Three-Point Stance: What's next for Ole Miss; Miami; position battles

Rivals.com National Recruiting Director Mike Farrell’s Three-Point Stance is here with a look at what could be next for Ole Miss, a tip of the cap to Mark Richt and the Miami Hurricanes and a rundown of how stacked the 2018 class is at several positions.

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Now that we have more information about the NCAA's investigation of Ole Miss, it's natural to wonder what happens next with the Rebels.

Ole Miss officials announced in an awkward video last Wednesday that the university's football program was facing significant NCAA allegations - 15 Level I violations, lack of institutional control and a charge that Hugh Freeze violated the NCAA's head coach responsibility legislation. In response, Ole Miss has self-imposed a postseason ban for the 2017 season after previously volunteering a double-digit reduction in scholarships.

This could just be the start of it all.

The NCAA Committee on Infractions' decision will determine the fate of the Rebels football program for at least the short term. Based on the terminology used in the NCAA's findings, a a multi-year punishment is the most likely outcome. When the words "lack of institutional control" are used in these settings, serious consequences tend to follow.

Remember, self-imposing a scholarship reduction and one-year postseason ban is akin to Ole Miss saying, "You got us. We're punching ourselves in the arm as punishment." The NCAA Committee on Infractions almost always follows up those kinds of actions with even harsher penalties.

What does that mean? It means that the 11 reduced scholarships and one-year postseason ban are likely the bare minimum of what will happen to Ole Miss. If the university can't defend its football program and head coach effectively, it could get a lot worse for the Rebels.

From a recruiting standpoint, there's only one thing worse for a program than being caught in NCAA investigation limbo and that's the prospect of staggering sanctions on the horizon. Ole Miss recruiting took a huge dip this past year due to its NCAA issues, and now it could be another year before the final decision on this case is rendered.

So as the program continues in limbo, the Rebels could be heading toward disaster. Their 2018 class is going to suffer. Freeze and Ole Miss have to hope for a swift, merciful decision from the NCAA otherwise they could be facing something akin to the two-year bowl ban and 30 lost scholarship over three years that USC received in 2010.

This is the first step towards closure for Ole Miss fans, with step two (NCAA’s punishment) and step three (Ole Miss appeal) yet to come. Freeze, meanwhile, would have been on at least a warm seat heading into next season after a disappointing 5-7 2016 campaign, but now things have clearly heated up.

Speaking of programs that have recently felt the wrath of the NCAA, the Miami Hurricanes are now rolling in the recruiting department under Mark Richt. There's no arguing that Miami was hindered under Al Golden when it came to recruiting due to the university's Nevin Shapiro scandal. Now? The Hurricanes are rolling.

Yes, Miami has started off high in our team rankings in some previous years, but that was mainly due to quantity and not quality as Golden stocked up on recruits early in many classes. This year feels a whole lot different. The Hurricanes are No. 3 in the 2018 Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings with an impressive average star ranking of 3.58, much higher than those previous Golden starts.

Miami is landing prospects that many teams want and covet instead of reaching as it had in previous years. The 2017 Miami recruiting class finished No. 11 overall in the 2017 Rivals.com Team Recruiting Rankings with a solid 3.38 average star ranking. Perhaps more important than its final ranking, that Hurricanes class hit on some key areas of need like wide receiver, offensive line and defensive back.

This year, at least early on, Richt and his staff have taken things to the next level. The recent backfield trio of commitments led by running backs Lorenzo Lingard and Camron Davis joined a few days ago by quarterback Artur Sitkowski is as good as it gets for the Hurricanes at those positions.

Something feels much different in Coral Gables these days when it comes to recruiting. I expect the momentum to continue through the spring and summer and into the season.

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The 2018 class is shaping up to be the best in recent cycles - at least since 2014 - at the top of the charts, and there are some serious position battles brewing with this group. While quarterback Trevor Lawrence appears to be head-and-shoulders ahead of the competition at his position, the battles at running back, wide receiver, offensive line, defensive end and cornerback could be epic.

With the addition of a fifth star to Lingard, there are now two Florida running backs (James Cook is the other) pushing North Carolina’s Zamir White for the top spot in the running back position rankings.

At wide receiver, tall pass catchers Jalen Hall and Justyn Ross sandwich do-everything Amon-Ra St. Brown in the wide receiver position rankings.

The cornerback battle is going to be fun to watch with newly-minted five-star Anthony Cook pushing Patrick Surtain for the top spot. There's also a number of high four-stars pushing to get into the battle, such as Asante Samuel, Isaac Taylor-Stuart and Al Blades.

When it comes to defensive end, do you prefer explosive power end Xavier Thomas or freaky Noah Spence clone Micah Parsons?

Finally, the offensive line ranks are loaded with nasty, angry dudes. Jackson Carman will drive block you off the screen; Jamaree Salyer would choke you out if it was legal; and Cade Mays will body slam you like a WWE star.

I like this 2018 class a lot and each ranking release makes me like it even more.