Ole Miss has been working to sign wide receiver Deion Smith since December of 2021. It has been a long journey that ultimately ended up with his commitment to play for Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.
Ink finally hit the paper on Wednesday afternoon and he arrived in style.
Smith, a Jackson-native, pulled up to his signing day ceremony in a Lamborghini. What a flex!
Ole Miss has one of the top-ranked offenses in the country and made a concentrated effort to retain most of its talent on that side of the ball over the last few weeks. The Grove Collective, the top NIL arm in Oxford, did a phenomenal job of getting guys like Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins to return for another season instead of declaring for the NFL Draft.
It has also added a lot of talent to supplement the guys already on the roster. Former four-star receiver Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells transferred from South Carolina. Smith transferred from the JUCO level.
There is a real argument to be made that the Rebels have the best receivers room in the country! While it was not the only factor, NIL money certainly helped to play a role in the most recent additions.
Smith made that abundantly clear on Wednesday, even though his luxury whip was likely a rental.
Deion Smith’s check cleared!
The former four-star prospect in the college football recruiting Class of 2020 originally committed to LSU out of high school and spent one year in Baton Rouge. He did some freakish things while there.
Smith decided hit the transfer portal after his freshman season. He was all set to go to Ole Miss. However, academic issues reportedly stood in the way of his intentions and forced him to go the JUCO route at Holmes Community College.
Smith recorded 1,062 yards and 12 touchdowns in eight games this season, which led him to be named as the top junior college prospect in the country. His highlights are nasty.
Ole Miss and the Grove Collective worked hard to keep Smith away from other suitors. They were able to get the job done!
Smith is set to be a big piece in one of the nation’s most explosive offenses on a team that will be in the national title talk for next season. In the meantime, he clearly has some money to spend!
We have come a long way in college sports.
The Rebels were hit with significant sanctions for minor recruiting violations, like hunting on a booster’s land, less than a decade ago. Now Smith is driving a Lambo!