Ole Miss owns July on the trail, but what does it all mean?

May 3, 2015; Talladega, AL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and Ole Miss head football coach Hugh Freeze before the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

July has been a big month for the Ole Miss Rebel football team on the recruiting front. In the past two weeks, Hugh Freeze has managed to secure commitments from a four-star tackle out of Tennessee, a three-star guard from Georgia, and a pair of three-star running backs from Texas and Alabama. All four were pursued by big-time programs and hailed from outside the state lines of Mississippi. So, what do they all mean?

Four-star offensive tackle Bryce Mathews (Brentwood Academy/Tennessee) the biggest fish landed this month, quite literally. The 6’5.5 tower is the third-best player in Tennessee according to the Composite and chose Ole Miss over finalists Clemson, Tennessee and Texas A&M, also holding offers from Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State and others. Mathews is the second offensive tackle in this class, joining georgia’s Jack Defoor, and will not be the last one.

Ole Miss will lose both starting tackles after this year as right tackle Fahn Cooper graduates and left tackle Laremy Tunsil widely expected to declare for the NFL Draft where he will be a very early selection. There is little depth behind Cooper and Tunsil as Robert Conyers and Christian Morris are the heirs to the positions after this year. Ole Miss has a few players on the roster they hope to develop into bookends one day in Tyler Putman, Michael Howard and Alex Givens, but the coaches will look to add dynamic talent that can come in and become all-conference type players. Mathews can be just that, and if the Rebels can add five-star Greg Little or four-star Willie Allen, he can play right tackle and form an elite tandem.

Three-star guard Chandler Tuitt (Sandy Creek/Tyrone, Georgia) is just the latest elite guard to pledge to the red and blue after picking the Rebs over offers from Georgia, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Tuitt marks the fourth All-American guard to commit to Ole Miss in the last three recruiting cycles, joining Rod Taylor and Jordan Sims (2014), and Javon Patterson (2015). The depth being created at the guard spots is almost unrivaled by any team in the country and Matt Luke certainly has a lot to work with going forward. Sandy Creek has been good to Ole Miss in the past with defensive back Mike Hilton and running back Eric Swinney also hailing from the school, and Tuitt figures to be a quality piece moving forward.

After the additions of Jarrion Street (Hewitt-Trussville/Trussville/Alabama) and D’Vaughn Pennamon (Manvel/Texas), the Rebels added a pair of bruisers as both players near the 200 Lb. mark. Street’s stock has been steadily rising for months and is very likely the most under-the-radar prospect on the commitment list. Ole Miss hasn’t had a back that is capable of getting the tough yards in the Freeze era and the coaches appear to be stockpiling players that have a chance to be the guy carrying the load on third and shorts.

In Pennamon, they added a player from a Texas powerhouse who averaged close to 11 yards per carry as a junior last season and can be an every-down back. Not only is he a great player in his own right, boasting offers from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia and Texas A&M among others, but he is also teammates with the No. 3 safety in the country, Deontay Anderson. Ole Miss has been recruiting Anderson very diligently for years is now the favorite on his 247 Crystal Ball predictions. If they can lock up Pennamon and Anderson, it will be a banner haul from the Lonestar State.

Speaking of the Lonestar State, an announcement will be coming on Tuesday, July 28, from four-star cornerback Jaylon Jones (Allen/Texas). Jones is sought after by almost every major program in the nation and is thought by many to be an Ole Miss lean. The addition of Jones would be big as he has length for the position at 5’11, elite speed at 4.40, and is teammates with the No. 1 offensive tackle in the country in Little. If Jones pulls the trigger for the good guys and Little, who is thought to be down to Alabama and Ole Miss, decides to join him, that’s four potential impact starters from one class in one state.