Akylin Dear, a 2025 running back prospect, announced his commitment to Ole Miss on social media this weekend.
During his junior season, the 4-star Quitman prospect carried for 2,016 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Dear is the Magnolia State’s consensus No. 2 overall recruit in 2025, and he is rated as a top-10 running back in the country.
Dear’s speed, patience while waiting for run lanes to open, and explosiveness when shooting through those gaps place him among the top prospects in the 2025 class. Since his freshman year, he has led the Panthers in offensive production.
Dear’s offers started pouring in following the Under Armor All-American camp he attended following his freshman season.
“At the end, everyone got awards, but I didn’t get one,” said Dear. “Everybody else was getting interviews, but I didn’t get an interview. I didn’t think I did good enough. You never know who’s watching. I did have one offer with Mississippi State. Then not two, three weeks later, my phone started blowing up. I had Texas A&M, Ole Miss, Colorado, Penn State, Florida State, and Southern Miss call and make offers,” he recalled.
Dear spent a lot of time last season visiting those schools and talking to coaches. But being born and raised in a small town in East Mississippi that lives and breathes community, leaving the state must have been difficult for Dear to commit to.
“It’s all for them,” Dear said when talking about his parents. He continued, “It’s also for the City of Quitman. I just want to go somewhere and get out on the field. The quicker I can get on the field, the quicker I can make my family proud, make the city proud, and make Quitman proud.”
Getting on the field quickly shouldn’t be much of an issue in Oxford.
The Rebels lost blue-chip running back Quinshon Judkins to the transfer portal and Ohio State following the 2023-24′ season. Judkins led Ole Miss with 1,158 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns.
Transfer student Ulysses Bentley IV emerged as the clear RB2 last season, adding 613 yards and eight touchdowns to the running back room. His final year of eligibility will be the 2024-25′ season.
According to On3.com, Dear has been a priority target for the Rebels since he was offered in February. Following Dear’s commitment, they stated that “Kiffin himself has made Dear feel like a top priority as one of the state’s elite prospects, and he wants to be coached by the Rebels’ head man.”
Dear told On3. “[Kiffin] is a great guy. “I love what he’s doing for Mississippi kids from all over,” he said. “He’s fantastic, a humorous guy even when he’s not trying to be. And I just want to be coached by him.”
Dear has visited Oxford several times in the last year and says it “feels like home” and that it’s difficult to compete with the ‘Sip.
