On National Signing Day, no other college town celebrates the new football recruits quite like Oxford.
The local Rib Cage, located on the Square, opens its doors at 7 a.m. every year on National Signing Day so fans can enjoy food and drinks along with the company of fellow Ole Miss fans while watching the event together.
By 7:30 in the morning, tables were already filling up with fans decked out in Ole Miss gear ready to take the day off from work to see what kind of recruiting class the Rebels football team would welcome for this coming football season.
The owner of the Rib Cage, Buck Walden said, “A lot of other places charge covers, which I thought was silly. I just want everyone to come in here, get some coffee, food, and drinks later on, and it’ll end up being a great day for everybody.”
The energy in Oxford about National Signing Day is impressive to the point of making people who hate football excited to follow the news. The Square is alive even on a Wednesday morning since the Ole Miss fans are so loyal to their hometown team and so eager to see what is in store for the upcoming football season.
Some fans have traveled to the Rib Cage every year on Signing Day.
An Ole Miss fan, Derek Vandygriff, drives from Tupelo to the Rib Cage every year to watch the National Signing Day.
He said, “I like that everybody is able to come out, and everyone follows it, so we can all talk about the new recruits coming in. It’s the first step in seeing what our season will be like. It’s the most exciting day that doesn’t happen during football season.”
The Rib Cage knows how to cater to fans well. The owner of the Rib Cage talks to all the customers like they are best friends, and this friendly atmosphere creates a welcoming scene and a fun day for all involved.
There is a signing board up in the Rib Cage so fans can keep up with the new recruits.
Longtime Ole Miss fan, Alan McLeod, said, “I’ve been to several events outside of Oxford, but the celebration for National Signing Day is definitely most exciting here in town.”
In addition to enjoying the food and great company at the Rib Cage, these fans all have one important thing in common: they love the Ole Miss Rebels and think this is the best recruiting class they have ever seen.
A few recruits’ names were thrown around: A.J. Brown, four-star wide receiver from Starkville, Mississippi, and Jeffery Simmons, five-star defensive end from Macon, Georgia.
In the past, Ole Miss fans were excited about being in the top 15 recruiting classes, and it is truly something special that the Rebels are currently ranked fourth for top recruits. These fans are confident in a National Championship next year, and many more years to come!
Allie Kmec is an IMC major at the Meek School of Journalism and New Media. She can be reached at arkmec7@gmail.com.
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