The The 6-foot-7, 305-pound Meador visited Ole Miss in April, and knew back then
that there was something different about Oxford, Miss.
"Oxford is in a real small town," he
said, after taking in his first visit down to Ole Miss. "They only have like
15,000 thousand students on campus. I like that a lot because I come from a small
town. I am just a good ole boy who likes to hunt and fish."
Jake and his family sat down last night after taking in several more visits this
month and came up with a decision.
"I had seven offers and felt like I did not need anymore time to look around.
I spoke with my family last night and wanted to be a Rebel because I feel like
they give me the best chance to get to the nevel level."
The Ole Miss coaches were obviously thrilled to hear the news.
"Coach Markuson said he did not know if he was going to be able to pull me
away from Indiana with me being an Indiana boy so he was really happy to hear
the news. Coach Nutt told me that he was just ready to get me down there next
summer to be a part of his family."
Coach Nutt's track record was also attractive as well as their offensive line
coach.
"They have a good program," stated Meador after watching one of their
spring practices. "They said they had an off year last season, but they just
came off two Cotton Bowl wins. I hung out with their offensive line coach (Mike
Markuson) for the most part while I was down there. He is a straight up guy. He
either likes you or he does not. You know where you stand with Coach Markuson,
and I like that. Coach Markuson said that I have the (body) frame and intensity
that he is looking for. They run a lot of he same offensive sets we run here.
I look forward to taking a trip down there with my family to see more. We will
see what happens from there."
Jake had a chance to take in several visits this spring to the schools he was
interested in and knew before the trips took place that a decision was looming
in June.
"I am not going to participate in any football camps this summer," Jake
Meador stated back in April. "I have five good offers (OM, KY, IN, SMU, and
LOU) to choose from. I think there will probably be a couple more schools who
will offer me over the next couple of weeks, but if not, I am totally happy with
my selection. I will visit some schools over the next month, and I am looking
to make a decision in mid-to-late June."
Meador made a return trip back to Oxford in Mid-May so his family could soak it
all in.
"My whole family came with me this time. My two brothers (one being Mitch
Meador who is a freshman defensive lineman for Cincinnati) and my mother and father
came with me. My mom had been down there before with me, but I wanted my other
family to see it for themselves."
"I just kind of wanted to get a better feel for it and see where the program
is headed and check on the dorm rooms and where I will be spending the majority
of my time on campus. They showed us like the model (dorm) room for where the
football players live. You have one roommate and it has two bedrooms and a bathroom.
It was nice. Their players were out on (summer) break, but I got a chance to talk
to the coaches. Last season they had an off year, but they won a couple of New
Year's Day bowls coach Nutt's first two years there, and he won a lot of games
at Arkansas too. He knows how to win. I think they are headed in the right direction."
What did Jake's family think of Ole Miss?
"They liked it, really. It is eight hours away, but they said if that
is where I feel comfortable at then they can deal with it. They really liked
their coaches and campus. They thought it was a great place. Coach Nutt explained
what kind of program he ran. He thinks I fit in good with their style of offense
so it looks to be a good fit. If I choose to go eight hours away from home I
could do it at Ole Miss. There is just something about it there that gives me
that homey feeling. It is a very good campus, small, and I come from a small
town. I am just a small town type of guy and that's the feel it has down there.
Their coaches are great too. They have a lot of experience and know what it
takes to win and get their offensive linemen to the league. They have a great
track record of sending their linemen to the league."
In the end that comfort level at Ole Miss was just too much to overcome for
their competition.
"I just got a feeling the first time I visited, really. Then I brought
my family with me the second time I came down there. I kind of knew then that
is where I wanted to be but I took a couple more trips to Indiana, Kentucky,
Clemson, and Vandy to make sure. When I came back home it was a pretty easy
choice. Nobody gave me that feeling like Ole Miss. It just feels like home away
from home."
Meador marks Ole Miss' 7th public commitment.
Yancy Porter is the Mississippi Scout for Scout.com and he can be reached at
yporter@scout.com
