Can Ole Miss Climb to Top of 2016 SEC Recruiting Rankings?

Ole Miss has commanded the spotlight so far this college football season with another strong start. 

Explosive performances and an impressive victory at Alabama sent the Rebels surging in national rankings. Meanwhile, Ole Miss' off-field success also warrants attention. 

Head coach Hugh Freeze holds a top-10 recruiting haul with room for improvement. Led by Class of 2016 catalyst Shea Patterson, Ole Miss has an opportunity to assemble as strong an incoming crop of talent as any SEC program on national signing day.

"We're doing everything we can to put together a group that can win a lot of games together," Patterson told Bleacher Report. "I'm doing my part, and so are other recruits. The team is playing great too, which obviously helps."

The 5-star quarterback and Elite 11 MVP committed to Ole Miss in February. He is one of eight prospects pledged to the Rebels who carry a 4-star composite rating or higher.

Ranking	Team	5-Star Commits	4-Star Commits	Total Commits
1	LSU	2	10	18
2	Alabama	0	10	18
3	Georgia	1	7	17
4	Ole Miss	1	7	19
5	Florida	0	5	20
6	Tennessee	0	6	17
7	Texas A&M	0	4	15
8	Auburn	1	5	12
9	Kentucky	0	2	22
10	Arkansas	0	4	14
11	Mississippi State	0	0	16
12	South Carolina	0	4	15
13	Missouri	0	1	14
14	Vanderbilt	0	0	10

Among the team's 19 commits, six are considered top-10 prospects at their respective positions. It's a collection that includes Rebels legacy wide receiver DeKaylin Metcalf, in-state running back Justin Connor and former Alabama defensive tackle pledge Benito Jones. 

These premier players were already on board before Ole Miss entered the season with a surge. Freeze knows that early, emphatic wins create a ripple effect on recruiting efforts. 

"I think it's a bump, and I think that bump might last for a couple of weeks," he said, via Courtney Cronin of The Clarion-Ledger. "I think it comes back to the relationship. It allows you to get in the game with maybe five-to-10 guys that you may have not been in it with. I think that is a realistic bump from it."

Ole Miss is firmly in the mix for several uncommitted 2016 standouts, including a few with personal ties to Patterson. 

Top-ranked tight end Isaac Nauta, freakishly athletic 4-star wide receiver Drake Davis and Ohio State offensive line commit Tyler Gerald each play alongside Patterson at IMG Academy in Florida. 

Nauta, rated ninth overall in composite rankings, will spend an official visit in Oxford on Oct. 24, when the team welcomes Texas A&M to town. He'll be in the bleachers next to Patterson, providing Ole Miss with a perfect opportunity to pitch him on the program.

"We have excellent chemistry on the field, so obviously if I do go to Ole Miss, that would benefit me," he told Bleacher Report. "Shea is a great quarterback, and we've definitely developed a good relationship playing together. He's in my ear every day with something about Ole Miss."

Patterson is attempting to coordinate an official visit to Oxford for Gerald, while he will accompany Davis to the Sept. 26 game against Vanderbilt. The 6'4", 215-pound playmaker could potentially further enhance a Rebels receiving corps loaded with talent.

Elite Texas pass target Tyrie Cleveland is another legitimate possibility for Freeze and his staff. The 6'3" speedster starred this summer at The Opening, the invite-only showcase held at Nike's world headquarters.

He emerged as Patterson's primary target on a title-winning seven-on-seven tournament team that also featured Metcalf. Though Cleveland's close friend and high school quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole is committed to Arizona State, the Rebels are viable contenders.

"Ole Miss is in my top two," he told Taylor Hamm of 247Sports. "I've never been there before, so I just want to feel the vibe. I want to feel the vibe and make sure I'm comfortable there."

Cleveland will have that chance soon, as he is in the process of planning an official visit.

Count him as someone who had confidence in the Rebels last Saturday against Alabama.

"I had Ole Miss the whole way. I already knew they were going to win," he told Hamm. "That offense is incredible in getting the ball around and staying consistent. I like it."

Credit: 247Sports

Compliments came from coveted recruits on both sides of the ball.

"I honestly had Ole Miss to beat 'Bama," 4-star defensive end Jeffery Simmons told Cronin. 

Freeze has landed lauded recruiting classes in the past. Those players have matured to help his program take another step up the SEC ladder, allowing Ole Miss to sell itself as an established "contender" rather than a hopeful "builder."

Louisiana running back Devin White, Texas defensive back Deontay Anderson and in-state wide receiver A.J. Brown have all expressed serious interest in the team. Ole Miss is likely to host the country's top two prospects—Texas offensive tackle Greg Little and New Jersey defensive lineman Rashan Gary—for official visits. 

The Rebels are either in control or within striking distance of so many marquee recruitments that the odds are undeniably in favor of Ole Miss' landing a top-flight class in February.

Sustained on-field success may ultimately enable Freeze's team to finish ahead of all SEC opponents and perhaps the entire college football universe on signing day.  

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue unless otherwise noted. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.