Ole Miss was first to offer 4-star OL Antonio Keefer and he has committed to the Rebels

rebels/">Ole Miss entered the weekend looking to close on one of its longest-standing offensive line targets.

The Rebels did exactly that.

Four-star offensive lineman Antonio Keefer committed to Peter Golding and Ole Miss following his official visit to Oxford, giving the Rebels a major recruiting win and another blue-chip addition in the trenches.

The Memphis (Tenn.) Southwind standout ranks as the No. 209 prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking and chose Ole Miss after a recruitment that produced more than 30 scholarship offers.

This commitment did not happen overnight.

In fact, Ole Miss has been a fixture in Keefer’s recruitment from the very beginning.

“They were the first one to offer in May of last year,” Keefer told Rivals. “When they offered me, it made me feel like I actually had a chance and a place to start. They believed in me, and that meant a lot. Ole Miss was my top school from the beginning.”

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From that point forward, Ole Miss never stopped recruiting him.

“My relationships grew stronger and I kept going back to Oxford. I have visited Ole Miss more than 10 times, a lot more than any other school and I love the coaches.

“I love it there. The people and the culture are great at Ole Miss.”

The Rebels also had to fend off significant competition.

“LSU was No. 2,” he said. “Nobody was ever ahead of Ole Miss though. The culture, the coaches, the environment and the alumni were some of the main reasons I committed to Ole Miss.

“Development also played a major role. I like their offensive line room, their track record and how Garrison gets guys to the NFL.”

Keefer developed a strong bond with the Ole Miss staff, including head coach Pete Golding, whose approach resonated throughout the recruiting process.

“Coach Golding is an amazing guy. He’s a guy you can build a relationship with like that. He is very personable, and that is all I can ask for. Coach Golding, Coach Garrison and the staff actually care about their players. It is family first in Oxford.”