Players from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina, and as far away as California, Utah, New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Ohio made up the field
David Johnson
More than 1,000 prospects from 16 different states converged upon Mississipi College in Clinton, Miss., on Wednesday for a MegaCamp hosted by MC and the Southern Elite Combine Series. Players from Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Missouri, South Carolina, and as far away as California, Utah, New Jersey, New York, Illinois and Ohio made up the field.
We are still tallying the scholarship offers from the camp, but the current count is 42. Some schools could or would not offer on the spot, telling prospects they were going back to look at game film.
"It was an incredible day," said Southern Elite Combine partner Marcus Dent, who also serves as a scout for the U.S. Army Bowl. "We want to thank Mississippi College head coach Mike Kershaw and his staff. They did an incredible job of hosting us, really rolled out the red carpet."
This is the second year that the Southern Elite Combine Series has hosted a MegaCamp. The 2023 event was held at Mississippi Valley State.
"This is so good for the Mississippi kids," Dent continued. "Of those more than 1,000 prospects, they came from all over...New York, California, even Utah. And the Mississippi kids came from everywhere in the state from top to bottom. We are proud to be able to bring the colleges we had here to look at the local talent. The really disappointing thing was that we had very few kids from Jackson, especially the public schools. The local private schools were there, but the public school kids just didn't come for whatever reason. We brought this here for them. We had more from Texas than from Jackson proper. And we were right across the street."
Let's look at the camp's top offensive performers.
Defense is coming Friday morning...
THE OFFENSIVE ALPHA DOG
It is pretty much a consensus. This award goes to four-star offensive lineman Mario Nash, who will arrive in Oxford for his official visit to Ole Miss on Friday. Nash simply dominated every player and thing thrown his way. His 6-4, 270-pound frame is full of muscle and he plowed through the competition. He showed everyone why he is the nation's No. 14 interior offensive lineman as rated by 247Sports. He already held offers from most of the larger programs there and the smaller ones simply know they won't be able to get him. But Mario Nash dominated the field, and it turned out to be a pretty good group of offensive linemen.
THE (OTHER) BEST BIG MEN
The O-line group was pretty strong at this event. West Monroe (La.) High School interior offensive lineman Tylen George stood out and earned an offer from the Memphis Tigers, whose offensive line coach, Jeff Myers, was in attendance. George is a big man who moves with exceptional athleticism.
Next up is Matthew Parker, who is a 6-7, 295-pound, first-off-the-bus prospect. The 2025 out of Jackson (Miss.) Prep will take an official visit to Vanderbilt this weekend, and there are some who think he may commit to the Commodores. In fact, Inside the Rebels has issued a Crystal Ball pick for that to happen. Parker looked smooth and athletic during one-on-one reps and one could certainly see the improvement since I first saw him at a camp in Arkansas last spring. He also holds offers from camp attendees Memphis, Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech, as well as Duke, Florida State, South Florida.
Josiah Clemons is a 2025 out of Clinton (Miss.) Christian Academy. He measured in at a true 6-7 and weighed 335 pounds. Clemons, who we have had in our Southern Elite Series since he was eighth grader, was very impressive. He moves well for his size. Clemons holds offers from Mississippi State, South Alabama, Arkansas State, Toledo and Tennessee State. Mississippi State, Arkansas State and Tennessee State were at the MegaCamp.
Two center prospects also enjoyed outstanding days in Smithville (Miss.) standout Wes Wiggins and Madison-Ridgeland (Miss.) Academy's Caleb Unger. Wiggins, a 2026 prospect, picked up where he left off last week when he earned MVP center honors at the TCU MegaCamp. We saw fundamentals, strength and a mean streak out of the 6-3, 270-pounder. Unger, a 2027 that measured in at 6-2 and 270 pounds, holds a Central Arkansas offer. The UCA staff kept a close eye on him during the camp and left pleased. Our guess is...sooner or later...a G5 or perhaps Power 4 program will offer. He is smart and fundamentally sound and knows how to play the position. Also of note, the Southern Elite Combine Series has watched both Wiggins and Unger blossom at their events over the last several years.
THE QUARTERBACKS
Expectations were met with the quarterback field. 2027 Benton (La.) Malachi Zeigler was near perfect. He already held offers from Ole Miss and Grambling State, and Louisiana Tech pulled the trigger at the camp. By the time he's done, he could likely hold every Power 4 offer in the nation worth mentioning. He's got the fluidity of a star in the making with great arm strength and accuracy. The bonus is, he can also run and run very fast.
The biggest surprise of the camp came from Cleveland (Miss.) Central quarterback Jay Beamon. So much so, there was a disagreement between coaches as to Zeigler or Beamon as the top QB. Beamon made all the throws and demonstrated great maturity. His arm strength and accuracy are what colleges are looking for.
"Boston College is right," said one of the college coaches working with quarterbacks. "That kid is a big-time talent and he will be playing big-time college football. He's the best quarterback here."
The coach later adjusted to Zeigler when learning he was a 2027 and Beamon was a 2025.
Another quarterback who left a mark was Ruston(La.) High School three-star Joshua Brantley, who may have been the best athlete in the entire field. Brantley tipped the scales at 6-3 and 218 pounds. He can throw it, but as his size indicates, he is a threat to run the ball every single time, giving defenses something else to think about.
THE RUNNING BACKS
Two stand out. They are Marion (Ark.) High School's Jeremiah Dent and West Jones (Miss.) High School's Elijah Jones Crosby. Dent, who has visited Ole Miss multiple times this year, weighed in at 5-10 and 172 pounds, showing the ability to accelerate and decelerate on a dime with breakaway speed. Dent is from the 2027 class and already has gained interest from the Rebels, Notre Dame and instate Arkansas.
Elijah Jones Crosby is a different story. He measured in at 6-1 and 230 pounds and is a bull. A class of 2025, he holds offers from Buffalo, Norfolk State and Mississippi Valley State. he is going to make some a great short-yardage back.
THE TIGHT ENDS
Two stood out and one was a portal player. Hayden Haggler originally signed with Marshall out of high school, hit the portal and ended up at Jackson State, where he is back on the portal. The 6-4, 235-pounder is a physical specimen, and the Jackson State coaches said, if he had remained, he would likely have been tight end No. 1 for them this fall. He's not in any trouble and said he was looking for a better fit. Haggler is smooth, can run good routes and, if needed, owns the physique to put his hand in the dirt and move people.
Lonnie Shinn is the other. At 6-5 and 235 pounds he can play inside or outside, if needed to stretch the field. Mississippi Valley State has offered.
THE WIDE RECEIVERS
One guy stood out the most and he is a young one. Meet Calvin Ursin out of Live Oak High School in Watson, La. He is 6-2 and 195 pounds and showed the world why Florida State offered him on Monday. He is currently unrated, but he is a future four-star who owns all the right moves. He reminded us of Deion Smith with his ability to go high and snatch the ball from the air.
The other who drew rave reviews was 2025 Ashdown (Ark.) wide receiver Braeden Walton. He is simply a stud, and Ole Miss is positioned well for him, if the Rebels ever pull the trigger. Walton owns offers from Missouri and Arkansas State. More will come his way after his outstanding route-running, feather-soft hands and breakaway speed demonstrated Wednesday in Clinton.
HONoRABLE MENTIONS
QB, Carson Kershaw (MRA, Miss.)
LS, Fred Nicholson (Gautier, Miss.
IOL, Titus Taylor, (Bayou Academy, Miss.)
OL, Peyton Rohming (Oak Grove, Miss.)
