Ole Miss Continues to Outshine the SEC Early on 2016 Recruiting Trail

A largely successful 2014 season at Ole Miss may have ended in disappointing fashion, but head coach Hugh Freeze and his Rebels haven't sacrificed an ounce of momentum on the recruiting trail.

Ole Miss is off to an outstanding start in the 2016 cycle, claiming 11 commitments from throughout the Southeast. Freeze further strengthened this haul Sunday when 4-star Georgia defensive end Charles Wiley announced his pledge :

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I have committed to the University of Mississippi pic.twitter.com/qFOvr1t67F

— Charles Wiley (@chuckwiley99) March 30, 2015"

The 6'2 ½", 234-pound prospect recorded 57 tackles—including 17 for loss—and 18 sacks as a junior at Stockbridge High School, per MaxPreps. He is rated 11th nationally among weak-side defensive ends in 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Ole Miss has developed a national reputation for its "Landshark" defensive attack. Wiley is the latest top-tier defender enthused about an opportunity to develop within the aggressive scheme.

“It played a part. It did. That shows that they’re a group of winners, a group of lions," he told David Johnson of 247Sports when asked if the "Landshark" attack attracted him to Ole Miss. "You’ve got to surround yourself with lions. You’ve got to. You have to be around people that want the same thing as you do.”

His statement echoes the sentiments of 5-star Alabama linebacker Ben Davis, who included Ole Miss among his favorites during a late February discussion with Bleacher Report.

"I've watched a lot of their games and I like the way they hit," Davis said. "A lot of those guys on defense have a mean streak. I like their style."

The Rebels are set to further enhance that defensive prowess with a 2016 recruiting class that currently rates third in 247Sports' national composite rankings, ahead of all SEC opponents.

Wiley joins a group that already includes top junior college linebacker David Luafatasaga and 4-star defensive tackle Benito Jones, an in-state talent who initially committed to Alabama last summer.

Credit: 247Sports

While Ole Miss continues to make strides on defense, it's what the Rebels have been able to accomplish offensively in this recruiting class that should really rev up fans. 

Freeze beat out LSU and USC for 5-star Louisiana quarterback Shea Patterson in February.

The 6'2", 195-pound passer posted staggering statistics since his sophomore season at Calvary Baptist Academy, collecting 5,400 total yards, 78 touchdowns and just seven interceptions during a two-year span.

His presence creates a potentially elite tandem in the passing game, as Patterson joins Ole Miss legacy and longtime commit DeKaylin Metcalf. He is among this cycle's premier receivers and caught 19 touchdowns in 2014, per MaxPreps.

Ole Miss also holds pledges from a pair of 4-star running backs—Justin Connor and Denzel Mitchell—and top-tier tight end prospect Octavious Cooley, who is rated fourth among players at the position.

With Patterson now entrenched as a class leader, expect more offensive weapons to elevate their interest in the program.

Rated third nationally among pro-style quarterbacks, he's the kind of recruit college programs have coveted since his earliest days as a starter. Ole Miss ultimately bested all others in a contested pursuit for his commitment. 

"I've been to all three [finalists] and to a game at each place," Patterson told B/R's Damon Sayles after his announcement. "Whenever I go to a game, I try to visualize myself in their uniform and with their fans. I try to get that sense of can I see myself playing there. I only saw it with one school."

In order to compete for conference and national titles, Ole Miss is attempting to make Oxford an SEC destination just as desirable as Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa.

“I’ve had people tell me Ole Miss was the place," Wiley told Johnson. "I had to go down and see for myself that Ole Miss was the place. It is the place.”

Freeze hopes his campus becomes "the place" for plenty more blue-chip prospects as things progress.

A strong start toward national signing day has the Rebels sitting atop recruiting rankings in a conference that annually draws more talent than all the rest. Sustained success in that department will set the stage for lofty expectations in Oxford for years to come.

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue unless otherwise noted.

Recruit ratings courtesy of 247Sports.