Kameron Wood follows his heart

Scout.com's #40 nationally ranked defensive end stood at the podium last Friday in front of John Carroll's student body at the Green and White pep rally and announced where he will be spending the next four to five years. Some were surprised by the decision but it really was not that hard of a decision for Kameron Wood. To learn more, read below.

"It really hit me last weekend (August 7th)," added Kameron Wood when asked when he knew Ole Miss was where he was going to commit to. "I kept switching between the two all summer, but then I just went with my heart, and it was telling me Ole Miss so that's where I am going. I couldn't be anymore happy with my decision."

What else made Ole Miss attractive for the Birmingham (AL) native?

"I just enjoyed being with their coaches. I have some friends in T.J. Worthy, Collins Moore, and Donte Moncrief that are going to school there too. I worked out with those guys this summer and we all became real good friends. Now it is going to work out for all of us to be at Ole Miss together. It's really is like a dream to come true. You hear people say that all of the time, but for me, it couldn't be anymore true"

What kind of role did the three Ole Miss commits play in Wood's decision?

"I can't say I would have gone somewhere else if they were not going to Ole Miss but it sure made it easier for me to choose Ole Miss knowing they were going to be there. We all worked out together this summer and have just been keeping in touch with each other daily on facebook and things like that. They are good friends of mine. Last Thursday (August 5th), Collins called me and said I should come join them that they are building something special. He got T.J. on a three-way with me, and he started talking about how excited it would be for all of us to be a family. I was already leaning towards Ole Miss pretty good, but that kind of sealed the deal for me. I didn't want to go somewhere I didn't know anybody. It is good to be around some familiar faces and people with the same background. I had never talked to the other recruits from the other schools because me and Collins and T.J. and Donte had become such good friends. They told me why they picked Ole Miss and it was the same reason I liked them. They have a great staff, great tradition, great academics, and a great town and student body. It definitely made me think a little harder about Ole Miss when they committed to Ole Miss."

The coaches at Ole Miss gave him a little "home" flavor too.

"Coach (Terry) Price and (Tyrone and Derrick) Nix are great coaches who have the same background as me. Coach (Tyrone) Nix took me into his office on my visit and told me about his background in Alabama. He grew up in his area and played ball around here. And Coach Price was at Auburn for ten years and recruited Alabama while he was at Auburn. They all have an Alabama background and know this state. That was a big selling point for me too."

Wood's father came with him on his trips to Ole Miss and MSU before he made his commitment, but he let Kameron make the decision for himself.

"He didn't really give me any input. He told me he didn't care where I went, just make my decision before the start of the season, and never look back. He told me that I am a grown man so I have to do what is best for me and I did."

Kameron kept his decision to himself and never let anyone outside of his family and the winning staff know about his decision. Most press conferences are academic as most already know where the player is announcing but not Wood's.

"All day at school everybody was saying, go dogs. One of my coaches who went to (Mississippi) State had a bet with another one of my coaches that I was going to MSU. I think he was kind of shocked that I picked Ole Miss too (laugh). A lot of the guys in the school administration thought I was picking MSU, but I decided to go with the University of Mississipp,i and that's what I am sticking with."

What did the Ole Miss coaches say when he informed them that he was choosing the Rebels?

"I called Coach Markuson after I spoke with T.J. and those guys and told him I was coming to Ole Miss. Coach Markuson recruited me for Ole Miss and did a great job with me. He answered all of my questions throughout the recruiting process and was really helpful for me. He was excited when I told him about the news. He got right off the phone and called Coaches Nutt and Price and everybody was really excited I was going to be an Ole Miss Rebel."

Kameron has a message for the Ole Miss family.

"I just want to let them know how excited I am to now be a part of their family, and when I step on the field, I will make them proud. We have a special class coming in, and we definitely plan on winning some championships while I am there."

Kameron had 75 tackles and 7 sacks last season. He also forced seven fumbles and batted down four passes.

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Yancy Porter is the Mississippi Scout for Scout.com and he can be reached at [e-mail]