Simmons: The buzz in Mississippi as Signing Day approaches
The top prospect in Mississippi is McKinnley Jackson and like he has planned from the start, he take his recruitment to February. He will be discussed on another day.
Out of the top 20 in Mississippi, seven have decommitted at one time. A couple have since re-committed to the same school. Others have flipped and a few remain undecided.
It looks like Lane Kiffin has come in and convinced offensive tackle Eli Acker and running back Kentrel Bullock to sign with Ole Miss. Kiffin hopes for more good news Wednesday from Josaih Hayes, the top in-state prospect that plans to sign this week.
Some close to Josiah Hayes are reporting this is "50-50" between Kentucky and Ole Miss, but I am hearing it is much more in favor of the Rebels. Kentucky has not completely given up on this one, but after the visit to Oxford over the weekend after the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star game, this one has really shifted towards Hayes going back to Ole Miss.
It would be somewhat of a surprise if Hayes does not ink with the Rebels Wednesday.
There has been some Ole Miss chatter around Jeremiah Pegues, who lives just a few miles from the school in Oxford, but most of my sources still see the four-star tight end leaving the state. Nobody can completely rule out Ole Miss, and Kiffin has tried to get in this one late, but Alabama and Auburn still to be ahead of the Rebels at this juncture.
Auburn has been the school trending much of the fall and I have heard nothing to lead me to think he will sign anywhere else. Alabama got him on an official visit and the Crimson Tide may have made this much more interesting at the end, but this one still feels like Auburn late.
Will Jimmy Holiday stay with TCU? I do not see it happening. The buzz has been around Tennessee for a couple of weeks now and based on my sources, the Vols are in a good spot to flip the dual-threat quarterback out of Mississippi Wednesday.
Communication with the Horned Frogs has been solid, but the possibility of playing wide receiver there instead of quarterback has caused doubts. Tennessee has assured him he will have every shot possible to play quarterback in Knoxville and that leads me to think Holiday flips to the Vols.