Ole Miss Football: Grove Grinder, Saturday After Signing Day Edition

After a huge National Signing Day for Ole Miss football we know we have a lot to look forward to with new players, coaches and coordinators.

This past week was a huge and welcomed National Signing Day by coach Matt Luke and Ole Miss football. The Rebels picked up the No.22 ranked class in the nation with the additions of 6 top players to close out a great 31 player class for Luke and his largely new staff. The NSD signing class success raised the Ole Miss Rebels stock in the rankings from No.25 and proved the new additions to the Ole Miss staff paid off.

While there are some Ole Miss football fans who are still critical of coach Matt Luke’s hires it appears Ole Miss wasted no time in hitting an upward trajectory which has caught the attention of college football pundits and top recruits. Coach Matt Luke made a huge impact on the recruiting scene with three flips in two days and notched two Under Armor All-Americans.

Breaking Down NSD

Ole Miss Rebels

While inking 5-star Under Armor All-American RB Jerrion Ealy was the biggest story Wednesday there were five other top players signed. Under Armor All-American WR Jonathan Mingo was being chased by other schools yet held firm to his commitment with the Rebels. Both players will be immediate impact players for coach Rich Rod and the Ole Miss offense.

We all have all have questions about the depth of the Ole Miss quarterback position. Wednesday Luke and the Rebels inked 4-star QB John Rhys Plumlee of Oak Grove out of Hattiesburg. Plumlee was the third QB for the 2019 class which also saw both Grant Tisdale and Kinkead Dent ink in the early signing period.

The QB depth questions which have risen were well answered with the 2019 Ole Miss football recruiting class and Plumlee was a great flip for coaches Matt Luke and Rich Rod. Plumlee was committed to Georgia but had taken an official to FSU last weekend. Plumlee was a huge last-minute commitment flip for the Ole Miss football program and like Ealy also Mike Bianco and Ole Miss baseball.

Then On Defense

If you think coach Matt Luke and Rich Rod did a good day Wednesday then have to enjoy the other side of the ball. On defense the Rebels signed 3 players on Wednesday and Mike Mac will have some more top talent on defense in 2019. The biggest defensive story of the day was coach Matt Luke and the Rebels beating out the Hogs and the Horns for top JUCO LB Lakia Henry. Henry is a beast and will play immediately in the Mike Mac defense.

The Rebels also closed on DE Brandon Mack who was a solid commit for the Rebels while also flipping massive DT LeDarrius Cox from Auburn. When you consider where the Ole Miss program was on Thanksgiving night and how far they have come in such a short time then you really should be able to appreciate where we landed on Wednesday. This defensive class will be good in the new Mike Mac defense and Wednesday Mac did very good.

News From TSBU

What would real fun the first Saturday after NSD be without throwing a little shade on our favorite rival at TSBU? While Miss State cut the Egg Bowl lead to JUST 19 Rebels wins in the overall record on Thanksgiving night they did little on NSD. However, some Bulldogs fans were still able to get on social media and talk dirt to Ole Miss recruits and fans. Apparently things didn’t go quite so well in the Patch on Wednesday.

When you consider MSU and former PSU OC Joe Moorhead had Saquon Barkley at Penn State and couldn’t land 5-star Mississippi RB Jerrion Ealy you can imagine the butthurt which NSD caused the Bulldogs. Ole Miss also picking up Jonathan Mingo was a stinger for the so-called ‘best signing class’ in Miss State history under Moorhead. He’s only been there one season, just saying. They can’t even get their best defensive players in the 2019 NFL Combine and they want to throw shade.

Grove Grinder finds their criticism ironic when they landed the No.24th class in the nation and just 11th in the SEC behind Ole Miss who was at No.22 and 9th in the SEC. That huge Thanksgiving Night Bulldogs Egg Bowl win just wasn’t enough to close on some ‘Mississippi Made’ players who obviously made Ole Miss much better and broke Dawg hearts this past Wednesday.

So while we wait for the 2019 Ole Miss football season we look at what coach Matt Luke has done with both his staff and the 2019 Ole Miss recruiting class. From a Rebels fan standpoint you have to appreciate what Luke is doing for this football program and we watched the end result when NSD came Wednesday. Luke is off to a very good start in 2019 and we will see the Rebels soon in spring practice. 2019 could be just the beginning to something very good. Hotty Toddy!