As the spring visit season picks up and recruits start bouncing from campus to campus, you can usually tell which programs are building real momentum by how prospects talk about them.
In Ole Miss’ case, hearing Antonio Keefer describe his latest trip to Oxford is about as encouraging as it gets this early in the cycle.
Keefer, a four star offensive tackle from Memphis, made the short drive down earlier this month for an unofficial visit. The 6-foot-3, 295-pound lineman has one of the more impressive offer lists in the 2027 class, with Ole Miss, Alabama, Ohio State, Oregon, LSU, Auburn, Mississippi State, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Maryland and Memphis all in the mix.
What A Time In The Sip🔵🔴 Journey Keeps Going, See You Soon🌟@CoachGarrisonOL @drm_12 @CoachGolding @CoachJames73 @coachlester91 @CoachDharris55 @Coach_Jay901 @SouthwindJags @Tankb24 @treykali_38125 @BigCoachJames #HOTTYTODDY pic.twitter.com/af2cOj6EF7
— Antonio Keefer ✞ (@AAKeefer) March 6, 2026
The Rebels were one of the first major programs to jump in with an offer last May, and they have not slowed down since.
He is ranked as the No. 229 national prospect and No. 28 offensive tackle by 247Sports, and the industry composite slots him just inside the top 300 overall.
For John Garrison and the Ole Miss staff, he is very much a priority. Keefer told Rebels247 that his recent visit hit all the right notes.
“The visit was amazing. Everything about it just gives the NFL type of vibe and that’s what you want,” Keefer explained. “I see them being a team. They let the coaches coach and the players be coachable to the point where they can just play in the event of the game…Being around the offensive linemen just brings that bond because when I’m on the field ‘okay, I’m playing for this person right next to me and we can get this done together’.”
That kind of feedback matters, especially when a recruit is as open about his process as Keefer is. He said Ole Miss is currently sitting at number one for him, with LSU and Ohio State close behind. All three will get official visits this summer. Keefer is scheduled to be back in Oxford on June 5, then he will head to LSU on June 12 and Ohio State on June 19. Tennessee is still hanging around as well.
“I have been going to Ole Miss since my ninth grade year. I kind of feel like that’s where it all started at, and then being up there (visiting) since,” Keefer said. “I’m not going to talk about what we talked about in that (position) room, but my relationship with (Garrison) is just like he’s most definitely going to make it. Did you see what he produced He just produced Diego Pounds. I actually thank God for Coach Garrison.”
For Ole Miss, this is exactly the kind of tone you want to hear as the calendar shifts toward the busiest stretch of the recruiting cycle.
The Rebels will host a long list of top prospects over the next few months, and having someone like Keefer openly praising the program only helps build that momentum.
If this is the way recruits keep talking as visits stack up, Ole Miss is setting itself up for a strong summer.
