In the recruiting landscape, Ole Miss’ Pete Golding already landed in a sticky spot with the tampering allegations by Dabo Swinney. When it comes to the 2027 recruiting trail, as a debut head coach, the Rebels have not yet broken into the Top 10 list. Making use of this recruiting slump is Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer, who might make away with a top Mississippi recruit.

Caden Moss, the No. 3 interior offensive lineman of the 2027 cycle, was at Tuscaloosa to observe Alabama’s first spring practice. He had the Tide as his top favorite by December last year, despite being Mississippi’s No. 1 prospect. Moss’ visit to Alabama proves that the bond between the two is still going strong, which has put Golding in a spot. He has already visited Oxford to check out Ole Miss’ spring ball, but the program has yet to lock him down at Oxford. 

DeBoer also has a new OL coach in Andrien Klemm, who could turn out to be a factor for the OL’s commitment. He comes from the NFL, having coached the Patriots. Before that, he was at Oregon and built a strong O-line for Dan Lanning. It was a brick wall, which allowed just five sacks in 13 games, the fewest in the FBS in the 2022 season. This upgrade could also be an attractive factor for Caden Moss to lean towards the Tide.

However, Pete Golding can continue pushing for the IOL. Ole Miss still has a 60.4% chance of landing Caden Moss, according to On3 predictions. This is the IOL’s home team, and the Rebels boast of an offensive line that was very productive last year. Moss himself has said that he “loved the environment” at Oxford.

Losing out on such an important local prospect will be a bad look for Pete Golding. The one thing he can rely on at the moment is that the OL already has a good relationship with position coach John Garrison. However, Golding has charged a lot of people in try and woo Moss over to Ole Miss. They are some pretty important figures.

Ole Miss is deploying starry names to secure Caden Moss

According to On3, Golding has sought the help of former Rebel and Colts WR Donte Moncrief, special teams coordinator Jake Schoonover, iconic former OL Terrence Metcalf, and assistant general manager Kevin Bolden to land Caden Moss. This is quite the troop assembled for one target, which shows how special Moss truly is. Moncrief is now a recruiting assistant for Ole Miss, while Metcalf, was is a College Hall of Fame inductee. The Ole Miss pitch is going to be solid from them.

And, the Rebels also have a way in by way of legendary WR, Shay Hodge. He was Moss’ former offensive coordinator, who first spotted Moss when he was in eighth grade. The young star seems to have been surrounded by Rebel talent from very early on. Ole Miss also capitalized on the home team aspect, and was the first team to offer Caden Moss.

“They’re real genuine people,” Moss said of the Ole Miss staff to The Rebel Walk. “We talk about, like, how they view me as a player and how they prioritize me… you know, one of, if not the best prospect in Mississippi.”

Ole Miss is clearly giving its all. Moss is the No. 1 prospect of the state and warrants all possible measures to be deployed by whichever team wants him. Pete Golding has to continue impressing the star OL and hopefully win him over.