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The University of Mississippi Athletics
INSIDER: Nutt Gathers Large and Heralded Signing Class
2/4/2009 | Football
OleMissSports.com INSIDER
OXFORD, Miss. Ole Miss head football coach Houston Nutt has often said that winning is spelled F-U-N. With the signing of 38 new Rebels Wednesday, there should be a lot more fun, and winning, in Oxford for seasons to come.
"I would sum it up this way, our recruiting class ended just the way our season ended very strong," Nutt said.
The Rebels added seven defensive backs, five running backs, five linebackers, five offensive linemen, three wide receivers, three defensive ends, three defensive tackles, two kickers, two athletes, a center, a tight end and a quarterback.
Three of the Rebels' 2009 signees, Logan Clair, Craig Drummond and A.J. Hawkins, have already enrolled at Ole Miss and are attending classes this spring.
Nutt and his staff welcome players to Oxford from 12 different states around the country, including 10 from the sunshine state of Florida and six from Mississippi.
Ole Miss' signing class is garnering a lot of recognition nationally, as it is currently ranked No. 16 on Scout.com and No. 17 on Rivals.com.
"Ole Miss closed extremely strong, getting a whopping 22 of their whopping 30 commitments after Halloween, and venturing way out of the Rebs' typical recruiting area for Chicago defensive end Craig Drummond, who is rated the No. 13 player at his position in the entire country," Scout.com Director of Scouting, Scott Kennedy said. "Tight end Zaccheus Mason from Nashville, Tenn. could end up being the steal of the class."
Drummond, a 6-foot-5, 260-pound defensive end from Morgan Park High School in Chicago, Ill., was a member of the U.S. Army All-American team. He was one of the most sought after players in the state of Illinois and rated as the No. 99 overall prospect in the 2009 signing class by ESPN.
Z. Mason, who stands at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds, is rated the No. 2 tight end and No. 91 overall prospect in the nation by ESPN.
Another headliner of Nutt's second recruiting class at Ole Miss is in-state product Pat Patterson. Patterson, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound wide receiver, was named both a Parade and U.S. Army All-American following his senior season as Noxubee County High School.
"Patrick Patterson was really the number one guy in Mississippi, and we really needed Patrick Patterson," Nutt said. "He made a statement for us, because he could have gone anywhere in the country."
Bobbie Massie, a 6-foot-7, 345-pount offensive lineman, will look to fill the void left by the departure of All-American offensive lineman Michael Oher's departure. Hailing from Lynchburg, Va., he attended Hargrave Military Academy last year. Massie is rated the No. 1 prep school player in the country by Scout.com.
"We used Michael Oher as an example of a senior left tackle that we are losing, and felt that right here is the best place for (Massey) to play," Nutt said. "I was just really proud that we were able to get Bobbie."
Ole Miss helped solidify its secondary, as they signed seven defensive backs, including local product Darius Barksdale and Jacksonville, Fla., native Jamar Hornsby.
At 6-feet, 190-pounds Barksdale was named Mr. Football in the state of Mississippi by the Clarion Ledger following his senior season at South Panola High School in 2007. He attended Hargrave Military Academy last season and as listed as the No. 3 safety in the nation by Scout.com.
"We all know that (Barksdale) is a great football player," Nutt said. "He proved it in high school. We thought we were going to sign him last year, and for whatever reason, it didn't happen. But the bottom line is right now is he's an Ole Miss Rebel, and we're excited to have him in our family."
Hornsby, standing at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, is rated as the No. 29 JUCO player in the country by Scout.com. He totaled 111 tackles, eight passes defended and two interceptions as a sophomore at East Mississippi CC.
While Nutt and his staff put in many long hours to secure the players they did, they had some help along the way.
"Hats off to our players," the second-year head coach said. "They sold it hard, they believe in us and believe in Ole Miss. It's been a magical season for us."
With the players Ole Miss brought in Wednesday, there should be more seasons like 2008 in the future.
