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Ole Miss Football Recruiting: 3-star recruits Jay Johnson, Armani Linton commit to Rebels

By Patrick Schmidt

Sep 1, 2012; Oxford, MS, USA; A general view of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium prior to the game between the Mississippi Rebels and the Central Arkansas Bears. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 1, 2012; Oxford, MS, USA; A general view of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium prior to the game between the Mississippi Rebels and the Central Arkansas Bears. Mandatory Credit: Jim Brown-USA TODAY Sports /
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Ole Miss added a pair of in-state three-star recruits who had been committed to rival Mississippi State as the Rebels successfully flipped Armani Linton (Walnut, Miss. Walnut Attendance Center) and Jay Johnson (Bruce, Miss. Bruce ) on Friday evening, according to 247Sports.

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Linton had been committed to the Bulldogs since Feb. 8, but in recent weeks speculation began to mount that he could be flipping his commitment to “the school up north” and when he arrived to camp at Ole Miss on Friday that speculation turned to fact as the 6-3, 195-pound safety committed to Ole Miss.

He received his offer from Ole Miss nearly one month after committing to Mississippi State and took unofficial visits to Oxford in April and May before camping this weekend.

Linton is the nation’s No. 861 recruit regardless of position, No. 63 safety and the No. 20 recruit in the state of Mississippi, according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings.

He has really good instincts which allow him to make plays on the ball and with a frame to add 20 more pounds without dropping much in the way of athleticism or speed, Linton projects as a strong safety who can make plays in the run game as well as defending the pass.

The 6-4, 210-popund Johnson is one of the more versatile athletes in the state of Mississippi and truly a player to watch at one of the smaller schools in the state. He can run and catch the football and line up as a safety in the defensive backfield and that’s why 247Sports has him classified as an athlete.

Ranked as the No. 510 player overall, No. 51 athlete and the No. 13 player in the Magnolia State, Johnson was recruited as a wide receiver and has the frame of a potential No. 1 receiver.

Originally committed to Mississippi State on Dec. 3, Johnson admitted his commitment wasn’t that strong for the past few months and was keeping his options open. He received his offer from Ole Miss a little more than a month later on Jan. 8 and visited the Rebels for their Junior Day on Feb. 1. Johnson took unofficial visits to Florida State and Auburn this spring, but Southern Mississippi was his only other offer at the time of this commitment.

Johnson rushed for 561 yards on 45 carries and had four touchdowns and had 23 receptions for 281 yards and added 3 more touchdowns via the air.

With the commitments of Linton and Johnson, Ole Miss now boasts the nation’s No. 31 class according to 247Sports and the No. 13 class in the SEC.

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