Elijah Moore, Kenny Yeboah say farewell, turning attention to NFL Draft
OXFORD, Miss. — When the Vaught-Hemingway clock ticked down to zero Nov. 28 marking a 31-24 win over rival Mississippi State, Ole Miss fans knew three things: the Egg Bowl trophy was back in Oxford, the home season was over and the Rebels were one of the hottest teams in the country.
The one thing Ole Miss fans did not know was it was the last time they would see Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah in a Rebels’ uniform.
Moore, a junior from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Kenny Yeboah, a grad transfer from Temple, announced Thursday they would end their Ole Miss careers to focus on next spring’s NFL draft.
Moore finished the season as a semifinalist for both the Maxwell and Biletnikoff Awards. He and Yeboah will miss this week’s game at LSU and any potential bowl game.
Elijah Moore
As hard as it is to picture the Ole Miss offense without Moore, the numbers he recorded in a shortened, SEC-only 2020 season cannot be dismissed. Moore caught a school-record 86 passes this year for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns. One of those scores was a 91-yarder from Matt Corral to set the Ole Miss record for the longest scoring play in Ole Miss history.
Wouldn’t change a thing. I’m honestly just grateful…#8Ball ✌🏾 pic.twitter.com/BGlMlnq1Y5
— Elijah Moore (@e_moore03) December 17, 2020
“While we are disapponted that Elijah and Kenny won’t be joining us at LSU and our bowl game, we are excited about their future at the next level and how they will represent Ole Miss in the NFL,” head coach Lane Kiffin said.
“We appreciate them helping launch this program to a championship level, and we wish them the very best in their growth as both players and men.“
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
Kenny Yeboah
In his only year in Oxford after arriving as a graduate transfer from Temple, Yeboah ranked second on the team with 27 catches for 524 yards and six scores. When he left Temple, he was universally considered an undrafted free agent in the NFL, but after just one season in Lane Kiffin’s tight-end friendly offense, he has earned an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl where his draft stock could rise even more.
Father God…I thank you. Ole miss..I love you forever. You hold a special place in my heart. Time to go even harder…KY✌🏾❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/FjwW8A92IE
— Kenny Yeboah (@Kenny_Yeboah84) December 17, 2020
In Yeboah’s place, Casey Kelly is the next man up. The younger brother of former Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly has caught one pass for nine yards this year, but exhibits his older brother’s tenacity on the field.
The wide receiver position has considerably more depth. Senior Dontario Drummond and Braylon Sanders are still in the lineup as is Jonathan Mingo to give Corral several options in the passing game.
Saturday’s game in Baton Rouge is set for 2:30 p.m. and can be seen on the SEC Network.
Steve Barnes
Steve Barnes joins The Rebel Walk staff as a senior writer and brings a trifecta of journalistic experience. As a writer, he has covered college sports for Rivals.com, Football.com and SaturdayDownSouth.com as well as served as a beat writer for various traditional newspapers.
He has been a broadcaster for arena football and several national tournament events for the National Junior College Athletic Association as well as hosting various shows on radio.
A former sports information director at Albany (Ga.) State University and an assistant at Troy and West Florida, he has helped host many NCAA conference, regional and national events, including serving five years on the media committee of the NCAA Division II World Series.
Barnes, a native of Pensacola, Fla., attended Ole Miss in 1983-84, where his first journalism teacher was David Kellum. The duo has come a long way since that time.
He will bring a proven journalistic track record, along with a knack for finding the out-of-the-ordinary story angles to The Rebel Walk.
Barnes continues to reside in Pensacola a mere ten minutes from the beach because he does have taste and a brain.
