From staff reports.

The overhaul of one of college football’s worst offenses is almost complete.

Ole Miss added a pair of highly-coveted recruits to its signing class on Friday, when former Tennessee quarterback Brent Schaeffer and Meridian running back Cordera Eason both verbally committed to the Oxford school.

Verbal commitments are non-binding. National signing day is Feb. 1.

&#8220I made the decision yesterday, but what really made it was my visit. I had a good time seeing how nice the people were and how much they love Ole Miss football,” said Eason, who announced his decision on WTOK, a television station in Meridian. &#8220That is the place I want to play football the next three or four years.”

Eason was Mississippi’s Mr. Football after rushing for 1,934 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2005. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound tailback will join Meridian teammate Derrick Davis in forming the core of a new backfield for the Rebels. Davis verbally committed to Ole Miss last week.

Eason and Davis will be joined by Schaeffer, who left Tennessee after one season and played for a California junior college in 2005.

Schaeffer threw for 2,976 yards and 40 touchdowns for the College of the Sequoias last season. He also ran for 854 yards and 10 touchdowns. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefty was the No. 3 junior college quarterback prospect in the country, according to Rivals.com, one of the nation’s leading Internet recruiting services.

Schaeffer originally signed with Tennessee in 2003, and started the season-opener for the Volunteers that season. He threw for 302 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for 66 yards and a TD before leaving the team.

At Ole Miss, Schaeffer will be one of only two quarterbacks on the roster with college experience heading into training camp. Robert Lane, who was moved to fullback late last season, is the other.

The addition of Schaeffer Eason, Davis and new offensive coordinator Dan Werner should breathe life into an offense that was one of the worst in the country last season.

Ole Miss ranked 116th out of 117 Division I-A teams in rushing offense in 2005. The Rebels were also 75th in passing offense, 111th in total offense, and 115th in scoring.

Miami, where Werner coached before being fired after a 40-3 Peach Bowl loss to LSU, wasn’t much better. The Hurricanes ranked in the 70s in all of the major offensive categories. They did, however, average twice as many points as Ole Miss in 2005.