In a bizarre and somewhat unexpected twist, the Ole Miss Rebels seem to have formed an unlikely high school pipeline under head coach Lane Kiffin, who has relied heavily on the transfer portal of late. We all know the Rebel head coach isn’t afraid to return to places he likes to find more talent, if it works out the first time. A prime example of this is Ole Miss landing former Arkansas players through the transfer portal. Over the past two seasons, Kiffin has acquired a total of four former Razorbacks through the transfer portal. Now it appears that he may have done the same thing at the high school level, though likely indirectly. The school in question is Pike Road High School in Alabama.
A small town in the Montgomery metropolitan area, Pike Road isn’t exactly what comes to mind when you think of a potential out-of-state pipeline. However, Ole Miss just got a commitment from a second Pike Road running back in four years, and will also have a transfer receiver who is a Pike Road alum on this year’s roster.
So how did it start, and what can we expect from the newest faces that played high school ball at Pike Road?
Quinshon Judkins
It all started in December of 2021 with a picture of Kiffin sitting alone in the bleachers at an Alabama state title game. He was there to watch Ole Miss commit three-star running back Quinshon Judkins. As many of you know, that relationship ultimately soured, as Judkins only spent two years in Oxford before transferring to Ohio State prior to the 2024 season. In his one season as a Buckeye, he helped lead Ohio State to a national title.
But before things went south, Judkins showed his value in his brief time as a Rebel. During his freshman season, he rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns. This was the second most for a freshman in SEC history, behind only Georgia’s Herschel Walker in 1980. He then backed that up by rushing for 1,158 yards as a sophomore, to go along with 15 touchdowns. That number was also managed while being injured for much of the first four games of the 2023 season.
Despite only being a Rebel for two seasons, the Pike Road native is now widely considered to be one of the best running backs in program history.
Penn State Transfer Harrison Wallace
The indirect connection for the Rebels to Pike Road comes from Penn State transfer Harrison Wallace. A three-year starter in State College, the 6-1, 195-pound receiver enters an Ole Miss receiving room in need of a rebuild. In his time as a Nittany Lion, Wallace caught 84 passes for 1,221 yards and six touchdowns. He also proved to be the team’s leading receiver during the 2024 season, bringing in 46 passes for 720 yards.
To this point, his numbers certainly won’t blow you away. However, that could largely be due to him playing in a run-heavy, pro-style offense. Giving him a key role in a Kiffin-led offense could allow him to show off more of his abilities. Regardless, expect Wallace to be a key part of the Rebel offense in 2025.
2026 Pike Road Running Back Ja’Michael Jones
The newest Ole Miss Rebel from Pike Road is still technically up in the air, at least until he puts pen to paper on Signing Day. But 2026 three-star running back Ja’Michael Jones made his commitment to Ole Miss earlier this week on social media, following an unofficial visit this weekend.
Naturally, committing to Ole Miss and being from the same high school as Judkins has raised questions about similarities in their respective games. The biggest difference between the two is the size. With Judkins being roughly 25 pounds heavier, he obviously runs with more aggression than Jones. However, assuming Jones ends up in Oxford, expect him to put on plenty of weight once he arrives on campus. This would help him handle the gauntlet of an SEC schedule.
The biggest current question is whether Ole Miss can hold onto Jones’ commitment. In today’s landscape of college athletics, verbal commitments ultimately mean very little. However, Kiffin and the Rebels have typically done a good job of landing prospects who do commit. If they can get Jones to Oxford, expect him to be a key piece of the offense starting in 2026.
Does he become the next Judkins? History suggests no. However, hailing from the same high school and featuring somewhat similar playing styles, Ole Miss fans would be happy if he could bring the offense some of the same success that Judkins managed to bring during his two seasons as a Rebel, regardless of the individual numbers he puts up himself.
Main Image: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
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