According to On3’s Pete Nakos, former Auburn cornerback Jay Crawford has committed to Ole Miss out of the NCAA transfer portal. It’s an early pickup for new head coach Pete Golding, even as the Rebels continue their march through the College Football Playoff. An experienced SEC player will be on the 2026 roster.
Crawford spent the last two seasons on the Plains, being one of the program’s bright younger players. He wound up starting in 18 games, with the accolades flowing. Most of those were during his true freshman campaign, earning SEC All-Freshman and On3 True Freshman All-American honors.
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From a stats perspective, Crawford has 30 tackles during his career. Two interceptions are on there as well, splitting them between 2024 and 2025. Missouri was on the wrong side of the one from this past season, a game Auburn eventually lost in overtime. You can also add 11 pass breakups and 13 passes defended.
At the time of his commitment, Crawford is viewed as one of the top players in the transfer portal this cycle. The On3 Industry Transfer Portal Rankings have him as a four-star prospect and No. 31 overall. When looking at just cornerback, only one player, Iowa State‘s Jontez Williams, is slotted higher.
Looking back to his high school days, Crawford played at Lilburn (GA) Parkview, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 307 overall recruit in the 2024 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
Ole Miss heading into new era with Pete Golding
The 2025 journey has been a wild one for Ole Miss, losing Lane Kiffin to LSU. Even so, it’s far from over as a College Football Playoff semifinal is set to take place on Friday. Ole Miss is just two wins away from winning the national championship.
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Golding is going to be in charge of the program, no matter how the next few weeks play out. A long-time defensive coordinator, he now becomes a head coach for the first time in his life. Fans in Oxford already love Golding for how the current situation has been handled by him.
Defensive players continually state how much they enjoy playing for Golding. Crawford might wind up being the next one, joining the fray. Expectations are likely going to once again be high for Ole miss heading into the 2026 season.
