There has been a lot of consternation amongst the Ole Miss football fanbase surrounding the current state of the program's high school recruiting. Most of the criticism has been surrounded around the Rebels' lack of landing the top talent in the state of Mississippi for the 2026 recruiting class. However, the past few days have seen a major boost in those efforts.
Over the weekend, the Rebels were able to secure the flip of one of the best offensive tackle prospects in the state. Emmanuel Tucker announced his commitment to Ole Miss after previously being committed to LSU. This is a major win for the staff, especially since they have long struggled in landing blue-chip offensive line talent.
BREAKING: Four-Star OT Emanuel Tucker has Flipped his Commitment from LSU to Ole Miss, he tells me for @rivals
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) September 5, 2025
The 6’6 295 OT from New Albany, MS had been Committed to the Tigers since June
“The best in the Sip, stay in the Sip!”https://t.co/GttbltmDMO pic.twitter.com/RAsxYK9ZCD
The good news was not done there. Around the time of the Tucker flip, national recruiting analysts began hinting at the potential of another in-state flip for the Rebels. On Monday, those reports would come true.
We were first hit with a shark emoji tweet from defensive line coach Randal Joyner. A mantra that he has begun adopting from DC Pete Golding.
🦈
— Randall Joyner (@LetsGo_Bo5) September 8, 2025
Jayden Curtis has committed to the Ole Miss Rebels and Lane Kiffin
A couple of hours latter we were treated with the Golding shark tweet and shortly after the flip went public. Ocean Springs, Miss. native Jayden Curtis would announce his commitment to the Rebels on Monday. He had previously been committed to UCF.
“Locked in and ready 🏠🦈, #RebelNation! 🔴🔵 #StayInTheSip #HottyToddy" #Committed@CoachGolding @LetsGo_Bo5 @Lane_Kiffin @LoganThornburgh @Rebels247 @BillyEmbody @247Sports @Rivals @CoachAdamsMGCCC @tlala2 @StMartinFB @CoachDecoteau_ @KurtisMyers555 pic.twitter.com/O0l6Bah6KD
— Jayden Curtis⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@JayCurtis2008) September 8, 2025
Curtis was in town for the opener against Georgia State, and the visit clearly did enough to convince him to change his pledge. The St. Martin stand out stands at 6-3 and weighs 260 pounds. He is rated as a three-star prospect and the No. 19 player in the state of Mississippi according to 247 Sports.
Curtis also has ties to Ole Miss. His father Dwayne Curtis played basketball for the Rebels in the early 2000s and his grandmother lives just outside of Oxford. The dual flips for the Rebels also marks a strong start for new recruiting staffer Donte Moncrief, who was hired in part due to his strong ties across the state.