A top 10 in-state commit for Ole Miss as four-star running back stays home

Ole Miss landed a top recruit out of Mississippi earlier in four-star running back Damarius Yates. The in-state prospect chose the Rebels after decommitting from Mississippi State in December. Yates held offers from Alabama, Tennessee, Florida State, and others.

Yates is ranked the No.6 player in Mississippi and the No. 12 running back. He is also a top 150 player, ranked 158 by On3 Industry Rankings. It's another top commit for Lane Kiffin and his offense, and a second running back added from the 2026 class, having already seen Ja'Michael Jones commit.

Yates spoke to On3's Steve Wiltfong about why he chose Ole Miss:

"Their play scheme fits me perfect and it’s just a great school to be a part of (Running backs coach Kevin Smith) is a guy who’s going to let you know, if you don’t wanna work, don’t come. He is the perfect example of showing you instead of just saying he will do this and that."

Damarius Yates

The new commit moves the Rebels up to No.15 in the team rankings, following on from flipping four-star linebacker Izayia Williams from Florida a few days back. Yates has had numerous visits over the spring and took an OV in May. He called the visit "great" and the program a "brotherhood," naming them his number one at the time. It did not take him long to commit after those comments.

Kiffin looks to be targeting in-state players, with several top 150 players out of Mississippi and even more who are, after that, seen as talented players. Yates is the first top 150 player committed to Ole Miss out of Mississippi. Kiffin and his staff will be working hard to grab more, with two wide receivers high on his list, one of which is already committed to LSU. However, that did not stop him when Caleb Cunningham was committed to Alabama last year.