Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding with Greenwich Country Day (Conn.) EDGE Mekai Brown. | Mekai Brown/X
Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding with Greenwich Country Day (Conn.) EDGE Mekai Brown. | Mekai Brown/X

Decision Day Looms as Ole Miss Awaits Word From Elite Edge Recruit

BY Taylor Hodges

Mekai Brown just put a circle around this Friday, and it is going to be one of the bigger recruiting moments of the spring.

The four‑star edge rusher from Connecticut is announcing his commitment live on the Rivals YouTube page, and Ole Miss will be sitting at the table with USC, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Texas A&M. That alone tells you the kind of company the Rebels are keeping here.

Brown plays a premier position, the kind of long, athletic edge rusher every major program is chasing.

At 6‑foot‑6 and 235 pounds, he is the No. 4 edge in the country and a near lock to finish the cycle as a five‑star if his trajectory holds. Programs from coast to coast have been after him, and he has spent the spring taking a long list of visits to figure out what fits.

“I’ve been getting out and seeing a lot of schools,” Brown told Rivals’ Chad Simmons. “That’s helped me figure out what I like and what fits me. Those visits have given me a clearer picture of what each program is about. I’m paying attention to how the coaches are, how they develop players and the culture around the program. That’s what stands out when you’re there.”

USC is widely viewed as the favorite heading into the announcement. His recent trip to Los Angeles made a major impression, and multiple reports have the Trojans sitting in the top spot.

Rivals’ Steve Wiltfong even said last month that “another source that spent time with him thinks USC is running No. 1 right now.”

With only a few days left, that is the buzz Ole Miss is trying to overcome.

But the Rebels have done real work here.

Brown visited Oxford this spring and came away impressed with Pete Golding and the staff. He talked openly about how much that trip helped him understand his potential role in the defense and what the program is building.

“They broke down how they would use me and where I fit,” Brown said. “I like how they see me in their system.

“I like the energy there and how they run things,” he said. “You can tell they’re building something.”

Ole Miss will find out Friday whether that connection was enough.

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