Ole Miss adds gamechanger wide receiver in South Carolina's Juice Wells
Ole Miss added commitments from Princely Umanmielen, Tamarion McDonald and Tyler Baron Saturday. Then Oak Grove (Miss.) quarterback AJ Maddox flipped from Texas A&M and Kavion Broussard flipped from Miami.
But the Portal Kombat didn’t stop there as South Carolina wide receiver Juice Wells announced his commitment to Ole Miss on Sunday, a week after his official visit to Oxford, Miss.
In his first year with the Gamecocks, Wells was the team’s leading receiver with 928 total along and six touchdowns as Spencer Rattler’s favorite target. However, injuries marred his 2023 season, leading to a meager three catches all year for Wells and he’ll now look at transfer options once again.
But, 2022 was a year to remember for the newest Rebel commit. In his first year as a Gamecock, Wells hauled in 68 receptions and was a catalyst for the offense. This was coming on the heels of a breakout career at James Madison. There he totaled 1,853 yards and 21 touchdowns with 1,250 of those yards and 15 of those scores coming as a sophomore in 2021.
Juice Wells arrived for his official last week and quickly acclimated to Ole Miss.
After entering the portal, Wells became the No. 20-ranked player to transfer so far this cycle, according to the On3 Industry Transfer Rankings. He is the 2nd-ranked wideout in the rankings.
He started to line up visits after entering the portal. Wells had one set up with Texas. However, On3’s Pete Nakos reported the visit had been called off, although it could be pushed back to next weekend. He was also reportedly set to visit Oregon but did not make it to Eugene either.
Ole Miss could potentially be replacing its three-leading receivers in 2024.
Dayton Wade has already declared for the NFL after the Peach Bowl and Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins have confirmed they will both be back next year. Wells will now give Dart another bonafide go-to wideout in the offense and will help bridge the gap between 2023 and 2024 if all three leading wide receivers decide to leave.
The latest NFL Draft buzz has high marks for the newest Ole Miss Rebel.
“Although Wells is more of a possession target than a field stretcher, he fiercely competitive demeanor and run-after-catch ability make him a major threat in the middle of the field,” NFL Draft Buzz reports. “Strong runner with the ball with enough agility to make defenders miss in the open field.
“Thriving on physicality, he’s a contested-catch specialist with a knack for warding off defenders while the ball is in the air,” NFL Draft Buzz said. “Wells has strong hands and the ability to wrestle the ball away from defenders. He tracks the ball well downfield and consistently runs under long throws. He is a natural playmaker, at his best with the ball in his hands.”
