African American Taper

Four-star running back Akylin Dear pulled his commitment from Ole Miss on Friday night, becoming the fourth high-profile prospect from the Rebels' 2025 class to do so this week.

The 29th-ranked recruit in the ESPN 300 confirmed the news with a pair of emojis in a post on X.

Dear, the second-ranked running back in the country out of Quitman, Mississippi, was the top prospect remaining in Lane Kiffin's 2025 class and had been committed to the Rebels since March 30. His exit comes four days after three other Ole Miss commits, headlined by four-star wide receiver Jerome Myles, pulled their pledges from the program's upcoming class.

Dear is the second-ranked prospect in the state of Mississippi in the 2025 class and picked Ole Miss over offers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Texas and Mississippi State earlier this year. As a junior last fall at Quitman High School, Dear totaled 2,016 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground. The 6-foot, 205-pound rusher took visits to Alabama and Florida in the spring following his commitment to the Rebels.

His departure is the latest blow to Kiffin's 2025 class. Myles, No. 26 in the ESPN 300 and the fifth-ranked wide receiver in his class, represented the biggest loss when three prospects decommitted from Ole Miss on Monday afternoon. His exit came shortly after outside linebacker Corey Amos (No. 38 OLB) and wide receiver Dillon Alfred (No. 54 WR) pulled their pledges.

With Dear's recruitment back open, Ole Miss holds only a pair of ESPN 300 commitments in 2025 and questions swirl around Kiffin's latest class. As of Friday night, outside linebacker Jarcoby Hopson (No. 177 in the ESPN 300) and defensive tackle Andrew Maddox (No. 245) stood as the top prospects still headed to Oxford.