• Apply
  • Archives
  • NewsWatch
  • Classifieds
  • Multimedia
    • Ole Miss in Puerto Rico
    • Campus Protests
    • The Queen of Marks
    • Meet Aubrey Armstrong, a Real Champion and Local Celebrity
    • Mississippi voters passed Initiative 65. What’s next?
    • One year later: COVID-19 at Ole Miss
    • “It’s Just Not Fair”: One Woman’s Fight For Access to Community Water
    • A way with words
  • Subscribe to our newsletter
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
  • News
    • All
    • Associated Student Body
    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

    Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

    Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

  • Arts & Culture
    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Grove trees cared for by the Department of Landscaping Services. Photo courtesy: Jillian Russell

    An ode to campus trees and those who care for them

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

  • Opinion
    • All
    • Ask a Philosopher
    • Diary of a Black Girl
    • From The Editorial Board
    • Lavender Letters
    • Letters to the editor
    lavender letters graphic, a purple envelope with a purple letter, "lavender letters" is written in bold black font on the letter

    Lavender Letters: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Ask a Philosopher: How do I quell my public speaking fears?

    Ask a Philosopher: Why do other people not understand me?

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

  • Special Projects
    • All
    • It's a Whole New Ball Game
    • Jordan Center Symposium
    • Rising Tides & Temperatures

    Jordan Center debuts with symposium addressing impact of social media, AI on democracy

    Richard Lui: News media must not make same mistakes with AI that it did with social media

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26
  • News
    • All
    • Associated Student Body
    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    University cuts support for Oxford Pride

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    ASB expands legislative council, elects Wesley Templet president pro tempore

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    What goes into making Commencement happen for 5,500 graduates?

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    Stamps Impact Prize awarded to 15 students

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

    MPower sets on a new path amid low attendance

  • Sports
    • All
    • Game Recap
    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

    Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

    Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

    Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

    Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

    Ole Miss softball falls to No. 1 Tennessee

  • Arts & Culture
    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Seniors cement their campus legacy with a brick

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Student photographers capture picture-perfect graduation moments

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Julien Baker & TORRES ‘send a prayer’ to Oxford

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Double Decker 28 rocks the Square

    Grove trees cared for by the Department of Landscaping Services. Photo courtesy: Jillian Russell

    An ode to campus trees and those who care for them

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

    ‘Sinners’ falls flat on first watch

  • Opinion
    • All
    • Ask a Philosopher
    • Diary of a Black Girl
    • From The Editorial Board
    • Lavender Letters
    • Letters to the editor
    lavender letters graphic, a purple envelope with a purple letter, "lavender letters" is written in bold black font on the letter

    Lavender Letters: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Diary of a Black Girl: senior sign-off

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Opinion: How to avoid summertime sadness

    Ask a Philosopher: How do I quell my public speaking fears?

    Ask a Philosopher: Why do other people not understand me?

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    A farewell from Opinion Editor Justice Rose

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

    Why evangelical Christians need to feel the heat on climate change

  • Special Projects
    • All
    • It's a Whole New Ball Game
    • Jordan Center Symposium
    • Rising Tides & Temperatures

    Jordan Center debuts with symposium addressing impact of social media, AI on democracy

    Richard Lui: News media must not make same mistakes with AI that it did with social media

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    Elise Jordan: Artificial Intelligence will completely transform world

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    danah boyd: Journalism connects people in a healthy social fabric

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Meetali Jain holds Big Tech accountable

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

    Dana Milbank asks, ‘Can free press survive the Trump era?’

  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26
No Result
View All Result
The Daily Mississippian
No Result
View All Result

Depth, athleticism headline Ole Miss football’s 2018 signing class

Josh GolliharbyJosh Gollihar
February 8, 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read

With this year’s National Signing Day having come and gone, head coach Matt Luke has to be impressed with the work he and his staff put in to secure a top-30 class.

After adding seven signees on Wednesday, Ole Miss welcomes 22 new Rebels to Oxford in the first year of the Early Signing Period era. Though the staff was able to sign a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball, the most important takeaway from the 2018 class will be the depth it brings to the roster.

