Ole Miss holds a 2027 commitment from Keegan Croucher, a 6-foot-4 quarterback whom Rivals ranks fifth nationally and the industry composite 10th. Croucher committed last October, then transferred in January to the Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the defending state champion, which finished the regular season 10-0 and has won 22 straight. Through five games he has completed 74 percent of his passes without an interception.
Locked On Ole Miss host Steven Willis argued the rankings have it wrong and that Croucher is the best high school quarterback in America. “I’ve watched the tape and the tape says he’s the best one,” Willis said. The transfer was his evidence: Croucher went for daily film study, a college-style strength program and a tougher schedule to be ready for Ole Miss.
Croucher stayed committed when the previous head coach left for LSU, naming Pete Golding as the reason. Willis said he has gone further, attending September’s LSU game in Oxford to watch Trinidad Chambliss and recruiting for the program. “Quarterbacks who recruit are quarterbacks that lead,” Willis said. “You can’t buy it in the portal in December.”
The class around him runs 23 commitments deep, ranked 14th nationally and eighth in the SEC with 14 four-stars. By July it carried 13 blue-chip commitments, the program’s best such rate since the 2024 class that produced Kam Franklin and Will Echoles. Willis said Ole Miss spent years building through the portal, Chambliss and Kewan Lacy among the returns, and is now signing high school talent at the most important position.
The early signing period runs Dec. 2-4. Willis expects every top commitment to field calls before then and said the first signature he will look for is Croucher’s. He predicted Croucher will be Deuce Knight’s backup in 2027.
Photo: Kam Franklin, November 7, 2026, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images.
Adapted from the November 11, 2026 episode of Locked On Ole Miss, hosted by Steven Willis, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Watch the full episode.