Ole Miss commit Rahji Dennis, the football menace with ‘freaky’ and ‘outrageous’ top-end speed

Rahji Dennis last month committed to Ole Miss seemingly out of the blue. 

To be fair, the Rebels were among his favorites. But so were Miami (Fla.) and Texas A&M. If anything, the Hurricanes were trending. 

Or, at least, that was the thought. 

Ole Miss isn’t complaining, of course, even if Dennis wasn’t giving off vibes of a recruitment nearing its end. He joined an Ole Miss class that was ranked in the Top 25 in the country until a recent de-commitment from in-state running back Chris Davis.

On3 scouting and rankings assistant Cody Bellaire believes Ole Miss has potentially found a real gem in Dennis.

“The kid’s electric,” Bellaire said. “Freaky top-end speed. He’s got a leaner athletic build, but he’s the definition of a ‘Juice Guy.’ Great change of direction, awesome stop-start ability (and) he can burn defenders over the top. 

“My only issue is he tends to body-catch the ball a little bit. Maybe not a true X-type of wideout. But the athleticism jumps off the screen. To me, he fills an immediate role as a Z or slot-type guy at the next level. 

“I think he’s a plug-and-play guy on the interior of an offense.”

Dennis is a two-sport star for Edna Karr — one of the most prestigious high-school programs in the state of Louisiana.

Dennis, in track, was clocked at 10.24 (2022) and 21.09 in the 100-meter and 200-meter (2023), respectively. He’s a four-time all-state and two-time All-American selection.

But it’s in football where his next-level speed is catching the most attention from college evaluators. Dennis, nicknamed ‘Roadrunner,’ is now pushing double-digit offers.

Others include Mississippi State, Duke, UL-L and Louisiana-Monroe.

“For Raji, it’s just a matter of learning the tricks of the trade,” Bellaire said. “He may not be a polished route-runner right now, but he has the physical and athletic traits in order to learn how to be an effective route-runner. 

“That’s one of the most important things you can have coming out of high school.”

Dennis is ranked as the No. 764 prospect for the 2024 class. He’s the No. 209 wide receiver and the No. 25 player in Louisiana. 

“From Ole Miss’ perspective, you really like what you’re getting out of Raji in terms of getting open,” Bellaire said. “All that kid has to do to reach his ceiling is to learn how to get in and out of breaks effectively and maybe use his hands a little more often. 

“But, geez, when it comes to explosive home runs, that kid has it in his bag.”

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