College football portal: WR Deion Smith will go to JUCO after failed Ole Miss transfer

Deion Smith was headed to Ole Miss before an academic issue intervened.

Wide receiver Deion Smith planned to sign with Ole Miss after entering the college football transfer portal, but the former LSU standout will attend junior college instead, according to LSU Odyssey and The Athletic.

Smith was unable to transfer to the Rebels and head coach Lane Kiffin because of an academic issue, but has not yet selected a junior college to play for.

A lot of promise

A native of Mississippi, and the consensus top prospect from that state, the receiver had one incredible outing against Central Michigan, scoring twice off five catches for 135 yards. 

Injury slowed the rest of his season, and he caught just four combined passes the rest of the way, but he brings a lot of speed and raw talent, and should be an immediate help to any team that needs a change in their receiver room.

What could have been

Smith would have been the ideal input for an Ole Miss offense that just lost a ton of the talent that took it to a top 10 national ranking last fall, and just signed USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart this offseason.

Kiffin said he was frustrated with how few receivers his team had to work with during spring practice after a rash of injuries affected the position.

Rebels scored one major WR transfer

But the Rebels did land one important input at receiver when former UCF starter Jaylon Robinson transferred to the team.

Robinson placed third in the league two seasons ago with 979 yards off 55 catches with six touchdowns. 

A knee injury slowed his 2021 season, but Robinson still had two TDs off 18 catches for 322 yards. Now, he's fully healthy with two years of eligibility to burn.

(h/t LSU Odyssey & The Athletic)

---

Follow College Football HQ: Bookmark | Facebook | Twitter