Pete Golding has already started building for the future at Ole Miss, and one of the names on the board is a big one: 2028 four-star cornerback Deonte Flemings.
According to Zach Berry of On3.com, the Rebels are pushing hard to flip Flemings, who is currently committed to Penn State. That pursuit matters. Per the 247Sports composite rankings, Flemings is a top-115 player and the third-ranked prospect in Pennsylvania.
Ole Miss has been active in the 2028 class already, with two commitments in hand. Three-star wide receiver Latedrick Mallard pledged in June, and four-star defensive lineman Antavion Allen joined the class on Tuesday.
Flemings, an Erie, Pennsylvania native, does have a natural pull toward Penn State because of geography. But Ole Miss has something the Nittany Lions don’t: family ties in Oxford. Freshman cornerback Dorian Barney is Flemings’ cousin, and the two have already talked about the idea of playing together.
That connection gives the Rebels a real shot, even in a recruiting battle where the current commitment still favors Penn State. And in modern college football, nothing is ever locked down for long.
Flemings has also made it clear that his spring visit left an impression. He told The Rebel Walk, "When I visited in the spring, it seemed like the whole team was just so locked in.
It's no distractions in the city," Flemings said. "If you want to go to Ole Miss with no distractions, well, that's the place to be.
Just a place where I can grow as a man and get myself to the next level, mentally and athletically."
That’s the kind of quote Ole Miss can sell. The Rebels have family ties, a strong pitch and time on their side, even if the commitment list still points elsewhere for now.
Golding’s team can also help its case on the field. Ole Miss gets an early-season test against LSU and later a chance against Mississippi State, and those results could matter as the Rebels try to keep momentum going both now and in the classes ahead.
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More media availability is still scheduled later in August, so the public picture of camp is only starting to come into focus. Still, the structure of the opening week says plenty about where Ole Miss is headed: the Rebels are not treating this as a reset, but as a continuation of the standard they have built. The bigger question is how quickly those key returners and newcomers can translate that promise into the kind of depth and consistency that usually separates a good season from one that ends with real postseason expectations. [Read more 🡒]