Eighteen former Rebels participating in Ole Miss Pro Day
OXFORD, Miss. — When players go to college to play football, they are looking to win games, get an education and in this day and age, reap the benefits from Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) money.
But there is an unspoken, yet obvious, reason each player is playing college football — the chance to play professionally.
Before head coach Lane Kiffin arrived, the Rebels were already sending players to the NFL. Just this week, it was announced the Tennessee Titans will have three former Ole Miss players on the roster next year — A.J. Brown, Jordan Wilkins and A.J. Moore.
After his first season at the helm of the Ole Miss program, Coach Kiffin sent tight end Kenny Yeboah and wide receiver Elijah Moore to the New York Jets.
This year, Coach Kiffin and the Rebels have a number of players who are looking to hear their names called in the upcoming 2022 NFL draft that runs from April 28 to April 30.
Today, 18 former players will be participating in the program’s annual Pro Day, auditioning for NFL scouts and general managers.
EXPECTED OLE MISS PRO DAY PARTICIPANTS INCLUDE:
Ben Brown (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Mac Brown
Chance Campbell (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Snoop Conner (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Matt Corral (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Dontario Drummond (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Jerrion Ealy (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Lakia Henry
Jaylon Jones
Deane Leonard
Jahcour Pearson
Tyrrell Pigrome
Mark Robinson
Braylon Sanders (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Jake Springer
Tariqious Tisdale
Orlando Umana
Sam Williams (2022 NFL Combine Invitee)
Pro Day Info: How to Watch
Ole Miss Pro Day workouts today, March 23, will begin at approximately 1:45 p.m. (CT). While Pro Day is not open to the public, the event will be televised.
The SEC Network and NFL Network will provide live coverage of the day beginning at 2 p.m. CT. Analysts Todd McShay and Greg McElroy will offer insight on location. Live reporting of the event will also take place on ESPN and via the Ole Miss social media platforms.
The Rebel Walk will be in attendance, offering clips of the activities as they are available. We will have full coverage of Pro Day afterwards — including bringing you what Coach Kiffin and select players have to say in a press conference after workouts have concluded.
Spring practices begin with changes, excitement
The number of players looking to move into the pro ranks leaves a void for the 2022 Rebels as they started spring practice Tuesday. Not only were players like the record-setting Corral not on the field, but Ole Miss was missing some coaches who have moved on from Oxford.
“There’s a lot of weird things, so it is what it is you know,” Kiffin said Tuesday of the changes in players and staff.
“It’s been a long time since I had Wilson out there, and not just here, going all the way back to FAU and Kevin Smith. So, there’s a lot of new and Matt’s (Corral) part of that. That’s two years, those other guys this would have been year six. There’s a lot of different things, and that comes with success. But change is good, you’ve got to embrace change. And new people have new ideas.“
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding all the new players and coaches Kiffin has brought in to Oxford. In fact, he is now known as the “Portal King,” for putting together the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class for 2022.
Spring drills continue for the next few weeks, culminating in the annual Grove Bowl April 23.
(Feature image graphic: Lee Ann Herring, The Rebel Walk)
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.
