Ole Miss recruiting: 4-star safety Cortez Thomas finalizes commitment to Lane Kiffin's Rebels
The Ole Miss Rebels have gained another member for their recruitment class. According to 247sports.com, four-star safety Cortez Thomas announced he would commit to Lane Kiffin's program.
Thomas hails from Mississippi and chose to stay in the state for college. But he chose the Rebels over the Mississippi State Bulldogs, which surprised some analysts who had predicted that Thomas would commit to the Bulldogs.
During his sophomore season, Thomas made 23 tackles as he helped his high school (Holmes County Central) to a 7-5 season. That allowed them to make the playoffs.
Thomas spoke to On3.com about his decision to commit to Ole Miss:
“Once I started getting on campus and they started reaching out to me more and talking ball with me, trying to get in the picture, and it worked out for them."
"The coaching staff is great. They have great personalities, they’re great people, they take care of their players and that’s something that I look forward to.”
"The opportunity, being close to home and being on a winning team. The scheme of the defense in the secondary. I think I’ll be very comfortable and learn very fast with how they coach the secondary. They just win"
Why did Cortez Thomas decide not to commit to Mississippi State?
Cortez Thomas was set to commit to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. However, something made him change his mind and choose the Ole Miss Rebels instead. He revealed to On3.com what it was.
"At first, I was leaning more towards Mississippi State until the coaching staff changed."
Mississippi State was coached by Mike Leach, who unfortunately died. Zach Arnette had replaced him.
Arnette's tenure in charge of the program would be brief, and he would be fired near the end of the season after winning only four games. The team will head into the upcoming season with another coach, Jeff Lebby.
Frequently replacing a program's coach can lead to instability. The team will never develop due to constantly adapting to the new coach's way of doing things.
This instability can lead to players not wanting to commit to the program, which is what may have happened with Thomas.
Which other players will Cortez Thomas be joining at Ole Miss?
Cortez Thomas will join an Ole Miss recruitment class that has recruited talented players playing in the defense.
One of these is Safety Keon Young from Florida. Like Thomas, Young is a four-star prospect who recorded 45 tackles last season. He helped his high school win a state championship
Additionally, Lane Kiffin will be able to develop the talents of defensive linesman Andrew Maddox.
Maddox is considered one of the best players in Mississippi. He recorded 99 tackles last season. With the right environment, Maddox alongside Thomas and Young can become a key part of the Ole Miss Rebels defense in the coming years.