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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Nutt Announces First Ole Miss Signing Class
2/6/2008 | Football
Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt announced his first signing class with the Rebels Wednesday, inking 28 players in addition to a JUCO trio that was previously released. The following is Nutt's press conference from National Signing Day.
“I appreciate everyone being here today. We are excited today. This is our first class here. We were in a whirlwind, trying to move all these coaches and families with some of them practicing in the Cotton Bowl. I really want to thank the ladies for a great job. We really wore David Wells, our compliance officer, out. He did a super job of handling all the paperwork. It was a total team effort. The one thing that we were able to do is really get to know some people, even though we were late getting started. We were able to meet a lot of good parents and a lot of good people. We have got some very, very good student-athletes that are coming in here. They are going to be ready to go by August 1. I really want to commend our players that are on campus, too. Our players did a great job of being ambassadors for Ole Miss. We were learning on the run, trying to figure everything out. They did a great job and I appreciate that. Everyone from our chancellor to Dr. Mullins, there were so many people that were involved.
Recruiting is not easy. It’s hard work. The thing that we really wanted to address first was we really wanted to get some tight ends in our system. I really felt that a young man by the name of Gerald Harris will help us. We got him in early. He is in the program right now, going to school. If you see him walking, you say that is what an SEC tight end looks like. He is 6-7, probably a little shy of 250 pounds. And coach (Don) Decker has already got him going. He has already gained about eight pounds since he’s been here. Things like that excite you. Ferbia Allen is another guy that is 6-5, 225 pounds. He is from
We have got four or five offensive linemen that we needed. One guy from Alabama, Joshua Tatum, his grandmother, grandfather and mother all came to campus and said this was the most beautiful campus they have ever seen. That is what makes your heart smile. We knew we had him sold. When you have mama and grandmamma sold, you got them. So, we were really glad to get Joshua from over in
Wide receiver, we have got three or four very good receivers. They are fast. I will start near here with Horatio Williams from
We have two quarterbacks this year, Chris Wilkes and Nathan Stanley. Chris is from
Today, we are happy to have some tailbacks, and I mean they can play. I’m excited about that. I’m not worried about “stars”. I like qualifiers that are going to be eligible. I like guys that are going to be here and play with character and speed. These guys can tote the mail. They run downhill and will hit you in the mouth and will outrun you. We will start with Enrique Davis. He is a solid 212 pounds and runs a 4.4. There is a reason why everybody wants him. That’s because he is a difference maker. He can make the first guy miss, has tremendous speed and comes downhill with power. Brandon Bolden is another guy that is a 10.6 100-meter runner. I can’t wait for coach Decker to get a hold of him. He reminds me a lot of Felix Jones. He is very explosive and has a great mother and father. The upbringing of these guys is just awesome. And then there is Devin Thomas. He played 5A football in
We also needed some corners, so we got Julian Whitehead, Brandon Sanders and Derrick Herman. All these guys are very athletic and played both offense and defense. Julian Whitehead is here right now in our system getting ready after Hargrave. One of the things that really helped us with Hargrave is that we have recruited there before and they have some teammates that are here. That helped Enrique get here.
Linebackers, we got some good linebackers. Jason Jones, Lekenwic Haynes and Patrick Trahan are playmakers that will go sideline to sideline. They will hit you and they will chase the football.
Talk more about Enrique Davis.
“The process was very long. But it was good. First of all, recruiting starts way back. And with us being in a rush, we were a little behind. We started in December and built a great relationship. If we can get the mother and the father on campus, we feel like we have a chance, because we can sell family. You can sell this campus, the education, the facilities and the faculty. I can’t say enough about them. But to really show the plan, you have to show the path to the degree. And there are things that the mother is concerned about, and you have to answer those questions. If they feel good about leaving their son in your hands and feel like this is a safe place, and this is a place where he can play some of the best football in the country, if we can do that, then we have a chance, and we felt that way for about 48 hours. We had a good visit; our players did a good job. It started with academics and showing that. It doesn’t hurt that we come from a place where we led the league in rushing, either. We don’t mind dotting the I. We want you to line up seven yards deep and take this football for us. That really sold him. I think that the environment, the campus and the academic plan won out in the end. I really was concerned about his last visit with
When did you know for sure?
“We were on the phone last night. We felt good about talking to mom, the father and Enrique. But again, until he says I’m coming and that name is on the dotted line. And I don’t know if you know this, but there is such a thing as commitment, soft commitment, and soft verbal commitment. There are a lot of different stages, so until their name is on the dotted line, you don’t ever know.”
So, when did you get the fax?
“He faxed it in. But he called me right before he was getting ready to sign, and then the coach got on the phone, then mom got on the phone. They were all excited. They bought an Ole Miss Rebel hat. So I was real, real excited at about 10:30 this morning.”
Talk more about the Hargrave connection.
“It goes way back. Their coach and I have a real good relationship. He has done a great job with their young men. Hopefully, we will continue to use that relationship. What I love about that program is, if they are qualified, you can get them next semester. You can get them in the program in January. It is a very disciplined program. They march to breakfast. They have to make their bed. There are things there that really help a young man, especially when they are behind the eight ball academically. The development of players there is key. It is one more year out of high school. Sometimes, a 17-year-old coming out of high school is not as mature, not as disciplined, athletically, not as fast as they are going to be. So they get that extra year, and suddenly a light comes on. They are more mature. It’s a big factor.”
How difficult was the handling of the former staff’s recruits to yours?
“Some of Ed Orgeron’s commitments, for example, Chris Wilkes, were very good football players and competitors. That was the very first thing we had to work on. I thought our coaches did a good job of really going out there and trying to keep those relationships going. This was a good situation for us. We were able to use the high school coaches, the junior college coaches and the relationships in
Looking at the prep school and juco kids you signed, was the design to make an immediate impact on this class?
“Absolutely. We went after the difference-makers. We don’t mind taking a few of those guys, especially where they were academically. They were ready to go. You knew, just by watching film, that they were jumping off the screen and we were really excited about the ones we got. Because we felt that, just for watching a short time with the guys we have here, we felt that the list of older guys are going to come in here and compete.”
What positions do you expect them to make an impact in?
“You need depth at corner, linebackers, safeties, offensive line. One or two of those guys may have to step up and help us with depth. Tight ends was one that we talked about. We had very few tight ends on campus. That was critical.”
Talk about the academics and your thoughts on the “stars”.
“I just think that, and I told Pete this, I want guys that can come ready to go on August 1. I don’t want a bunch of four- and five-star guys that commit and then can’t get in. You want them here, ready to go. That is not to say that we won’t recruit them and not allow them in our family. That is not to say that we won’t sign them and then say Hey, we are going to help you get into a good junior college in
Talk about Randall Mackey
“He is an outstanding athlete. He is the type that can play so many different positions. Offensively, he is the type that could line up at slot, wideout, maybe even quarterback. But we don’t know where he will end up just yet. We will let him try where he feels most comfortable at. All we want is for him to get on the bus.”
