When the NCAA added a second year to Ole Miss’s bowl ban, it allowed seniors to transfer without penalty.

However, senior WR DaMarkus Lodge chose to stay in Oxford, and will now finish out his college career with the Rebels and their high-powered offense.

Lodge visited some other schools, but ultimately decided to return to Ole Miss. Why did he do it? He said he simply feels Oxford is a special place (via 247Sports):

“There’s no other place like Ole Miss,” he said. “That’s genuinely coming from my heart. I took a lot of visits to a lot of colleges. I could have went anywhere and played right away anywhere. This place is just special. The people here, you won’t meet anyone anywhere else like them. Just so nice, the town is just beautiful and it’s a great place to be. With the things we had going offensively and how we spread the ball around, man, I just knew it was a great place to be for me, personally.”

Though AJ Brown is the leader of the Rebels’ receiving corps, Lodge burst onto the scene in a big way in 2017, too. He recorded 41 catches for 698 yards and seven touchdowns.

The Rebels may not be eligible for postseason play this fall, but with QB Jordan Ta’amu, Brown and Lodge back in the mix, Ole Miss’s offense still should be one of the best in the nation.