The newest Ole Miss Rebel in the 2024 class is Jeffery Rush. The Pascagoula native attended Pascagoula High School and is yet another defensive lineman who is set to be a Rebel next year. On top of the offer to Ole Miss, Rush also held offers from numerous other Power 5 schools. These schools included Florida State, Louisville, and Mississippi State.
247Sports Composite rankings have Rush listed at 219th in its national rankings and seventh in the state of Mississippi. With Rush’s signing, Lane Kiffin and the Rebels have now landed four of the top seven players in the state, with no other school signing more than one. This shows Kiffin’s focus on winning in-state recruiting battles.
Rush’s High School Career
As a junior at Pascagoula, Rush missed five games. However, despite missing half the season, he still put up big numbers. Primarily used as an edge rusher. Recording 68 tackles and 10 sacks in five games was certainly enough to garner plenty of attention from schools everywhere.
Following up on that junior campaign, he continued to make waves as a senior. Recently, he was selected to the All-American Bowl. The national All-American Bowl is set for January 6, 2024. This will likely be the first chance for many people, especially Ole Miss fans, to see him play.
Expectations at Ole Miss
Standing at 6’3″, 250 pounds, Rush comes in as a bit short, in comparison with most SEC defensive linemen. However, his speed and strength should be enough to make up for the height situation. Rush was primarily an edge rusher in high school. However, there has been speculation that he will move to the inside when he gets to Ole Miss. As he grows and puts on more weight, there’s always the chance this position switch makes the most sense.
But early on in his college days don’t expect that. With his elite speed off the edge, there’s no real reason to assume there needs to be a position flip. He has the strength to play as an interior lineman but he also has tremendous quickness for his size. This speed is arguably best used from the outside.
As a freshman next season, expect him to play as a backup edge rusher. With the portal additions the Rebels have added, the chance for Rush to find his way as a starter is slim to none. However, there should be enough depth on the Ole Miss defensive line to consistently rotate players in and out. If that proves to be true, expect Rush to be one of the key guys rotating.
While he likely won’t be a starter as a freshman (that’ll come later), you can still expect him to play a key role within this Rebel defense. And with it being a defense that trending towards a College Football Playoff push, he’s a guy to look out for.
People in Oxford are sure to be hearing Rush’s name for years to come. And there’s no denying the fact that they’re thrilled about it.
