Ole Miss Recruiting: 4-star LB Willie Gay commits to Rebels
The Ole Miss recruiting class added four-star linebacker Willie Gay as Hugh Freeze and the Rebels get a hard-hitting presence at the position.
Ole Miss picked up a big commitment Friday when 2017 four-star outside linebacker Willie Gay (Starkville MS. Starkville) committed to the program.
Gay is the No. 132 player in the ’17 class, No. 11 outside linebacker, and No. 3 player in the state of Mississippi per the 247Sports Composite Rankings.
Receiving 14 offers in total, he gained significant interest from the SEC. Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Mississippi State, South Carolina, and Tennessee extended offers.
He was recruited to the Rebels by Ole Miss defensive coordinator Dave Wommack.
Ole Miss was thought to be the second choice for Gay as Mississippi State made a hard push for his services. The Rebels were began heavily recruiting him on February 9, 2015 when they extended an offer his way. He then attended a school camp on June 5 of that year. He took two unofficial visits that September and once more prior to the conclusion of the season in November.
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This past winter, Mississippi State was still in the picture as Gay attended their Junior Day on January 30 as well as taking unofficial visits to the campus in March and April. However, the Rebels were able to seal the deal as Gay attended a camp on June 3, before deciding that he would commit to the program Friday.
With this commitment, the Rebels now have nine pledges in the class and Gay joins wide receiver D.D. Bowie (Morton MS. Morton) as the only other player with the four-star distinction. The class ranks No. 26 in the country and No. 8 in the SEC per the 247Sports Team Rankings.
This past season for Starkville, he had 84 tackles, six sacks, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, and one interception that was returned for a touchdown.
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A hard-hitter, Gay should do wonders for the Rebel linebacking core. He will be able to bring that physical edge that is the calling card of SEC defenses, and provide stability at the position.