“I’ve been talking with Ole Miss for quite some time and it’s a strong relationship there with them,” he said. “When I went down there, me and my family felt at home there; they made us feel welcome. They’ve always been honest and up-front with me and I feel like Coach (Phil) Longo can help me reach my dreams of getting to the NFL. I feel like he can better me on off the field.”

The Allen, Texas, quarterback has been highly-recruited prospect since his freshman year, but he said that his visit to Oxford last weekend really helped to seal the deal. Tisdale said that the relationship that he had build with the coaches coupled with the feeling he and his parents had on campus showed him everything he needed to know to make up his mind.

Ole Miss is rolling with its recruiting efforts in 2019, but the Rebels picked up their biggest commit so far in this class with the addition of four-star quarterback Grant Tisdale on Friday afternoon.

Tisdale said that he had the inkling that Ole Miss was the right spot for him, but he needed to see things for himself before making that call. Once he was on campus - and had a chance to catch up with some current Rebels players from the DFW area - he had a much clearer idea of what to expect heading into the next phase of his football career.

“What I needed to know was how the campus was like,” he said. “When I went down there, it was a family atmosphere and all the players made me feel welcome. It helped knowing guys like Greg Little and Jaylon Jones and Mohamed Sanogo, so I had a couple people that I knew, am really close friends with, and that was really helpful.

“They told me that what the coaches tell you is what you’re going to get. They tell me that they’re not going to chance and based on what their experience has been, they’ve had nothing but positive things to say about Ole Miss.”

What the coaches have been telling him sounds pretty good. Tisdale said that he’s met 2018 four-star quarterback signee Matt Corral, and that it may ultimately be the best decision for him to take a redshirt year as a freshman, but there’s no questioning the vision that the staff has for him once he’s in the mix to start taking snaps.

Although he led his Allen team to a state championship last season, and enters this year as a favorite to repeat, the Eagles offense relies more on pace and balance than keeping the spotlight centered on Tisdale.

“I think [Ole Miss’ offense] is a good fit for me,” he said. “(Longo) told me that he was looking for the total package quarterback and I can run and pass. Last year at Allen, I really didn’t pass a lot - I got the job done when I needed to, but he said that he wants me to shock the nation and show the world that I can throw the ball and not just be thought of as a running quarterback and develop me for the next level.”

Speaking of Allen, now there is a natural expectation that Tisdale will get to work recruiting some of his highly-ranked teammates. Fair assumption, as he wasted no time in the story about his own commitment to send a message to a certain five-star wide receiver teammate of his.

“Of course I’m going to try and get my offensive lineman EJ (Ndoma-Ogar),” he said. “Of course I’m going to try and recruit Theo (Wease), the big dog himself … you know, when you come to Ole Miss and you’re a receiver, you’re going to put up big numbers, get recognized, and go up against top competition in the SEC all the time.”

Tisdale said that he plans to take his official visit to Ole Miss at the end of April or early May and is looking to sign in December. Although several other high-profile programs have been discussed in relation to him throughout his recruitment, the quick bond that he established with the staff, coupled with his expectation that it will be there for the long haul gave him all the confidence he needed in his decision.

“I got a strong relationship with the coaching staff when they first started recruiting me,” he said. “I like the way they recruited me - they came out strong, fast, told me how it was going to be and were honest with me from the jump … When I went down there and got to talk to Coach (Matt) Luke face-to-face and it was good. He told me that he’s not going anywhere, it’s his dream job and he wants to raise his family there, so I was really happy to hear that.”