R250 DB Amadi pledges Ole Miss
Ole Miss got a big addition to its 2015 recruiting class late Friday night when Rivals250 and Nashville (Tenn.) Overton cornerback Ugo Amadi made the decision to commit to the Rebels over several other SEC programs.
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"I chose Ole Miss just because I felt like it was good fit," the 5-foot-9, 185-pound Amadi said. "Not just because of the coaches but because it's close to home and I felt like I wanted to get out of Tennessee for a better situation. Now it's a relief and I can just go out there and play ball keep my focus on getting better and getting ready for the next level."
The Rebels were among the first to offer Amadi after he burst onto the scene with a strong showing at the Rivals250 Underclassmen Challenge presented by Under Armour last summer. That early contact allowed the Rebels coaches to build a strong bond with Amadi.
"Coach Harris, Coach Jones and Coach Freeze have been on me for a while but they haven't been forcing me," Amadi said. "We've been building a relationship for a while now. This is my second time coming on campus and I liked it the first time but this time I brought my parents with me and they liked it and I just felt like it was time to make my decision."
Amadi, who won the defensive back MVP at the Rivals Camp Series Birmingham stop last weekend, plays quarterback and defensive back for his high school team. He said he plans on seeing the field early and may play some special teams in addition to playing defense.
They said they're going to let me play early," Amadi said. "They want to give me a shot to earn the job as a punt returner and if I work for it I'll be playing defense early, too. They told me they're going to be playing five defensive backs and they're only taking two in my class so that makes me feel comfortable knowing that they believe in me."
Amadi added that he's excited to play with some of the big name recruits that have signed with Ole Miss over the past few recruiting cycles.
"It's going to be really good and really fun to play with those guys," Amadi said. "I feel like everything is going to go well and I'm gong to get to learn from them. Being around the team today and seeing how close they are and the kind of chemistry they have, I think I'm going to fit in well."
With plenty of other schools likely to continue recruiting him, Amadi said he's not sure if he'll visit anywhere else. However, he's not planning on it at this point.
"Right now my mind is made up about where I want to play the next four years," Amadi said. "I don't see that changing."
With his mom and dad fully on board, Amadi said he doesn't plan on having a change of heart.
"They love it here and they think I'll succeed here," he said. "They loved the campus and the dorms and they love Coach Freeze. They know that they'll take care of me when I'm away from home and help me get to where I want to be both as a player and as a person."
Woody Wommack is a Southeast Region football recruiting analyst for Rivals.com. You can click here to follow him on Twitter.
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