second SEC offer for the speedy prospect that lives on the edge of Tampa. Some of his other offers include Missouri, Coastal Carolina, Duke, East Carolina, Marshall and Florida Atlantic.
Also in the class of 2024, Cam’Ron Warren earned an offer from the Rebels of late. He’s playing for one of the top programs in the country in Baltimore (Md.) St. Francis Academy.
The 6’6”, 290-pound road grader along the offensive line has other offers like LSU, Kentucky, Penn State, Michigan, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina.
FEBRUARY 25TH, 10:40 AM UPDATE:
Judd Anderson self-reported an offer from Ole Miss on Feb. 22. The Chattanooga (Tenn.) Jones County signal caller checks several boxes for a Power Five program. He’s a listed 6’6”, 210-pounds, and he’s only a class of 2024 prospect, meaning he’s still technically a sophomore in high school.
With Ole Miss Head Football Coach Lane Kiffin’s propensity to find and develop signal callers, Anderson receiving an Ole Miss offer first is truly interesting. It’s not like Coach Kiffin needs to go deep down the quarterback board to find one, nor does he necessarily need to offer 2024 prospects that have little notoriety. Then again, Anderson’s film displays good skills.
"It was super exciting to get that first offer!" Anderson said Friday morning.
A prospect that has good zip on his passes, a natural over-the-top release and good mobility (18 ppg in hoops is a great sign), Anderson has the requisite upside that college coaches seek.
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