By Parrish Alford

Tupelo Daily Journal

OXFORD — T’was five days before Christmas, and all through the Manning Center Ole Miss coach Matt Luke was busy unwrapping gifts intended for someone else.

Luke, whose future as coach was uncertain until the interim tag was removed on Nov. 26, announced 15 signees on Wednesday.

Included in the group are quarterback Matt Corral, wide receiver Elijah Moore and Callaway defensive end James Williams, who were all committed to other schools at one time or other in the process.

Williams, rated the No. 4 player in Mississippi by Rivals.com and the No. 6 player by 247Sports.com, was a signing day surprise as the Jackson native flipped from Mississippi State.

Corral was originally committed to Southern California but spent most of his recruitment as a Florida commit. There was speculation that Corral was unhappy when new Florida coach Dan Mullen began seeking a second quarterback for the Gators’ class.

Corral and Moore — who was previously committed to Georgia — are both rated as four-star prospects on the 247Sports composite list. That list ranks Corral as the No. 60 overall prospect, the No. 3 pro style quarterback and the No. 8 player in California. Moore, of Fort Lauderdale, is rated the No. 197 recruit, the No. 38 wide receiver and the No. 33 player in Florida.

“It’s all about relationships and fit. When a young man is trying to make a decision he’s got to pick the best environment for him,” Luke said. “All these outside influences, Twitter, none of that stuff matters. What matters is picking the best environment for you, so you can go be happy. I think that was the case with those three young men.”

Those three helped the Ole Miss class jump roughly 25 spots to No. 35 in the 247Sports class rankings.

Based on NCAA penalties handed down on Dec. 1 Ole Miss can sign only 22 recruits over the early and traditional signing periods. As he juggles numbers Luke believes he’ll be able to sign “potentially eight to nine” in the late period in February.

Corral will enroll in January and will go through spring drills.

“I thought it was imperative that we go out and sign a mid-year quarterback to come in and compete in the spring,” Luke said.

Corral threw for 2,495 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior last season at Long Beach Poly High School. He had more than 11,000 passing yards and 123 touchdowns in four years as a starter there and at Oaks Christian School.

“Matt has a big arm and good mobility that gives him an opportunity to extend plays,” Ole Miss offensive coordinator Phil Longo said in a school release. “He is a huge competitor, and I think he plays with a chip on his shoulder. There is a certain mental toughness to him that we really like.”

Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College linebacker Vernon Dasher wasn’t another flip for Luke, but Dasher had shown a lot of interest in Kansas State until Ole Miss made up ground after his official visit last Saturday.

Luke believes Dasher (6-foot-3, 215 pounds) can help immediately as the Rebels are losing outside linebacker DeMarquis Gates, their leading tackler. The staff was impressed with Dasher’s ability to play in space. He’s rated the No. 6 outside linebacker at the junior college level.

It’s middle linebacker that has been a position of great need for two years. Three-star signee Jacquez Jones, of Tuscaloosa, at 6-1, 225, has the build to help there.

The Rebels also have three young linebackers from the 2017 class who played little or redshirted this season.

Luke said he might look for another linebacker who would be a May junior college graduate.

“We want to keep developing the young guys and also bring in some guys to help and create competition,” Luke said. “Some of the guys we redshirted last year are pushing for playing time, and some of the guys we bring in will be pushing for playing time.”

In addition to Williams, Ole Miss signed defensive linemen Quentin Bivens from Wayne County and Hal Northern from Northwest Mississippi Community College. Northern was named an NJCAA All-American earlier this week.

In the secondary, Madison Central standout Cameron White is also headed to Oxford. He was a first-team Class 6A All-State selection this season and played in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game.

White was recruited as a defensive back, but has also played running back and wide receiver. He totaled 36 tackles, 1,097 rushing yards and nine touchdowns for Madison Central this season.

“Cam has played defensive back, running back and wide receiver, so he is a really good athlete a and a smart football player,” Ole Miss co-defensive coordinator Jason Jones said in a release. “He is physical and does a good job of tackling in space. The size and physicality that he brings in the secondary is something we definitely need.”

On offense, Ole Miss signed two running backs. Presbyterian Christian product Isaiah Woullard is Mississippi’s career rushing leader with 8,294 yards, and he scored 36 touchdowns this season.

Scottie Phillips played at Jones County Junior College this season and is rated as high as a four-star recruit by some services. He’s the No. 1 rated running back in Mississippi and the No. 8 junior college player in the country by ESPN.

Phillips ran for 1,070 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Bobcats in 2017. In 2016, his 123.6 yards per game ranked second in the MACJC and third nationally.

“Scotty is a compact runner and low to the ground. He is a great finisher with tremendous top end speed. We love his work ethic,” Ole Miss running backs coach Derrick Nix said.