Lane Kiffin continues to amass talent for the playoffs.
Late last week, Ole Miss added two crucial players to its 2024 football roster, one on either side of the ball.
First, JUCO sensation wideout Deion Smith, who shone as a freshman at LSU before becoming the country’s top junior college recruit last year, is finally ready to arrive in Oxford after months of speculation. It appears that Smith did not do himself many favors academically while in Baton Rouge; then, when it became clear that he was intent on transferring, LSU may have made things a little more difficult still for the talented Smith. After committing to the Rebs in December, Smith lingered at Holmes CC to finish up some schoolwork; as the months passed, some fans (like me) began to suspect that something was wrong, and that Smith might never make it to campus. Smith looks to have received the all-clear to transfer and announced on X, “Here I come Oxford…” “I hope you’re ready for this [poop emoji].”
Here I come Oxford😏 Hope y’all ready for this 💩
— DeionSmith🃏 (@deion1_) May 21, 2024
Assuming Oxford’s waste management systems are prepared for this [poop emoji], Lane Kiffin is going to add one of the country’s most physically gifted wideouts to an already salty WR room. My assessment of the current wide receiver group is as follows: Ole Miss has two solid returning seniors in Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins.
Those guys are almost assured all the snaps and targets they can handle. Furthermore, Kiffin has essentially three lottery tickets in Juice Wells, Deion Smith, and Ayden Williams; all are super athletes who are less of a sure thing than Harris and Watkins, but when combined, will almost certainly provide the Rebs with an incredible second, third, or fourth option in addition to its two rock-solid returners.
Here are some Deion Smith highlights from last season at Holmes, just in case you’re lacking excitement for the upcoming season:
Over the long holiday weekend, Ole Miss received a commitment from Jacksonville State defensive lineman Chris Hardie. The 6’2, 270-pound Hardie was perhaps the top defensive lineman in Conference USA last season, with 60 tackles and 8.5 sacks in 2023. He selected Ole Miss over offers from Oklahoma, UCF, and other schools.
HOTTY TODDY EVERYBODY!!!!
I’m coming to the SIP🦈
Give me a follow on IG!!!!!!!!!!
LFG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! #TransferToTheSip pic.twitter.com/BIxrfccr6A— Chris Hardie (@ChrisHardie_7) May 27, 2024
Anyway, Hardie gives a much-needed third option as a traditional defensive end, following Princely Umanmielen (who is recovering from shoulder surgery) and Jared Ivey (who is returning to DE after spending the majority of 2023 at DT). He allows the coaches to progress Umanmielen’s recuperation more gradually, while also providing great experience and competition with players like Kamarion Franklin, who may or may not be ready to participate in SEC play this season. While searching the internet for Hardie highlights (and regrettably coming up mostly empty), I discovered this man on YouTube who goes down video and evaluates players and is a huge Chris Hardie admirer, calling him one of the best players in the entire world.
While he criticizes Ole Miss and other big programs for accumulating talent (just cope, Rico), he believes Hardie is a criminally underestimated athlete with NFL potential.
