Zaiden Jernigan still has two full years of high school football left, but his recruitment feels more like that of a senior’s.
That is what happens when you start pulling scholarship offers in eighth grade and keep stacking them as fast as coaches can send them out.
Ole Miss made sure he knew on Wednesday that its offer is still very much on the table.
Blessed to be re-offered by @OleMissFB‼️ #AGTG🙏🏽@FrankWilson28 @drm_12 @_kbolden @LHSWildcats_FB @MacCorleone74 @shayhodge3 @LawrencHopkins @ReggieBuchanan @ChadSimmons_ @adamgorney @TomLoy247 pic.twitter.com/WIVjPDvXEv
— zaiden jernigan (@zaiden_6) March 25, 2026
Pete Golding and his staff reached out to reaffirm it, which is smart considering Jernigan is the No. 19 overall prospect in the 2028 class and the top running back in the country according to Rivals.
At 5-foot-11 and 195 pounds, he already looks like the kind of back every program wants to build an offense around.
The Louisville, Miss. standout has been on the radar for a while. He was a Rivals Sophomore All-American last season and has been pulling interest from just about every major program you can name. Ole Miss, Alabama, Nebraska, Tennessee, Ohio State and Notre Dame are all involved, and that list is only going to grow as he gets closer to his junior year.
If Ole Miss is going to stay in this thing, the staff knows exactly who they will have to beat.
It is not Mississippi State, even though the Bulldogs were the first to offer him back in middle school. The real obstacle is Alabama.
Jernigan told Rivals’ Chad Simmons that the Crimson Tide were his dream school growing up.
“Alabama was my dream school,” he said. “I grew up watching their running backs and their explosive offense. Jahmyr Gibbs, Derrick Henry and Najee Harris are three of my favorites.”
2028 4 ⭐️ RB Zaiden Jernigan (@zaiden_6) received an offer from Alabama on Thursday.
The nation’s top-ranked RB spoke with me about his initial reaction to receiving an offer from the Crimson Tide.
He also revealed his plans to visit Alabama this Sunday for spring practice. pic.twitter.com/iUJkU7lRYD
— Crimson Coverage (@CrimsonCoverage) March 5, 2026
The good news for Ole Miss is that Golding knows that program better than anyone recruiting against it. Add in running backs coach Frank Wilson and the Rebels have the right people in place to make this interesting.
This recruitment is going to stretch out for a long time. Jernigan is too talented and too young for anything to move quickly.
But Ole Miss is in it, and the staff is doing what it needs to do to stay there.
The offers will keep coming. The spotlight will only get brighter. And the battle ahead looks like one Ole Miss has seen before.
