When Jarrell Chandler dropped his top 10 earlier this winter, Ole Miss wasn’t anywhere on it.
No logo, no mention, no hint that the Rebels were even in the conversation. And then Pete Golding showed up.
Now Chandler, a four-star safety out of Knoxville (Tenn.) Halls and one of the top defensive backs in the 2027 class, is reportedly planning a spring visit to Oxford. That’s how quickly things have shifted.
Rebels look to secure a spring visit with 4-star safety Jarrell Chandlerhttps://t.co/TRQpc6LGio pic.twitter.com/Ksq9WwUuyZ
— Ole Miss 365 (@OleMiss365) February 16, 2026
Chandler is a Top‑50 safety with the kind of junior-year production that gets you recruited by half the country: 109 tackles, 23 pass breakups, 13 tackles for loss, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, and an interception.
He doubled as a legitimate offensive weapon too, catching 50 passes for 766 yards and seven touchdowns. The kid does everything, and everyone noticed.
His original top 10 reflected that. Michigan, Arkansas, Georgia, Missouri, Maryland, Tennessee, Florida State, Vanderbilt, SMU, and Georgia Tech made the cut. Ole Miss didn’t mostly because the Rebels hadn’t offered yet.
That changed in late January. And once the offer came, the tone of Chandler’s recruitment changed with it.
Golding and the new-look Ole Miss staff didn’t ease into this one. They pushed. Hard. Enough that Chandler has already adjusted his list and is now eyeing a trip to Oxford to get a closer look at what the Rebels are building.
This is becoming a pattern with Golding: identify a national-level defender, get in late, and still make yourself impossible to ignore. Chandler fits that mold. He’s a long, physical 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete who projects cleanly as a defensive back at the next level, and Ole Miss is treating him like a priority even though they weren’t in the picture a month ago.
That’s the story here. Not just that Chandler is visiting, but that Ole Miss forced its way into a recruitment that looked settled.
When a prospect trims 20-plus offers down to 10, the list usually stays the list. But the Rebels made enough noise, fast enough, that Chandler is now carving out time to see Oxford for himself.
As he moves into a pivotal offseason, the door is open. And Ole Miss, late arrival or not, is making sure Chandler knows they plan to stay in the race.
