Report reveals how Ole Miss landed transfer LB after outbidding South Carolina

Ole Miss and South Carolina have gone head-to-head for several transfer portal recruits this cycle. According to a report from The State, the Rebels outbid the Gamecocks to land one.

The State reports that during a South Carolina Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, a board member discussed how Ole Miss landed a linebacker away from South Carolina after offering more money.

The board member did not say which linebacker it was, but former Grambling State linebacker Andrew Jones originally committed to South Carolina before flipping to Ole Miss two days later back in December.

“We just competed for a linebacker,” South Carolina Board Member Dan Adams said, according to The State. “We were gonna offer $400,000 and Mississippi took him for $800 (thousand).”

The board member added that “you’re playing in the wild, wild West there.”

Ole Miss has been very active in the transfer portal, bringing in linebackers Tahj Chambers and Jaden Yates, in addition to Jones. The Gamecocks were not reported to be in the mix for the other two.

South Carolina is coming off of a 9-4 season in 2024 under head coach Shane Beamer. The Gamecocks were a contender to reach the College Football Playoff in 2024, before coming up just short.

As for Ole Miss, the Rebels beat Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl to finish the year with a 10-3 record.

More on Andrew Jones flipping from South Carolina to Ole Miss

Andrew Jones committed to South Carolina on Dec. 18, before flipping to Ole Miss on Dec. 20. Jones was an FCS All-American in 2024 and co-Defensive Player of the Year in the SWAC. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Jones earned second-team FCS All-American honors this season after racking up 122 tackles, 20.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. His 122 tackles were 73 more than anyone else on the Grambling State team.

Jones had a breakout season for Grambling State in 2024 after appearing in only two games last year. He came to play for the Tigers after starting his college career with the Memphis Tigers.

Jones signed with Memphis as a three-star recruit in the class of 2021, per the On3 Industry Rankings. He redshirted his first season on campus before appearing in 10 games in 2022. He finished that year with four tackles, one tackle for loss and a forced fumble.