Ole Miss Gains Commitment From Transfer Portal Linebacker Rodney Groce Jr.

The Ole Miss Rebels added another late transfer to their roster on Wednesday.

Nov 4, 2023; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels defensive back Daniel Newman (49) wearing the camouflage helmet during warm ups prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

The Ole Miss Rebels have made plenty of moves in the transfer portal this offseason, and they made another one on Wednesday by adding linebacker Rodney Groce Jr. from UTSA.

On3 was the first to report the news on Wednesday afternoon, and Ole Miss OnSI was later able to confirm the report.

Groce has been a bit of a journeyman in his college career. He originally suited up with Mississippi State during the 2020 season before moving on to Arizona State. After a year out west, he came back to the Magnolia State and played for East Mississippi Community College for the 2022 campaign before bouncing back to the Division I level at UTSA.

He didn't make a huge impact with the Roadrunners last season, putting up 12 total tackles, six of which were solo. He did, however, register 71 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in Scooba, Miss., with EMCC.

Perhaps one of the draws for Groce to come to Ole Miss was his prior relationship with analyst Zach Arnett who was on staff with Mississippi State during that 2020 season. Regardless, he joins a linebacker room that received a bit of a facelift this offseason with the addition of transfer Pooh Paul, and names like TJ Dottery, Suntarine Perkins and Khari Coleman are also expected to be impact players for the Rebels at the position this season.