Ole Miss lands four-star safety over Mississippi State

It was an all-Mississippi recruiting race for four-star safety Cortez Thomas. 

It made sense, too. Thomas, who goes to Holmes County High School, hails from Lexington, Mississippi, and he clearly wanted to stay in-state to play college ball.

Despite 13 other offers, Ole Miss and Mississippi State were his top two schools.

The Bulldogs had an early edge for Thomas, admittedly, but there was a shakeup in Starkville that saw head coach Zach Arnett fired just 10 games into his first season. Jeff Lebby, former Oklahoma offensive coordinator, took over as new head coach, but that shakeup ultimately gave an edge to Lane Kiffin and the Rebels.

“At first, I was leaning more towards Mississippi State until the coaching staff changed,” Thomas told On3’s Chad Simmons. “Mississippi State is always a great school to go to, but Ole Miss is more about business and I feel like that’s where I need to go.”

If the “business” of college football is winning, which it ultimately is, Kiffin has had Ole Miss on track. Entering his fifth season with the Rebels, he has a 34-15 overall record and is coming off an 11-2 season with a win in the Peach Bowl over Penn State.

“Lane Kiffin is all about winning. I’m pretty sure every athlete wants to play for a winning team,” Cortez said. “From what I’ve heard and seen so far, he’s a great person.”

According to the 247Sports composite, Thomas is the No. 18 safety in the 2025 class. He’s Kiffin’s 10th commitment for the cycle.