Ole Miss continues to stack talent through the transfer portal, and their latest addition brings both production and familiarity to the wide receiver room. Johntay Cook, who just wrapped up a breakout junior season at Syracuse, is reuniting with former Orange teammate Darrell Gill Jr. in Oxford. The duo led Syracuse in receiving this past season, and now they’ll look to bring that same spark to the Rebels’ offense.
Cook, a 6-foot, 200-pound receiver, comes in as one of the more intriguing names in the portal. He’s ranked No. 53 among wideouts and No. 271 overall in the transfer cycle by 247Sports.
His arrival helps solidify what’s become one of the most impressive portal classes in the country. With Cook onboard, Ole Miss now holds the No. 2 transfer class in the nation, trailing only LSU.
This marks Cook’s second time navigating the transfer portal. He originally signed with Texas as a five-star recruit in the 2023 class before making the move to Syracuse ahead of the 2025 season.
That change of scenery paid off. In his lone year with the Orange, Cook finally found his rhythm, posting career highs across the board with 45 catches for 549 yards and two touchdowns.
What stood out about Cook’s performance at Syracuse wasn’t just the raw numbers-it was how he got them. He showed a knack for stretching the field, hauling in six catches on 13 targets on throws that traveled more than 20 yards in the air.
He also flashed some intermediate route ability, catching four of 13 targets on passes between 10-19 yards, though he did have a couple of drops in that range. Still, the potential was clear, especially in games like the one against Clemson, where he posted 120 yards on seven catches off 11 targets.
Before Syracuse, Cook saw limited action at Texas, catching 16 balls on 22 targets over two seasons. But now, with 22 career games under his belt between both programs, he’s accumulated 822 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 61 receptions-good for an average of 13.5 yards per catch. That’s the kind of efficiency that fits right into the Rebels’ vertical passing attack.
Cook joins Cameron Miller and Isaiah Spencer as the newest wideouts added through the portal for Ole Miss, giving the Rebels a versatile group of pass-catchers with a blend of size, speed, and experience.
It’s worth remembering the kind of prospect Cook was coming out of high school. A five-star recruit and the No. 4 wide receiver in the 2023 class, he was ranked No. 31 overall and the sixth-best player in Texas, according to 247Sports. His scouting report back then reads like a blueprint for what he’s starting to become: elite ball-tracking skills, body control that makes him a nightmare in traffic, and the kind of after-the-catch explosiveness that can flip the field in an instant.
Cook's journey hasn’t been linear, but it’s trending in the right direction. Now, with a fresh start at Ole Miss and a familiar face in the receiver room, he’s got a chance to take another big step forward. For a Rebels team looking to make noise in the SEC and beyond, adding a player like Cook-who’s already shown he can produce against top competition-could be a difference-maker.