Casey Kelly embodies team-first, ‘next man up’ mentality, brings leadership to Rebel players
OXFORD, Miss. – It is doubtful that any player personifies the “next man up” mentality at Ole Miss more than tight end Casey Kelly.
In 2020, Ole Miss tight end Kenny Yeboah opted out before the LSU game to prepare for the draft. Casey Kelly stepped up in his place, helping Ole Miss to an Outback Bowl victory.
Kelly, filling in for Yeboah, caught six passes for 49 yards and a touchdown and did outstanding work in the blocking game, aiding Ole Miss to victory.
Here’s Casey Kelly’s TD catch to put the Rebels up two possessions early on in the Outback Bowl against No. 11 Indiana. pic.twitter.com/57fMLt99d1
— Derrell Hart Jr., Pharm.D. (@Derrell_PharmD) January 2, 2021
After last year’s 10-3 season, Kelly appeared to be the incumbent for the starting tight end job for the Rebels. But in the spring, Michael Trigg transferred in from Southern Cal and assumed that role.
But even with the Trojan transfer providing competition for the starting spot, Kelly was still the type of person who took Trigg under his wing and helped him transition into the Ole Miss offense.
Then two weeks ago, at Vanderbilt, Trigg was lost to a broken collarbone.
Kelly, the next man up, stepped into that role. In the past two games, he has been the primary tight end.
“I think Casey Kelly did a great job,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Monday after the 48-34 win over Auburn.
“He played a ton of snaps. I think he played 80 snaps or something, which is too much. He’s a competitor, a warrior. He had a big block on the run that broke right before the lightning delay for a touchdown. He’s very competitive and was a big part of the game plan, even though statistics don’t show it in catching. But as you saw, a lot of different types of blocks.”
Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin on Casey Kelly
Saturday, Kelly caught one pass for 13 yards. On the season, he has two receptions for 16 yards. But his numbers on the stat sheet do not matter to the Niagara Falls, N.Y., native.
“(The playing time has) definitely added up but you know I just do what I’m told and go out to the best of my abilities and perform the best I can,” Kelly said. “(I) take every rep I can and make the most of it, I mean every time I get on the field I’m going to go as hard as I can, do the best I can and perform.”
Ole Miss tight end Casey Kelly
Another role Kelly has assumed is the same one as he did in the spring. He is a mentor, but instead of to an established transfer, he is providing guidance to a freshman, Kyirin Heath. Yes, Heath would be the next man up Kelly is preparing for that opportunity.
“Definitely as him being a freshman, you know you got to show him different things. You’ve got to prepare him differently,” Kelly said.
“I mean they haven’t gone on many SEC road games but I kind of just tell him every day what he needs to do and how I can make him better, how he can still make me better and I mean it’s just a team effort at the end of the day.”
Casey Kelly on mentoring Kyirin Heath
That next SEC road game comes Saturday when the Rebels travel to LSU.
Ole Miss is ranked seventh this week and the Tigers are coming off a 45-35 win over Florida in the game that will be televised on CBS and the SEC Network’s pregame show, SEC Nation, will be in Baton Rouge.
With all the distractions of a rivalry game, trying to stay in the top ten and the enhanced media attention, one would think the Rebels are feeling a lot of distractions. But Ole Miss is downplaying the extra attention thanks to leaders like Kelly who help the other players keep things in perspective.
“(We) control what we can control,” Kelly said. “Each play is individual itself; each game is individual itself. I mean you focus on that week and that week ahead only, and once you get through that week, get 1-0 on that week, then you focus on the next week. How can we go 1-0 again?”
The Rebels are hoping to be 8-0 after Saturday.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 2:30 p.m. in Tiger Stadium.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
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.
