Ole Miss assistant coach Frank Wilson with Cecilia High School athlete Braylon Calais. Braylon Calais/X
Ole Miss assistant coach Frank Wilson with Cecilia High School athlete Braylon Calais. Braylon Calais/X

Ole Miss Recruiting Update: Top Targets, Visit Dates and New Offers

BY Taylor Hodges

Braylon Calais continues to be one of the most intriguing athletes in the country, and his recruitment is starting to reflect that.

The Cecilia High School (La.) athlete is drawing attention from contenders everywhere, and the picture at the top is beginning to take shape.

Ole Miss, Houston and LSU have emerged as the main players for the four-star, who is projected to play wide receiver at the next level. His official visit schedule reflects that, with trips set to Oxford on May 1, Houston on June 4 and LSU on June 19.

Ole Miss has been working to keep pace with LSU, and the Rebels have gained momentum since Frank Wilson made Calais a priority. The interest is mutual.

“They’re pushing me hard,” Calais said to Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman. “Being there, seeing over the past year as a team how they’re moving the ball and letting their receivers eat.”

The spring is only halfway over, but Calais’ recruitment is already shaping up to be one of the more competitive battles in the region.

After Reclassification, Official Visit set with 4-Star Safety

It has only been a couple of days since Rancho Santa Margarita safety Pola Moala announced he was reclassifying from the 2028 class to 2027, and his recruitment is already shifting into a higher gear.

The move sped up his timeline, and now the official visits are reportedly starting to fall into place. Ole Miss is one of the programs that locked one in.

Moala is a 6-foot, 165-pound four-star with offers from USC, Ohio State, Michigan, UCLA, Oklahoma and plenty more. His list has been long for a while, but a few schools have separated themselves. He recently trimmed things down to a top five that includes Ole Miss, Michigan, UCLA, Cal and Oklahoma.

With the list set, the visits are next. Moala has scheduled four so far, and Ole Miss will get him on campus in early June. Moala has trips locked in with California on May 29, Ole Miss on June 5, Oklahoma on June 12 and Michigan on June 19, while also continuing to plan one out with nearby UCLA.

His recruitment was already busy before the reclassification. Now it is about to get even more interesting.

Class of 2028 Offers Made

Ole Miss spent this week expanding its 2028 defensive board, handing out a pair of new offers to two rising cornerbacks who are already drawing national attention.

The first went to College Park Woodward Academy four-star Bryce Woods, one of the top defensive backs in Georgia and a Top 35 corner in the class. Woods is already sitting on more than 30 offers, with Ohio State, Auburn, Tennessee, Missouri and West Virginia among the programs chasing him. At 6-foot-2 and 175 pounds, he fits the long, athletic profile every staff is looking for, and Pete Golding made sure the Rebels officially joined the race.

Not long after that, Ole Miss extended another offer, this time to Knoxville four-star Xavier Bowman. He is a Top 20 corner in the 2028 cycle and has seen his recruitment heat up after a strong sophomore season. Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Florida, Indiana and Florida State have all offered, and now Ole Miss is on that list as well.

Both prospects are early in their processes, but the Rebels made their move this week. It is clear the staff is already laying groundwork for what could be a very competitive defensive back class.

HOTTYTODDY.COM HEADLINES