Assessing Ole Miss' 2016 recruiting class entering this summer

Ole Miss and coach Hugh Freeze may not be out to prove that the ’13 class was a fluke — explicitly or consciously — but the team sure could use a strong ’16 class to soften the blow of losing as many as four first-round early-entry NFL draft picks.

With a five-star quarterback and an additional handful of four-star players already committed, Ole Miss is on the way to doing just that. If the team can sprinkle in another two or three marquee recruits, the Rebels very well could find themselves with another Top 10 class nationally come February.

The team even holds commitments from all three of its biggest positions of need — defensive tackle, offensive tackle and safety — though the latter two come in the form of single three-star players.

The bottom line is that the team continues to recruit at a high level. Ole Miss may not be ranked in the Top 5 every season — or any season — like the Rebels achieved in 2014. But with the kind of talent Freeze continues to attract, Ole Miss should remain relevant, and far from the bottom of the SEC West, for years to come.

ASSESSING OLE MISS’ 2016 CLASS

Current commits or enrollees: 14 (avg. star 3.6; last year: 3.3)
Current big-name targets: DT Rashan Gary, WR A.J. Brown, DE Jeffery Simmons
Biggest positions of need: DT, OT and S
National/SEC rank: 6/3

NOTABLE COMMITS