JD PicKell: Why Ole Miss makes a lot of sense for transfer receiver Keon Coleman

Former Michigan State wide receiver Keon Coleman is one of the biggest and best remaining prospects in the transfer portal. And On3’s J.D. PicKell thinks Ole Miss could be a solid landing spot for the ball-winning wideout.

After taking an official visit to Florida State, Coleman announced on Twitter that he’d be taking a visit to Ole Miss. With the top two receivers from the program off to the NFL, there’s an easy spot for Coleman to slot into.

“So a whole lot of production that needs to be accounted for, for Ole Miss. And Keon Coleman, trying to put together some solid tape for his draft stock to continue to improve,” PicKell said. “Also, play in the SEC, there’s no reservations about what you do if you are successful in that conference. Because you’re playing against some of the top talent in the country and guys that will likely also end up being drafted soon. So that legitimizes your prospects even further.”

There is a snag, though. Ole Miss ran the ball more than almost any other team in the country in 2022. Only four teams — the three service academies and UCF — had more rushing attempts than the Rebels last season. And UCF outpaced them by a single carry.

It was a sensible way to tailor an offense around two top-shelf running backs in Zach Evans and Quinshon Judkins, the former also being gone to the NFL now. But PicKell is cautious about the potential target total for any receiver there, even if Coleman would assuredly get the majority.

“I’m just curious to see how that plays out, how that factors in. I mean, it was the academies and then Ole Miss in terms of how frequently they ran the football. So, it’s not necessarily an air it out kind of offense like you might see at Florida State, but you would definitely get the lions share of the targets and receptions if you’re Keon Coleman. So, keep an eye on that,” PicKell said.

And as a final point, PicKell wonders if Coleman might not do better in the NIL realm to widen his market and see who else might be out there interested in his services.

“If NIL is a big part of Keon Coleman’s recruitment, rather, then you would expect him to at least play the field a little bit. Kind of see what else is out there. See who else is in the Keon Coleman sweepstakes,” PicKell said.