Army All-American chooses Ole Miss

Cannon Smith (QB, Olive Branch, MS) - The Rebels picked up their second Army All-American commitment tonight when Olive Branch's signal caller, Cannon Smith, choose the Rebels.

"I just got off of the phone with Coach Freeze (from Ole Miss). I committed. He seemed real excited. I am too. I think it is the right decision for me. It was a good all around decision for me," added Cannon Smith

Why Ole Miss?

"It is just a lot of things. I think they are building a heck of a program. They are about to start becoming an SEC powerhouse. I want to be a part of a winning team that is on the rise. I have also built a real good relationship with Coach Hugh Freeze. And I really like Coaches Werner, Orgeron and Hughes too."

Distance and familiarity also played a role.

"It is not far from home, and I have a girlfriend who goes there. I do not want that to sound like I am going to Ole Miss because of her, because that was not a factor at all. It just gave me a lot of opportunities to come down to Ole Miss and learn what it is all about. I just felt comfortable with the students and campus life in general. I fit in real well socially down there."

The Rebels offered Smith a scholarship before his senior season started and that looks to have carried some weight in his decision.

"They showed a lot of faith in me before I had my big year this season. All of that just added up with me. And plus, they seemed really excited about me, and I wanted to go where I am wanted, and nobody made me feel more wanted than Ole Miss. They really know how to recruit you down there. They take it to that next level."

Cannon will be busy over the next few hours informing the other staffs that he will not be coming to their school.

"Coaches Haley (MSU), Nall (Auburn), and Memphis (Memphis) will be the first coaches I call. They had inhome visits with me last week, and I appreciate the attention they were showing me. But I can only go to one school, and Ole Miss is where I want to be."

Cannon passed for over 2, 400 yards, rushed for over 500 yards, and totalled 34 TD's this past season.

He led Olive Branch to the Class 5A State Semifinals.

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