On offense, coordinator Phil Longo has eight new players at his disposal and ready to contribute to what was already the most explosive offense in the SEC last season. The most notable of the eight are gunslinger quarterback Matt Corral and wide receivers Elijah Moore, Demarcus Gregory and Miles Battle, who are all four-star players.

With Ole Miss’ top receivers and signal-caller from a year ago returning in 2018, the Nasty Wide Out depth and solidified No. 1 under center will allow for the new players to compete for playing time and, more importantly, adjust to the speed of the college game and master the system.

In addition to the air-attack signees, Longo took a step toward replacing Jordan Wilkins, his bell cow 1,000-yard running back from last season. By adding Scott Phillips, the No. 1 junior college running back in the nation, the competition for carries between D’Vaughn Pennamon and Eric Swinney just got even more interesting.

To protect the running back emerges as the guy for 2018, Luke and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. were able to land commitments from 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound offensive tackle Hamilton Hall and former California Berkeley offensive tackle Dwayne Wallace, who comes to Oxford by way of graduate transfer. Wallace will compete for the starting job at right tackle with Alex Givens and provide depth to a line that faced attrition a year ago.

The wild card of the offensive line group is actually a defensive tackle signee, Jalen Cunningham. At 6-foot-6, 345 pounds, Cunningham will start out on the defensive line, but, after he signed in December, Luke said he would be a pro offensive guard by the time he leaves Oxford.

While the offense stridefully improved, the majority of the signees in this year’s class came on the defensive side of the ball. And for good reason. In 2017, the Rebels lacked depth at all levels of the defense, which led to players running out of gas late in games and an inability to replace injured starters.

Filling a gaping hole, six of the players in this class come on the defensive line, the most notable being 6-foot-5, 330-pound JUCO transfer defensive tackle Noah Jefferson. Jefferson, despite his massive frame, is quick on his feet and can out-run many of his position counterparts.

Behind Jefferson and the trenchmen, newly hired linebackers coach Jon Sumrall is handed a mixture of athletic linebackers who do it all and agile pass rush specialists. Signees Jacquez Jones and Kevontae’ Ruggs offer athleticism at inside linebacker, while Vernon Dasher and Jonathan Hess bring longer frames to a rush linebacker spot.

To round out the secondary, four defensive backs were added in this class. Tylan Knight and JaKorey Hawkins offer depth, while Cam White has the frame to develop into a typical SEC safety who controls the game in many aspects. Additionally, Keidron Smith has the frame and athleticism to be quite the hitter.

Heading the “Mississippi Made” slogan for his program, Luke has established himself as a force in the hotbed of recruiting. In all, the Rebels added eight four-star players in the 2018 class, and back in August, the program would have considered signing even one to be something of a positive.

Talent aside, the importance of this class lies in the added depth. No position was left out, and Luke has set his roster up for future success in the years to come.

In Case You Missed It

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

1 month ago
Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

1 month ago
Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

2 months ago
Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

2 months ago
Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

2 months ago
Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

2 months ago

Depth, athleticism headline Ole Miss football’s 2018 signing class

Josh GolliharbyJosh Gollihar
February 8, 2018
Reading Time: 3 mins read

With this year’s National Signing Day having come and gone, head coach Matt Luke has to be impressed with the work he and his staff put in to secure a top-30 class.

After adding seven signees on Wednesday, Ole Miss welcomes 22 new Rebels to Oxford in the first year of the Early Signing Period era. Though the staff was able to sign a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball, the most important takeaway from the 2018 class will be the depth it brings to the roster.

On offense, coordinator Phil Longo has eight new players at his disposal and ready to contribute to what was already the most explosive offense in the SEC last season. The most notable of the eight are gunslinger quarterback Matt Corral and wide receivers Elijah Moore, Demarcus Gregory and Miles Battle, who are all four-star players.

With Ole Miss’ top receivers and signal-caller from a year ago returning in 2018, the Nasty Wide Out depth and solidified No. 1 under center will allow for the new players to compete for playing time and, more importantly, adjust to the speed of the college game and master the system.

In addition to the air-attack signees, Longo took a step toward replacing Jordan Wilkins, his bell cow 1,000-yard running back from last season. By adding Scott Phillips, the No. 1 junior college running back in the nation, the competition for carries between D’Vaughn Pennamon and Eric Swinney just got even more interesting.

