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Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss Rebels fans hoping to surprise with big recruiting win in battle against Big Ten college football power

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Travis May | Last updated Jun 28, 2025 6:07 PM ET

Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss Rebels offense has put up some incredible numbers since he took over at head coach, which continues to intrigue top recruits around the nation. Kiffin and his staff have developed the wide receiver position extremely well, sending four pass catchers to the NFL in the last five drafts–two just this past spring.

All that on-field offensive success and wide receiver development looks like it's finally starting to pay off in a huge way, not just in adding transfers, but also winning tough recruiting battles against the biggest brands in the sport now.

Jerquaden Guilford deciding between Ole Miss or Ohio State

Jerquaden Guilford, a rising four star wide receiver recruit from Fort Wayne, Indiana has been a major target for Lane Kiffin and company this spring since he decommitted from Penn State. And although it was looking like Jerquaden Guilford might have been leaning Ohio State coming into his scheduled commitment date this week, Ole Miss may surprise with some big news given Guilford's last minute cancelation of his announcement.

Guilford shared on Friday that he was going to have to postpone his commitment–a decision that was reportedly down to Ole Miss, Ohio State, Michigan, and Indiana as his finalists. This is good news for Rebels fans.

Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop four-star WR Jerquaden Guilford postpones recruitment as Ohio State and Ole Miss battle for his pledge. https://t.co/dicuj1YwD4
— Steve Wiltfong (@SWiltfong_) June 27, 2025

Where Jerquaden Guilford likely commits

Following Guilford's final visits in June (with Ole Miss and Ohio State) it became quite clear that the Rebels and Buckeyes were the two leaders to land him, but A to Z Sports sources believed Ohio State was the lean until late this past week.

Now, Sam Webb of 247Sports and several other industry experts expect Guilford to select Ole Miss instead of Ohio State when he inevitably commits. But why?

Ohio State already has four wide receivers committed in their 2026 recruiting class–three of which are consensus top 250 players in the nation. Guilford, although probably not scared of competition, likely sees a clearer path to early playing time with the Ole Miss Rebels.

Lane Kiffin and company do have two solid receivers committed for 2026 right now, but they're not elite "definitely starting early" types given their profiles. Guilford could come in and be the best true freshman wide receiver on the team for Ole Miss.

Whatever the reason for Guilford's delay, this should be a good thing for Ole Miss. Hopefully Lane Kiffin can seal the deal in the coming weeks since Guilford did in fact confirm that he is still looking to commit ahead of his senior season.

We'll be back with more Ole Miss Rebels coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!

And if you want to see what Jerquaden Guilford brings to the table just check out some of his best plays from last season in the video below.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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