Ole Miss football set to host former five-star linebacker who is in the transfer portal

Ole Miss is looking to follow up its top-20 recruiting class with another top-3 transfer portal class. The team can not sign any players from the portal until December 9, but players can speak to teams and plan visits.

The Rebels staff has already identified a former Alabama player as a potential target, with linebacker Keanu Koht looking to schedule a visit to Oxford, Pete Nakos of On3 reported.

Keanu Koht recruited by Pete Golding at Alabama

Several top players have filed the paperwork to enter the transfer portal, including Alabama linebacker Keanu Koht. The former five-star prospect from the 2021 class is looking to visit Ole Miss and Vanderbilt over the next few weeks.

Current Rebels defensive coordinator Pete Golding is familiar with Koht. He was a big part of his recruitment to the Crimson Tide back in 2021 when he was the DC under Nick Saban.

Koht played in 14 games over three seasons for Bama, including seven under current head coach Kalen DeBoer. That would have likely been more, but the program suspended him, and DeBoer declined to comment on the reason.

The Florida native was ranked the No.4 linebacker in the country by On3s Industry Rankings and the No.10 player in the Sunshine State. Before committing to Alabama, he had massive interest from other top schools, including Auburn, Clemson, and Georgia.

Ole Miss saw the effect of former Alabama player Trey Amos, who transferred to Pete Golding's defense before the 2024 season. He boosted his draft stock significantly with a fantastic season. Koht may try to emulate that, seeing what this Ole Miss defense can do under Golding.