4-Star Defensive End Elijah Daniel Drops Ole Miss, Picks Auburn Tigers

No one doubts the Ole Miss Rebels are on fire right now.  But they aren’t perfect, either.

Elijah Daniel, a 4-star defensive end from Avon, IN, de-committed from the Rebels and signed with the Auburn Tigers.  This is now the second player in recent days to switch from Ole Miss to Auburn, joining running back Peyton Barber.

This isn’t a surprise at all.  Daniel has been changing his mind practically every day, and many assumed he wouldn’t be a Rebel in the end.  He’s originally from Alabama, and has stated a desire to return to the deep south, leaving his home state Indiana Hoosiers (another team he was once committed to) out of the loop.  After committing to the Rebels last month, Daniel took a visit to Auburn last week, and most considered him a lock for the Tigers after that.

Daniel, at 6’3” 250lbs, is a very talented edge rusher, no doubt.  But there’s gotta be some concern over playing time that made him change his mind about Ole Miss.  Robert Nkemdiche is starting next year at one end spot, guaranteed.  The other end spot is likely to be taken up by either C.J. Johnson (former 5 star recruit two years ago), Channing Ward (top 50 recruit last year), or potentially Chris Jones, a 5-star defensive end this year who could be picking the Rebels later today.

Overall, this isn’t a huge blow to the Rebels class at all, and this won’t even really affect their team recruiting ranking.  This is just a perfect example of recruiting in the SEC.  It’s a dog eat dog world, and nothing is certain until that letter of intent is faxed in.