Pete Golding, Ole Miss land elite in-state defensive lineman Mitchell Turner

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Even with other SEC powers consistently pushing to land the top prospects from Mississippi, Ole Miss head coach Pete Golding has made it a priority to keep the state’s best home.

That in particular stands out for the best defensive prospects in the state.

On Tuesday, June 23, that was proven to be true for Golden as Louisville (MS) four-star defensive lineman Mitchell Turner announced his commitment to Ole Miss, choosing the Rebels over Alabama, LSU and Texas.

247Sports ranks the 6-foot-3, 275-pounder as the No. 48 overall player, No. 4 defensive lineman and No. 1 player in Mississippi for the 2027 cycle.

The USA TODAY High School Sports composite ranking, a ranking based on the composite rankings from industry leaders, has Turner as the No. 59 overall player in the class and No. 5 defensive lineman.

Turner was a force up front for the Wildcats last season, racking up 103 total tackles, 41 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

With Mitchell’s commitment, Ole Miss now has 16 commitments in a 2027 class that 247Sports ranks as the 31st best in the cycle. Turner is the Rebels’ highest-rated commitment in that class.

Ole Miss now has seven four-star pledges in its class headlined by Turner.

Their other four-star commitments include Baylor (TN) quarterback Keegan Croucher, Lewisville (TX) cornerback Taelyn Mayo, St. Thomas More (CT) defensive lineman Marvin Nguetsop, Morgan Park (IL) safety Darrell Mattison, Southwind (TN) offensive tackle Antonio Keefer and MASE (TN) defensive lineman Jamarkus Pittman.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mitchell Turner commits to Ole Miss, what it means for the Rebels

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