Ole Miss Rebels coach Pete Golding on the stage at a press conference with Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal
Ole Miss Rebels coach Pete Golding on the stage at a press conference with Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal for the Fiesta Bowl in Glendale, Ariz. | Taylor Graham-HottyToddy.com Images

LSU Makes Strong Push for Top Ole Miss Target During Key Visit

BY Taylor Hodges

There are plenty of reasons why Caden Moss can be considered the most important recruit for Ole Miss in the Class of 2027.

One of the highest rated recruits in the nation, from the Rebels’ backyard and at a position of need? Absolutely, Moss is important to the Rebels.

But he’s also important to other programs. Ole Miss landed in Moss’ final five schools along with Kentucky, Oregon, Ohio State and…brace yourself for this surprise…LSU.

Ole Miss competes against two of those teams in the SEC and hopes to see the other two in College Football Playoff games. All five would rather have Moss on their sideline, but the need at Ole Miss is huge and there’s the in-state variable. You don’t want the best recruits leaving your state.

And Moss’s recruitment is about to shift into another gear as his official visits begin. He spent last weekend in Baton Rouge on an official visit to LSU and talked about the trip with Rivals’ Chad Simmons.

“It went well,” Moss told Rivals. “Just getting back around the staff, learning more about the program, meeting players, and getting a better feel for everything.”

He also talked to Simmons about the football operations under a new coaching staff and the culture around LSU, which is definitely an interesting one.

“It’s really like a pro organization. You’ve got players staying after practice, doing extra work, watching film, getting treatment — and you’ve got coaches that want to coach them. When you have great players and great coaches like that, it’s dangerous,” Moss said. “The community, the fans — it’s a big-time brand. You can go anywhere and people know LSU. The culture and the people stand out.”

Being the first official visit is an advantage for LSU. Give Moss a visit no other school can match and hope he commits once he realizes nothing is better. Time will tell if that happens, but it sounds like LSU gave its best effort.

“They set the bar high,” he said. “Everybody from the coaches, the staff, everyone around the program — they did everything right. The visit definitely helped them. I can see myself playing there.”

Simmons added that Moss didn’t name a leader, but it’s clear LSU is in the mix.

Ole Miss will get its chance to make a similar impact. Moss has an official visit scheduled for June 19-21. It’s a long ways off, but the wait could be worth it.

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