Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, The Bag Men Have Been Very Busy

STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 23: Mississippi Rebels players celebrate by hoisting the Egg Bowl trophy after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-28 in an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 23, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)
STARKVILLE, MS - NOVEMBER 23: Mississippi Rebels players celebrate by hoisting the Egg Bowl trophy after defeating the Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-28 in an NCAA football game at Davis Wade Stadium on November 23, 2017 in Starkville, Mississippi. (Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images)

With the early signing period Ole Miss football recruiting has done much better than expected. Obviously the bag man has been very busy.

Nobody expected Ole Miss football recruiting to have the day they did yesterday. Of course, with the class the Rebels signed the accusations from TSBU began. The cowtippers believe the only way Ole Miss can sign top recruits is to cheat. They believe Ole Miss has to pay players in order to get them to come to Oxford. Apparently the bag man was very busy over the past few days.

The ‘bag man’ scenario is no big secret. Every signing class we hear about recruits who shouldn’t have signed with a certain school. Of course, Ole Miss gets accused every year of somehow luring recruits to Oxford with bags full of cash, cars and other inducements. However, not everybody points the finger at the school below us and we really should.

Why would anybody in their right mind want to play football in Starkville? They wouldn’t plain and simple. There have been great high school players from the area around Starkville who didn’t want to stay and play. Look at the No.1 wide receiver in the SEC this past season. AJ Brown was a great Starkville High School standout who made his way to Oxford. Obviously he made the right choice. AJ didn’t have to be paid to get the hell out of Starkpatch.

Instead of asking how Ole Miss lands top recruits, we should be wondering why players want to play in a pasture? Why did Leo Lewis decide to go to State College when he was being paid by Ole Miss, LSU and Alabama? It’s simple. He was paid the most by TSBU. Of course they had to pay him to get him to go there. So why do recruits sign with Ole Miss?

Ole Miss Sells Itself

Ole Miss Rebels Football
Ole Miss Rebels Football

Ole Miss Rebels Football

It’s hard not to fall in love with Oxford, Mississippi. The city and community surrounding Oxford and the University of Mississippi are an easy sell. Of course, there are few Bulldog fans who would agree while thinking Stankpatch is the best thing since sliced bread.

Honestly there is as little comparison between the city of Oxford and the town of Starkville as there is between the two universities and football programs. Oxford and Ole Miss are light years ahead of the delights of Muttville.

Ole Miss has new facilities with one of the best IPFs in college football. And the Ole Miss IPF doesn’t have particle board and plywood on the walls. When you factor in the renovations to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium it’s easy to see why high school players are drawn to Ole Miss.

Then there is the city of Oxford. Of course, there are plenty of opportunities for student-athletes to have fun in and around Oxford. Oxford has some of the greatest eats in Mississippi and the night life in Oxford is second to none. Starkville has The Pony and that’s about it. Once the cowtippers have spent the bag money and had the Escalade repossessed there isn’t much more left in Stankpatch.

The Takedown

Of course, it’s easy to point fingers when you have nothing else to bank on. It’s easy to see the 20 game swing in the Egg Bowl series and have ill will towards the Flagship University of Ole Miss. It’s easy to see the Egg Bowl win by Ole Miss this season and make accusations. However, when the evidence points towards the bag man being in Stankville over the past few seasons it raises questions.

Next: The Future For Ole Miss

TSBU has done everything in its power to ‘take down’ Ole Miss. The lies and deceit from State College have been very noticeable and has done little to accomplish what they set out to do. No, the damage they expected from the NCAA hammer has been little more than a distraction to the Ole Miss football program. Obviously ‘The Network’ and the ‘bag men’ have once again done their job. Hotty Damn Toddy!