To protect the running back emerges as the guy for 2018, Luke and offensive line coach Jack Bicknell Jr. were able to land commitments from 6-foot-5-inch, 285-pound offensive tackle Hamilton Hall and former California Berkeley offensive tackle Dwayne Wallace, who comes to Oxford by way of graduate transfer. Wallace will compete for the starting job at right tackle with Alex Givens and provide depth to a line that faced attrition a year ago.

The wild card of the offensive line group is actually a defensive tackle signee, Jalen Cunningham. At 6-foot-6, 345 pounds, Cunningham will start out on the defensive line, but, after he signed in December, Luke said he would be a pro offensive guard by the time he leaves Oxford.

While the offense stridefully improved, the majority of the signees in this year’s class came on the defensive side of the ball. And for good reason. In 2017, the Rebels lacked depth at all levels of the defense, which led to players running out of gas late in games and an inability to replace injured starters.

Filling a gaping hole, six of the players in this class come on the defensive line, the most notable being 6-foot-5, 330-pound JUCO transfer defensive tackle Noah Jefferson. Jefferson, despite his massive frame, is quick on his feet and can out-run many of his position counterparts.

Behind Jefferson and the trenchmen, newly hired linebackers coach Jon Sumrall is handed a mixture of athletic linebackers who do it all and agile pass rush specialists. Signees Jacquez Jones and Kevontae’ Ruggs offer athleticism at inside linebacker, while Vernon Dasher and Jonathan Hess bring longer frames to a rush linebacker spot.

To round out the secondary, four defensive backs were added in this class. Tylan Knight and JaKorey Hawkins offer depth, while Cam White has the frame to develop into a typical SEC safety who controls the game in many aspects. Additionally, Keidron Smith has the frame and athleticism to be quite the hitter.

Heading the “Mississippi Made” slogan for his program, Luke has established himself as a force in the hotbed of recruiting. In all, the Rebels added eight four-star players in the 2018 class, and back in August, the program would have considered signing even one to be something of a positive.

Talent aside, the importance of this class lies in the added depth. No position was left out, and Luke has set his roster up for future success in the years to come.

In Case You Missed It

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

House v. NCAA settlements gets approved, universities can now directly pay athletes

1 month ago
Ole Miss Softball takes series against Missouri

Ole Miss Softball advances to World Series for first time in program history

1 month ago
Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

Ole Miss Baseball wins big at home against UT Martin

2 months ago
Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

Is the university getting closer to a cap on admissions?

2 months ago
Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

Ole Miss Baseball falters on the road against in-state rival

2 months ago
Ole Miss Softball dominates Rocket City Softball Showcase

Ole Miss Softball battles through SEC Tournament

2 months ago

Facebook Twitter Instagram Youtube
Mississippi Press Association
Sign up for our weekly newsletter!
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Special Projects
  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

Republish this article

Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Unless otherwise noted, you can republish most of The Daily Mississippian’s stories for free under a Creative Commons license.

For digital publications:
Look for the "Republish This Story" button underneath each story. To republish online, simply click the button, copy the HTML code and paste it into your Content Management System (CMS).
Editorial cartoons and photo essays are not included under the Creative Commons license and therefore do not have the "Republish This Story" button option. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
Any website our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @thedailymississippian on Facebook and @thedm_news on X (formerly Twitter).

For print publications:
You have to credit The Daily Mississippian. We prefer “Author Name, The Daily Mississippian” in the byline. If you’re not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: “This story was originally published by The Daily Mississippian” and include our website, thedmonline.com.
You can’t edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style.
You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor Michael Guidry for more information). To learn more about our cartoon syndication services, click here.
Our stories may appear on pages with ads, but not ads specifically sold against our stories.
You can’t sell or syndicate our stories.
You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection.
Any website our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization.
If you have any other questions, contact the Student Media Center at Ole Miss.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Sports
  • Arts & Culture
  • Opinion
  • Special Projects
  • Print / e-Editions
  • About Us
    • Applications
    • Advertise
      • Advertise with Us
      • Classifieds
    • Contact
    • Editorial Board
    • Policies
    • Daily Mississippian Staff 2025-26

All Rights Reserved to S. Gale Denley Student Media Center 2019

-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00