Tyrone Nix should be proud.

The Ole Miss defensive coordinator said “no” to Florida in December, and in February the collective efforts of the Rebels’ staff have given him new toys to play with … and lots of them.

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt announced a class of 25 signees Wednesday. The staff was working with three fewer scholarships to offer a result of a low Academic Progress Rate (APR) score achieved in large part by the previous administration.

The staff lured several highly-sought offensive players with impact potential, but 14 players are expected to play on defense.

“This is one of the finest defensive line groups I can remember us signing ever, and our next line of business was the secondary,” Nutt said.

The class includes eight Rivals four-star recruits and was ranked No. 17 by Rivals. It was ranked No. 13 by Scout.

It’s on the defensive front, particularly at end, where signees could yield early results. The Rebels lost three of their top four ends, but junior college transfer Wayne Dorsey, already on campus and set for spring drills, should provide quick help.

Hollandale-Simmons end Carlos Thompson is another big pick-up there. He’s 6-5, 220, and “he’ll be 270 one day,” Nutt said.

While defensive end was hit hard, the secondary lost three starters including both cornerbacks,

“We got some good young corners in Eric Mitchell, Cliff Coleman and Tony Grimes,” Nutt said. “They are very athletic and can turn their hips and run. They’re outstanding .”

Those are three of the seven signees from Florida, a state Nutt likes to explore for skill position players.

It was at home, though, that the staff did some of its best work with seven signees from the high schools and three more from the junior colleges.

Nutt said assistant coach Derrick Nix should be the “recruiter of the year in Mississippi, and Terry Price should be right up there with him.”

What ultimately won over the locals, Nutt said, was the perception of recruits’ parents of a family atmosphere within the program and the program’s recent success.

“A picture’s worth a thousand words, and they saw us in that brand new (Dallas Cowboys) stadium holding up that (Cotton Bowl) trophy,” he said.

Nutt said he was never asked to explain a Ku Klux Klan appearance on campus in November, something that concerned him at the time.

In addition to Thompson, Noxbuee County wide receiver Vincent Sanders is another home-state player who could make a quick impact.

Beating the Seminoles

Ole Miss coaches felt good about their relationship with Sanders after his visit two weekends ago. Still, Sanders, rated the state’s No. 2 prospect by Rivals, wasn’t considered a lock Wednesday after a late push by Florida State,w ho he visited last weekend.

The situation was different for East Mississippi Community College quarterback Randall Mackey. He signed with Ole Miss out of Bastrop High School two years ago and was always considered a strong lean to re-sign.

Mackey is expected to make an impact somewhere, and will be given the chance to compete for the starting quarterback position. He could also play receiver or running back, and it’s expected that he’ll get some snaps as the “Wild Rebel.”

Mackey, who had hoped to be on campus this semester, needs one class to graduate from EMCC and gain eligibility.

“He’s disappointed that he’s not here now. He had the chance to be,” Nutt said. “Right now we just want him to graduate. Then we’ll see what he can handle as far as the learning curve and how much we give him at quarterback.”