Ole Miss Football Transfer Portal Target, No. 1 Safety Commits to SEC Rival

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels have utilized the NCAA Transfer Portal to the program's advantage this offseason with double-digit additions to this point.

It's been a critical stretch for the Rebels throughout the offseason after handling business during the winter window in December and January.

Fast forward to the current spring window and the program has remained active with a focus on the defensive backfield.

“A lot of work to do in the secondary,” Kiffin said during Spring Camp. “There’s so many new pieces. Even though there were new pieces last year, they had played a lot.

"You’d seen them start in the SEC, a lot of returning guys. Right now, I feel there’s a lot of guys in new schemes here, especially the back seven defensively, that need to get used to that.

“So we do a lot of reps and a lot of different situations to continue to expose guys to that so we can evaluate them.”

Ole Miss has reeled in a trio of transfers to add to the secondary with Tavoy Feagin [Clemson], Ricky Fletcher [South Alabama] and Wydett Williams Jr. [UL-Monroe] set to arrive this summer.

Feagin, the first addition via the Transfer Portal during the current window, redshirted in his lone season with Clemson after recording 11 defensive snaps during his first year with the program.

Now, he's Oxford bound with four seasons of eligibility remaining.

For Fletcher and Williams, the experienced veterans provide Kiffin and Co. with a pair of savvy defensive backs that can plug in to make an impact instantly for the program.

With the trio of transfers in the fold during the spring window, Ole Miss has continued keeping tabs on the top available players.

Kiffin and the Rebels were instantly linked to Houston Cougars safety A.J. Haulcy once his name officially entered the Transfer Portal.

Once in the system, Haulcy became the No. 1 available player with Ole Miss, LSU, SMU and Miami entering the mix.

The 6-foot, 215-pounder totaled 74 tackles, five interceptions and 13 pass breakups during the 2024 season with the Cougars on his way to First Team All-Big 12 honors.

Earlier this week, the top available safety hit the road to Coral Gables for a visit with the Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes.

But after departing the Sunshine State without a deal in place, Haulcy remained on the board with multiple programs in pursuit.

Fast forward to Thursday and Haulcy revealed his three finalists with LSU, Miami and SMU making the cut.

Once Ole Miss put a full-court press on UL-Monroe safety Wydett Williams Jr. last weekend, with the program ultimately landing a commitment, it shrunk the Rebels' chances of adding Haulcy.

Now, he's gone public with a commitment decision after pledging to Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers on Sunday night.