Kam White signs with Ole Miss

Clinton athlete Kam White spent the better part of his senior season committed to Iowa State, but the prospect of staying close to home and early playing time enticed the Dandy Dozen selection to sign with Ole Miss on Wednesday.

"Ole Miss never stopped recruiting me since I committed to Iowa State, and that really showed me a lot," White said after a ceremony at his high school's library where he chose the Rebels over Minnesota. "Other schools stopped recruiting me but (Ole Miss) didn't. It meant a lot when I decommited from Iowa State."

White is a three-star prospect according to 247Sports Composite and is the No. 9 prospect in the state of Mississippi.

"(Ole Miss) is close to home," White said of his decision. "I didn't mind going off, but I felt like Coach (Wesley) McGriff is the best coach to coach me, and the Ole Miss staff is the most comfortable for me to be around."

There’s room for White, who is 6-foot-2 and 203 pounds, to step in and make an impact. Ole Miss' defense was ranked 111th in the country in total yards allowed last season.

"(Ole Miss) had one of the best offensive teams in the country last year," said White's father, Jonathan Ruffin. "I think they’re just a couple of pieces away on the defensive side of the ball from being able to compete for a national championship. I think he can go in and compete, hopefully start next year."

White caught 31 passes for 522 yards and six touchdowns for Clinton in 2016 and was sixth on the team in tackles with 51. White intercepted six passes, broke up four more and also had a sack. White said his six interceptions were a big selling point from the Ole Miss coaching staff.

"(Playing time) played a lot into my decision. I feel like I can play there and can go in and make a big impact," White said. "They told me that I’ll be a free safety and they like the way I take the ball and get big interceptions."

White becomes one of the highest-rated players in Ole Miss signing class, one they was hampered by the lingering cloud of an NCAA investigation.

"We haven't heard anything in terms of when the investigation will end," Ruffin said. "We know they have self-imposed some penalties. We didn't want what could potentially happen to prevent us from going to a great organization and a great team."

White was a second-team All-State pick by The Clarion-Ledger and led the Arrows to the Class 6A championship in 2016.

"Kam has the highest ceiling of anybody because he can go from being a defensive guy to an offensive guy," Clinton coach Judd Boswell. "He's going to put on 20 pounds when he gets to college and he’ll carry it well. He can be a safety or a tight end; he can do both. He’s a great kid too. I can’t talk enough about his character ... the best is yet to come for him."