Ole Miss football recruiting: Rebels welcome 5 early enrollees

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A handful of new faces will be on hand for spring practice in Oxford.

Enrolling early is a major advantage for recruits who are mentally ready to skip their final semester of high school and begin a college curriculum and weight training program. Additionally, enrolling early allows the recruit to become acclimated with the program and participate in spring practice -- a major leg up on the other incoming players who must wait until the summer to start school.

Ole Miss is welcoming five early enrollees for the 2014 recruiting class, which consists of 23 members, including 11 four- or five-star prospects.

C.J. Hampton, out of Meridian (Miss.) High School, is a four-star safety recruit, according to the 247sports composite, a combination of the four major recruit rating services. He's listed as the 98th-best prospect in the country, eighth-best player at his position and No. 2 from his home state. Hampton had offers from a number of other prominent schools, mostly in the Southeast, and chose the Rebels over Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Georgia and LSU, among others. A long-time Ole Miss commit, he took unofficial visits to a few other schools, but eventually reaffirmed his commitment to Hugh Freeze's team.

Still to come

Ole Miss also holds excellent commitments from four-star guard Roderick Taylor and four-star receiver Markell Pack, for whom the Rebels beat out Alabama and Florida State, respectively.