Ole Miss betting odds for the football season took a nose dive after head coach Hugh Freeze was fired after an investigation revealed he called an escort from his school phone. Despite the setback, fans still believe the team has what it takes to be competitive in the SEC.
Other than the coach getting fired, Ole Miss still has some roster issues they need to address, the biggest of which is their linebacker unit.
For some reason, the school has been unable to land highly rated linebackers, even with Freeze, who always seems to have one of the top recruiting classes in college football while he was at Ole Miss. The good news for Ole Miss fans is that the schools linebacker problem can potentially be fixed by the 2019 class.
According to online sources, the state of Mississippi will be loaded with talented players in 2019. Mississippi currently has 10 four-star players in the 2019 class, which is significantly more than they will have in the 2018 class, which currently has 1 four-star player.
The good news for Ole Miss about the talented 2019 class, is that two of the 10 players, Nakobe Dean and Zach Edwards are linebackers.
Dean, from Horn Lake, Mississippi is 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs 215 pounds. He is just entering his junior year in high school and is already considered one of the best high school prospects in the state.
According to scouts that have seen him play, Dean loves contact, and has the speed to cover players from sideline to sideline. He is currently the 97th ranked prospect in the country regardless of position, and is the 7th ranked linebacker prospect in the country.
Dean has committed to play in the Under Armor All American Game, which attracts the top talent in the country.
With a talent like that in their backyard, Dean is a player Ole Miss has to get. However, the current NCAA investigation into the school might make him hesitant to commit to the school, but if the Rebels have a successful season, it will make trying to recruit Dean easier.
Zach Edwards isn’t as highly ranked as Dean, but he is another promising recruit that could turn into a superstar for the Rebels. Edwards is currently ranked 261 in the country, and is the 5th ranked inside linebacker.
Edwards is 6 feet 3 inches tall and has the potential to develop into a great middle linebacker.
Ole Miss was the first team to offer the junior a scholarship, which should carry some weight with the recruit, but like Dean, it is too early to predict what will happen with the situation due to the NCAA cloud hanging over the school.
Another potential recruit Ole Miss might land is Donte Starks, the second highest rated middle linebacker in the country. Starks transferred to a high school near New Orleans earlier this year, but has returned to Mississippi to play his junior season.
With Starks back in Mississippi, the Rebels will definitely try to get him to commit to the school.
While Ole Miss isn’t expected to compete for the national championship, a successful season, which means going to a decent bowl game, should help them with their future recruiting efforts.
