The Ole Miss Rebels miss out on one of its most coveted prospects in the 2026 class. Now what?
IMG Academy (Fla.) EDGE Jake Kreul committed to the Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. He picked Brent Venables over the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas Longhorns. Most believed it was a two-team race between the Red River rivals, but Ole Miss wanted Kreul in a bad way because of […]
IMG Academy (Fla.) EDGE Jake Kreul committed to the Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday on the Pat McAfee Show on ESPN. He picked Brent Venables over the Ole Miss Rebels and the Texas Longhorns. Most believed it was a two-team race between the Red River rivals, but Ole Miss wanted Kreul in a bad way because of his unique and elite skill set.
In fact, one source told me the Ole Miss staff viewed him as one of, if not the most, skilled EDGE prospects in the 2026 class.
Kreul is a 6-foot-3, 230 pound dynamo off the edge. He has a plethora of moves he can utilize to beat you any which way. He has the speed and bend to get around bigger tackles. Or he can just get underneath your pads and beat you with a strong punch and leg drive.
It’s not heavy star power, but Ole Miss has a positive trend going in the NFL Draft.
As A to Z Sports’ Travis May wrote earlier this summer, Ole Miss has more than just The Grove and Lane Kiffin’s Twitter account to offer now. The Rebels have the hird-most wins in the SEC since 2020 and have a real presence in the NFL Draft now.
“Princely Umanmielen, Walter Nolen, and JJ Pegues this past year (all drafted this spring),” May said. “Plus, the Rebels have a four year streak with a defensive end getting selected in the NFL Draft (Cedric Johnson 2024, Tavius Robinson 2023, and Sam Williams 2022).”
The recruitment is far from over as national signing day isn’t until December. Plus, Oklahoma has to dodge the massive acreage of land mines which is its 2025 schedule in order to keep top-flight recruits like Kreul engaged and interested in wearing the crimson and cream.
Regardless, you can beat Ole Miss, Texas, and many others will continue to recruit the four-star prospect.
Where does Ole Miss now turn at the EDGE position in the 2026 class?
The obvious answer is the portal. Lane Kiffin is always going to attack the portal no matter what. But, the staff needs to continue to build depth. Duncanville (Tex.) four-star Landon Barnes gives the 2026 Ole Miss class some real star power off the edge. But others are on the board.
East Robertson (Tenn.) four-star Zach Groves is high on Rebel defensive line coach Randall Joyner’s list and I expect Ole Miss to recruit him until the end. He is currently committed to Tennessee and will be hard to pluck away.
Picayune Memorial (Miss.) defensive lineman Nolan Wilson is listed at 6-foot-4, 250 pounds so he could potentially play outside. He is currently committed to the Alabama Crimson Tide, but Joyner and Kiffin will recruit him until the ink is dry. A flip could be in the future. In-state sources think there’s a chance he sees the NFL potential at Ole Miss and wants to stay home to play alongside other Mississippi natives along the front.
Most of this year’s starting defensive line is from the state of Mississippi. Former four-stars Kam Franklin, Zxavian Harris, Jam Brown, and William Echoles are all either starting or working heavily within the two-deep.
