Lane Kiffin picked up his first big commitment as Ole Miss' head coach on Monday night when ESPN 300 prospect Demon Clowney committed to the Rebels.
Clowney is a 6-foot-4, 220-pound defensive end out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore. He is a cousin of former South Carolina star Jadeveon Clowney.
Kiffin hired Michigan safeties coach Chris Partridge and former Maryland coach DJ Durkin as co-defensive coordinators; both of them have recruiting ties to the Maryland area. Biff Poggi, the head coach at St. Frances Academy, served as a special adviser at Michigan when his son Henry played for the Wolverines. Poggi's time at Michigan overlapped with Partridge's tenure.
The No. 148 prospect overall, Demon Clowney had committed to LSU, but the school and the prospect mutually parted ways in December, just before the early signing period. He is expected to enroll early and will be in school this week.
By joining the Rebels' class, Clowney is now their highest-ranked commitment, just ahead of ESPN 300 linebacker Austin Keys, the No. 287-ranked recruit overall. Ole Miss sits at No. 41 in the class rankings with 20 total commits but could see a rise in the rankings over the next few weeks as Kiffin and his staff try to finish the class on a strong note.