Choctaw County defensive lineman Ben’Jarvius Shumaker is seemingly sticking with Ole Miss after one of the most bizarre sequences of events in high school football recruiting history.
The four-star prospect had quite the start to this week. After announcing his commitment to play for Pete Golding’s Rebels in March, Shumaker solidified his decision to head to Oxford after high school by shutting down his recruitment on Monday. On Tuesday, however, Shumaker took to social media to announce that he had flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to Colorado and head coach Deion Sanders.
It’s not unusual for a player to flip a commitment, but it is remarkably odd for the flip to occur after recruitment has been shut down. And in Shumaker’s case, the announcement caught just about everybody in recruiting spheres off guard. But his next move was even more puzzling. Just a few hours after the Colorado announcement, Shumaker flipped back to Ole Miss — this time saying he had made his final decision.
“I apologize for any confusion that may have come over the last several hours,” Shumaker wrote on X. “This process has reaffirmed for me that Ole Miss is where I am meant to be. I believe in the vision for the program, the relationships my family and I have built in Oxford, and the opportunity!!”
I apologize for any confusion that may have come over the last several hours. This process has reaffirmed for me that Ole Miss is where I am meant to be. I believe in the vision for the program, the relationships my family and I have built in Oxford, and the opportunity!!🔒🦈 pic.twitter.com/eILZ51cBFv
— 𝙱𝚎𝚗’𝙹𝚊𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚞𝚜 𝙹. 𝚂𝚑𝚞𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎𝚛”4🌟” (@BenJarviuxx) June 24, 2026
Shumaker, per the 247Sports composite rankings, is the No. 2 high school prospect out of Mississippi, the No. 70 prospect nationally, and the No. 7 player at his position in the country. His flip back to Ole Miss followed the Rebels landing a commitment from four-star Louisville defensive lineman Mitchell Turner. Turner, the top Mississippi player of the 2027 class, notably chose Ole Miss over Texas, LSU, and Alabama.
BREAKING: Elite 2027 DL Mitchell Turner has Committed to Ole Miss, he tells me for @Rivals
The 6’3 280 DL chose the Rebels over Texas, Alabama, and LSU
He’s ranked as the No. 3 DL in the 2027 Rivals300
“All glory to God…The work continues.”https://t.co/k5pRvUZLhz pic.twitter.com/ETUZvd0QW5
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) June 23, 2026
Needless to say, Tuesday was a big day for Golding and Ole Miss defensive line coach Randall Joyner, as the staff continues to build a high school class to lay the foundation for future seasons.