1. Quarterback Raymond Cotton - I think the Rebels will earn Raymond Cotton's signature on National Signing Day. While several scouts feel that Cotton needs work on deveolping consistent mechanics and is not quite ready for a dropback style of offense (played primarily out of the shotgun in highschool), Cotton has proven that he's got all of the physical tools necessary to become an SEC quarterback. He's tall (6'4"), has large hands, and has both a strong arm and set of legs. Cotton has earned a reputation as an aggressive scrambler who rarely backs down from contact. Originally committed to Auburn, Cotton opened up his recruiting once more after Tuberville and his staff were removed from the plains of Alabama. We've heard several rumors that he's already privately committed to our coaching staff. Since Auburn recently accepted the commitment of another quarterback and since our coaching staff does not appear to be recruiting another quarterback, there is a strong possibility of this being true. Still, keep your fingers crossed because, as we all know, crazier things have happened.
ESPN.com has some video of Cotton on their recruiting page.
2. Left Tackle Bobbie Massie - We've also been hearing rumors that Bobbie Massie has already made a super-duper-secret commitment to the Rebel coaching staff. While we've got some good sources who we trust, we've also got the same type of secret commitment rumors involving Keiland Williams, Kenny Ashley, and Joe McKnight fresh on our memories so we're not believing it until we see it.
Massie is an absolutely gigantic offensive tackle prospect out of Hargrave Military Academy in Virginia. Rivals.com lists Massie as standing a solid 6'8" inches tall and weighing in at 335 pounds (or, approximately 3/4 of a metric fuckton). If the Rebel staff is somehow able to bring Massie to Oxford, they will have accomplished a major recruiting coup, beating out Alabama and Georgia for the prep star's signature. He would obviously be geared to eventually fill in the huge vacancy left by Michael Oher at Left Tackle. On a lighter note, Whiskey Wednesday thinks Massie looks like a cabbie. If you sorta picture him wearing a shitty hat or something then, yeah, I can see it. Having that been said, he's definitely not the kind of cabbie Andy Kennedy would consider assaulting.
3. Wide Receiver(s) Reuben Randle/Marlon Brown/Pat Patterson - Of course, you'd love to have them all, but any one out of these three would be a huge pickup for the Rebs. All three of them have excellent size (6'3" at the shortest) and have been racking up postseason accolades like crazy. All three of them are regarded as the top football prospects in their respective states (LA, TN, and MS) and are obviously coveted by anyone who can take them. If I were a bettin' man, I'd say Randle is Baton Rouge bound. Brown, a Memphis native, would like to stay close to home, which is why Ole Miss is still very much in the mix for his signature. However, he visit's Tennessee soon and the Recruitzilla and his hypnotic stare will be hard to deny. Patterson is likely to commit to hte Rebels, but the Crimson Tide are still pressing hard for the Noxubee County star.
Hey, you three, I've got a message for you: Jevan Snead>Jordan Jefferson>Nick Stephens>Whatever Bama-bangs havin' kid will be under center in Tuscaloosa. If you want to have a real quarterback getting the ball to you then Oxford is the place to be.
4. Defensive End Craig Drummond Jr. - A current commit to Ron Zook's Illinois program, Drummond will be visiting Oxford this weekend. Seemingly out of nowhere, the Rebels began pursuing the Chicago native and Army All-American very recently. Rumor has it that he would like to get a head-start on college and football by enrolling early and Ole Miss gives him a better opportunity than Illinois to do so. Rumor also has it that Ron Zook informed Houston Nutt of this situation at the recent college football coaches convention. I don't know how true either rumor actually is, but they're both plausible.
5. Defensive Tackle Corey Gaines - Another Army All-American, Corey Gaines has listed Arkansas, Auburn, and Ole Miss as his top three. I think one of our great successes this year was our ability to continuously rotate our defensive front. Since we are so deep at defensive tackle and end, we were able to have a fresh body in at seemingly all times. Gaines would simply add to this. As of right now, all signs point to Arkansas earning Gaines' LOI.
6. Tight End Zaccheus Mason - Apparently, Mason is a very good basketball prospect, having garnered a few-dozen scholarship offers to spend his next few years on the hardwood. However, he has personally stated that he wishes to play football at the next level. At 6'6", Mason possesses excellent size for a tight end and would likely become a true red zone threat wherever he lands. Having only played football for two seasons, Mason has been both lightly evaluated and recruited, with real pressure coming on him from Ole Miss and Tennessee very late in the game. It'd be nice to ink one solid tight end in every recruiting class and this could be the one.
7. Kicker Andrew Ritter - He's white and from Jackson Academy so I wouldn't have any major issues with my daughter hanging out with him. Also, he loves Jesus and thats the kind of ki....
What? No... NO WAY! You mean? We did!?! YYEEEESSSSSSSSS!!! 2009 BCS CHAMPS BABY!!!1121
