Jaden Yates Reveals Reasons For Transferring to Ole Miss Football This Offseason

Ole Miss linebacker Jaden Yates pledged to the Rebels in December out of the transfer portal.
Sep 7, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd linebacker Jaden Yates (30) celebrates after a play during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Marshall Thundering Herd linebacker Jaden Yates (30) celebrates after a play during the first quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images
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The Ole Miss Rebels are looking to replace linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul in 2025, and that's one reason that they were able to snag one of their top transfers at the position this winter.

Jaden Yates, formerly of the Marshall Thundering Herd, pledged to Ole Miss out of the portal on Dec. 19, and he recently sat down with The Rebel Walk to discuss the reasons he elected to come to Oxford over other programs that courted his interests.

According to Yates, he heard heavily from programs like Tennessee, Houston, UCLA, TCU and Florida State in his portal recruitment process.

"Y'all have got Chris Paul leaving, and that leaves a major role to play in that defense available," Yates said. "He hadn't declared yet when I took my visit, so that was a thing to keep my mind on. When I saw that he declared, it was hard for me to say no.

"I really enjoyed my visit. Coach Pete [Golding], he showed me a lot of love and kept it real with me the whole time, and I feel like he's definitely the coach that's going to get me to the next level."

Alongside with being impressed by his new defensive coordinator, Yates also felt strongly about where the Ole Miss program as a whole could take him as he continues through his collegiate career.

"Program-wise, I feel like the program and the people that are in it, this is the place that's going to be able to take me to the next level," Yates said. "This is the place when I took my visit, I really felt like I wanted to be here from the get go. This is the first visit I took, and every one after that, I kept replaying Ole Miss in my head.

"I think this is where God wanted me to be, and it's where I want to be too."

Yates was a key part of the Thundering Herd defense in 2024, recording 33 solo tackles, 82 assisted tackles, two pass deflections, and half a sack, helping Marshall to a Sun Belt Championship. Now, his task will be filling in nicely on a new-look defensive front in 2025, one that has to replace a lot of talent that is departing for the NFL.

Yates and the Rebels open their season at home against Georgia State on Aug. 30.

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John Macon Gillespie
JOHN MACON GILLESPIE

John Macon Gillespie is the publisher of The Grove Report and has experience on the Ole Miss beat spanning five years.