NOTES: Rebels picking up steam
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June has been good to Ed Orgeron and the Ole Miss staff.
Ole Miss has received an avalanche of commitments during the past two weeks as eight have committed since June 21 (there have been 11 total in June). Rivals250 athlete Darius Barksdale, one of the top overall prospects in the Magnolia State, headlines the group.
There are other potential stars as well. Defensive lineman Willie Packer, cornerback Bud Barksdale, offensive guard Quin Sanford and defensive end Aljoshua Tillman also are good pick-ups. Orlando (Fla.) Dr. Phillips quarterback Chris Wilkes could be one of the top sleepers at his position in the country.
With the effort, Ole Miss made its debut at No. 17 in the Rivals.com Team Football Recruiting Rankings, good enough for fourth in the Southeastern Conference, behind Georgia, Alabama and LSU.
The Rebels are not finished either as top-notch in-state prospects like Rivals100 cornerback Charles Mitchell, and four-star defensive tackles Bo Tillman and Templeton Hardy are still on the board.
This type of commitment frenzy re-establishes important momentum for the Rebels program and continues to show that Orgeron and staff can bring top talent to Oxford.
Butler decision looming
It's likely that Rivals100 wide receiver Brice Butler will announce a verbal commitment to one of his many suitors by the end of this month.
The Norcross (Ga.) prospect recently narrowed his list to Southern California, Florida State, Notre Dame, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State, Georgia, Florida, LSU and Penn State.
Five-star linebacker heading South
Wichita (Kan.) East linebacker Arthur Brown will take multiple unofficial visits to schools in the Southeast during the latter half of July.
LSU, Tulane, Florida State, Florida, Miami (Fla.), South Florida, Georgia Tech, Georgia, UAB, Alabama, Ole Miss and Arkansas all are potential stops on the tour. Brown's younger brother, running back Bryce Brown and several other Wichita-area prospects are expected to also make the trip.
Bryce Brown figures to be one of the top overall prospects in America for the Class of 2009.
Shaw visits Wisconsin
Rivals100 offensive tackle Greg Shaw of Miami (Fla.) Pace recently camped at Wisconsin and came away impressed with Madison and the Badgers program.
"They taught me a lot," Shaw said. "I liked the campus and the coaches. I still don't have any leaders."
Shaw added that Wisconsin could get an official visit.
The 6-foot-5, 270-pounder plans to head to Gainesville, Fla., on July 20 for the Gators' Friday Night Lights Camp and also could take an unofficial to Louisville later this summer.
Sleeper starting to get noticed
Sanford (Fla.) Seminole offensive guard prospect Adrin Haughton is starting to get attention from some major programs. Haughton, who has dropped his weight to 310 pounds, recently stood out at the Down N Dirty lineman camp in Florida.
Florida, Florida State, LSU and Michigan are among the schools that have shown Haughton interest.
Haughton isn't the only talented prospect at Seminole. Defensive end Dydron Dye expects to be a heavily-recruited prospect from Haughton's school in the Class of 2009.
This, that and the other
Tallahassee (Fla.) Lincoln offensive guard Steven Robinson was the MVP of the Down N Dirty event.. … Oregon has offered Roswell (Ga.) safety prospect Garrett Embry. …Four-star offensive guard Dalton Freeman of Pelion (S.C.) has picked up offers from Florida and Florida State to go along with Clemson, Georgia, South Carolina and others. …UAB has shown interest in Orlando (Fla.) Freedom defensive end Joe Washaby. …Memphis, Louisville, Marshall and Georgia Tech have all expressed interest in LaVergne (Tenn.) defensive end Collins Ukwu. The 6-foot-4, 207-pounder is in the process of distributing his highlight tape to several Southeastern Conference programs. …Vanderbilt is showing interest in Daytona Beach (Fla.) Seabreeze athlete Ricky Schwarz. …Atlanta Grady linebacker Darryl Farley now holds offers from Middle Tennessee State, Miami (Ohio.), Tulane, Marshall and Ole Miss.
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