One of the most highly publicized recruits in the Southeastern Conference this season is a huge defensive end who hopes to make an impact at Ole Miss.
Channing Ward, a 6-foot-4, 250-pounder from Aberdeen, MS., got a late start because of NCAA questions, but he’s been cleared to play for the Rebels and he’s trying to catch up on his missed practice time.
“I’m so excited for Channing and his family,” said Rebel head coach Hugh Freeze when the word came down that Channing could play. “He is a tremendous young man, and it’s great to finally have him here with us. It was a long process, but we were confident throughout that he had done everything necessary to be cleared.
“Obviously he has missed a couple weeks of practice, and our staff is going to work hard to quickly bring him up to speed. We’ll have to wait and see how quickly he gets acclimated, but he certainly has the talent to be a factor this season.”
Ward had an impressive high school career at Aberdeen High School and, where he caught the eye of many of the nation’s top colleges. He was an Under Armour All-America and earned first-team All-State honors from The (Jackson) Clarion-Ledger his junior and senior seasons. He was listed No. 2 on the paper’s Top 10 Most Wanted list and was named to the publication’s Dandy Dozen list. He was also ranked the No. 2 player on the paper’s Top Ten Most Wanted List. He was also recognized by established scouting services such as SuperPrep, Rivals.com and PrepStar.
Ward participated in the Mississippi-Alabama All-Star Game after had 116 tackles and 16 sacks his senior year. As a junior, Ward record 119 tackles and 13 sacks.
The Under Armour All-American joined the Rebels on the practice field for the second practice of the day last Friday and the work started in earnest.
“He’s swimming right now,” Freeze following Tuesday’s practice. “He looks the part. He’s in decent shape, but he doesn’t know what he’s doing right now. Coach (Chris) Kiffin and our defensive staff are working hard to see how much he can retain in a short amount of time.
“We’re glad he’s out here, and he’s going to be a valuable asset to us.”