Brent Schaeffer could easily envision himself playing quarterback for Wisconsin. He could also see himself flourishing at North Carolina State.

And he knows he could bring a spark to what was a dormant Ole Miss offense last season. That's why Schaeffer felt like he couldn't go wrong when he reached into a box Friday on the campus of The College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., that contained hats of all three schools.

But during a conference call Thursday night with his junior college offensive coordinator, Andy Siegel, and his parents, it finally became clear that Ole Miss was the place for Schaeffer to finish his college career.

''I sat down and talked about how I felt about it,'' Schaeffer said. ''I think Ole Miss is the best place for me to be in the future to be successful there and to be comfortable.

''It was a tough decision. It came down to the wire. I lost a lot of sleep the last couple of days just thinking about it a lot. I've got a bond with a lot of the coaches from Wisconsin and N.C. State. It's hard to just pick one because all three of them are great schools. It's hard when you've been talking to the coaches and the players for the last couple of months.''

The good news of landing the five-star rated quarterback didn't stop there, though. Ole Miss also got a commitment of Meridian, Miss., running back Cordera Eason, who rushed for 1,934 yards last season. That leaves the Rebels with 28 commitments to a recruiting class was already ranked No. 11 by Scout.com and 14th by Rivals.com before Friday's news. That wasn't lost on Schaeffer.

Schaeffer is clearly the crown jewel. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound left-handed quarterback who runs a 4.4, 40-yard dash, will undoubtedly take over the day he arrives in Oxford. After transferring from Tennessee after his freshman year, Schaeffer played at The College of the Sequoias last season where he threw for 2,976 yards and 40 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also rushed for 854 yards and 12 more scores.

He looks to bring that same excitement to Ole Miss, which has lacked solid quarterback play since the departure of Eli Manning two years ago.

''I just knew about them from playing them at Tennessee,'' Schaeffer said. ''When I played against them they almost beat us without getting anything done offensively. Any big plays at all and they probably would have beat us. Just like this past year, all the games they didn't come out on top in, they were real close and if they would have had some big plays on the offensive side of the ball, it would have been the other way.

''I think I'll be able to answer that. A lot of the guys who they already have on offense, we're going to be able to complement each other. And with the guys we're bringing in, we can help each other.''

Schaeffer is looking forward to returning the SEC where he began his career. He split time with Erik Ainge that last season at Tennessee before being sidelined with an injury. Last April, he was suspended from the team after he was arrested and charged with a misdemeanor assault for allegedly hitting another student. He later decided to transfer.

Schaeffer realized the importance of choosing a school that was best suited for him.

''That was the biggest factor for me, knowing that I had to live with the decision I made this time, and that was the place I was going to be and being able to be successful there,'' he said. ''I can't leave anywhere any more. I'm not trying to. I didn't want to leave Tennessee. I just wanted to pick a place this time that I know I was going to be comfortable at and if worse come to worse, I'll just get my degree.''

Shaeffer said he will graduate from The College of the Sequoias in May and will enroll in summer classes at Ole Miss.