Ole Miss Rebels leave 2027 four-star running back wanting more after visit ‘exceeded expectations’
Westview (Tenn.) running back Asa Barnes made his way to Oxford, Miss., last weekend for No. 21 Ole Miss’ dominant Week 1 win over Georgia State. He spoke with Rivals’ Chad Simmons afterwards and vibes were high.“It was great — they made me feel at home from the beginning,” Barnes told Rivals. “I got to […]
Westview (Tenn.) running back Asa Barnes made his way to Oxford, Miss., last weekend for No. 21 Ole Miss’ dominant Week 1 win over Georgia State. He spoke with Rivals’ Chad Simmons afterwards and vibes were high.
“It was great — they made me feel at home from the beginning,” Barnes told Rivals. “I got to experience a lot of things like the Walk of Champions, which was rocking, and the atmosphere of the stadium when it’s filled up.”
The four-star junior prospect has been to Ole Miss before in the spring, but this was his first time in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for a game.
“It definitely exceeded expectations. I can’t wait to get back when they play a rivalry or a ranked game. The atmosphere is like no other — they’re rocking from start to finish.”
Ole Miss scored 63 points and put up 695 total yards. Asa Barnes really liked what he saw, too.
“One of the biggest highlights for me was their offense. It’s very similar to what we run now at Westview, which would make the transition easier,” Barnes said. “The coaches really took time to get to know every prospect outside of just their name, and that stood out to me too.”
Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith is a big reason why Barnes is interested in Ole Miss. He talked with Simmons about his relationship with Smith and Ole Miss special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover.
“Coach Smith and I talked about the running backs’ performance, and both he and Coach Schoonie just thanked me for coming down. They’re recruiting me pretty hard. When you walk in and all the coaches know you, it definitely makes you feel good.”
Despite being from the state of Tennessee, Ole Miss has a great shot at landing Asa Barnes.
“I like Ole Miss. It’s close to home, their offense is something I’m already doing in high school, and it’s just a great environment to be around,” he said. “They definitely climbed my list. I’ll be keeping tabs on them because I could definitely see myself there if it came down to it.”
Next week he will travel to Alabama then will go check out Tennessee and Ohio State. He also tells Simmons he wants to check out Florida State, Vanderbilt, and Southern Cal. As a sophomore, Barnes ran for 812 yards on 94 carries. He also added 16 receptions for 221 yards. He found the end zone a total of 25 times.