Ole Miss has spent the last few years working its way into recruiting battles that used to be reserved for the sport’s biggest brands. Mekai Brown is another example. The Connecticut edge rusher is talking to just about every heavyweight in college football, and Ole Miss is right there in the mix.
Brown’s relationship with defensive line coach Randall Joyner is a big part of that.
“It’s pretty much an every other day thing. We have long phone calls and stuff. We definitely have a great relationship. Joyner is (high energy), it’s dope…I think it’s definitely great coaching and I think it’s an atmosphere in a place I could really thrive in,” Brown told Rebels247.com. “It was definitely a spot I wanted to go (visit).”
It’s not hard to see why so many major programs want him. Brown doesn’t shy away from the standard he sets for himself.
“I think it has to do with 1. I think I’m the best edge in the country. You got to go into pretty much every game, every day, every week with that mentality,” he said. “I think I’m the best and I feel like when I’m on the field I’m always trying to prove that. It’s extra effort, how I play, how intense I play. I think that’s what a lot of schools like about me and I think they also know that I’m a good person off the field as well.”
At 6-foot-7 and 230 pounds, Brown has already put together strong production at Greenwich Country Day. Across his sophomore and junior seasons, he totaled 44 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks in 14 games, per MaxPreps. He describes himself as “someone who’s a very elite pass rusher out of double (or) triple teams, whatever you could do. Just trying to take out the game (plan) as much as possible.”
Brown’s Official Visits
His spring schedule reflects the level of interest he’s drawing. Along with his upcoming Ole Miss visit, Brown is set to see Florida (Mar. 3), North Carolina (Mar. 6–8), Missouri (Mar. 17–18), Texas A&M (Mar. 27–29), Penn State (Apr. 3–5), South Carolina (Apr. 8–10), Kentucky (Apr. 17–19), Notre Dame (Apr. 24) and UCLA (Apr. 29). It’s a list full of programs that expect to compete for national titles and Ole Miss is right there among them.
Elite EDGE Mekai Brown has a national offer list, and the 4-star will have a busy spring as he works to make his decision.
The latest: https://t.co/6dpWjgYWqT pic.twitter.com/i7DasqWi8V
— ChadSimmons (@ChadSimmons_) February 10, 2026
Brown wants to make a decision sometime in June or July, and he’s clear about what will matter most.
“For me I think the relationship part is definitely the most important thing. Relationship development and how much a school is going to put into you,” he said. “I don’t think just going to the prettiest school, the prettiest name is the way you should really go about it. I think a lot of the majority of the schools I’m looking at are the pretty name, big-time (programs). But it’s more like I’ve built a great relationship over time with those places and stuff. I think that side is more important than just hearing you got an Alabama offer (and) being ‘it’s the prettiest name, best school – got to go to Alabama’.”
Ole Miss isn’t just showing up to these recruiting fights anymore. It’s showing it belongs in them.
