Storylines to Watch: Ole Miss Begins Spring football practices Tuesday, March 21
OXFORD, Miss. — It’s finally here! Ole Miss spring football practices begin Tuesday, March 21 with a press conference to follow with head coach Lane Kiffin and select players.
Coach Kiffin will address the media each Tuesday, and players will be made available every Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday practices on April 1 and April 8 will be open to the public with more information on start time released later.
Here are some storylines to watch during spring camp.
Storylines to Watch
(Click here for mid-year enrollees who will participate in spring camp.)
Quarterbacks
First and foremost, many wonder who will take over the signal-caller duties this fall. Ole Miss returns last year’s starter Jaxson Dart who started 12 of the 13 games last season and threw for 2,974 yards. He notched 20 touchdowns and threw 11 interceptions.
Dart is joined by Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders and LSU transfer Walker Howard, and both will look to push Dart for the job.
It is doubtful, however, we will learn too much during the spring as Coach Kiffin likely won’t announce a starter until much closer until season kickoff. Practices are not open to the media; although, we will have an opportunity to interview select players each Tuesday and Thursday and will glean tidbits of info along the way as to how the QBs are developing.
Regardless of who ultimately wins the job, it’s clear Coach Kiffin believes his quarterback room is strong.
“The quarterback room is dramatically in a much better position than it was a year ago, and that’s really our goal for our whole roster and every position in terms of continuing to improve what goes out and what comes in. That’ll be very exciting to see those guys develop while also working with the young one too.“
Coach Kiffin
Tight Ends
Ole Miss has added highly-touted Memphis transfer tight end Caden Prieskorn to the roster, and he could play a big role this fall. The Rebels return Michael Trigg, Casey Kelly, and Kyirin Heath. They will also have 6’4″ freshman Jayvontay Conner from North Carolina who is also immensely talented.
Wide Receivers
Gone are stalwarts at wide receiver, Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath, so who will step up to fill their shoes? Spring will offer coaches and fans a chance to see Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris and A&M transfer Chris Marshall as Rebels. Harris brings two years of experience, showcasing his physicality and skills. Marshall is a former five-star who does not have the experience of Harris, but has all the tools to be an elite level receiver.
Former four-star Bralon Brown, Missouri transfer Jalen Knox and super-star recruit Ayden Williams will also compete for time. Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade return and are the top choices going into spring to fill the slot position.
How these receivers perform will go a long way toward determining how far the Rebels go in 2023.
Notable losses on defense, new coaching additions
Lane Kiffin brought in defensive coordinator Pete Golding from Alabama, and the new DC has hit the ground running in recruiting. Soon we will also see him in action on the sidelines.
Fans will get the first chance to see Golding’s defense during Saturday of spring camp. While we currently do not know whether Golding will run a 4-2-5, a 3-4 or some combination, we will — at least on Saturdays — get a look at the unit. There will also be a new safeties coach in Wes Neighbors and cornerbacks coach in Keynodo Hudson.
The Rebels lost a great deal on defense to both graduation and the transfer portal. Notable losses include: Safeties AJ Finley, Otis Reese and Tysheem Johnson; Linebackers Troy Brown and Austin Keys; Cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun and Miles Battle; Defensive tackle K.D. Hill and defensive end Tavius Robinson.
Linebackers
One area fans will likely be watching is linebacker. Highly-touted freshman Suntarine Perkins, whom many think will step in and earn a spot quickly upon his arrival, is not an early enrollee, so he isn’t participating in spring drills. But two new linebackers who are will be transfers Monty Montgomery (Louisville) and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste (Central Florida).
Veterans Ashanti Cistrunk and Khari Coleman return as well.
Cornerbacks
Ole Miss lost a great deal in the secondary, so that will be one area to watch. At cornerback, Deantre Prince returns, so that’s definitely good news. He’s joined by returnees Demarko Williams and Markevious Brown. The Rebs brought in senior Zamari Walton, a transfer from Georgia Tech. High school recruit Braxton Myers is an early enrollee and will be in spring workouts as well.
Safety
Losing AJ Finley, Otis Reese and Tysheem Johnson means there are very big shoes to fill. Fortunately, junior LaDarius Tennison and senior Isheem Young are back and both were starters last season.
Junior Trey Washington is also returning. Transfer John Saunders (Miami, OH) has been moved from corner to safety, but we will see if he stays there depending on where Coach Golding needs him the most. Four-star recruit AJ Brown is an early enrollee and will gain valuable training this spring. The Rebs also have redshirt freshman Taylor Groves and sophomore Elijah Sabbatini who are ready to take the next step.
Grove Bowl
The Grove Bowl, presented by Mississippi HomeCare, is set for Saturday, April 15. Kick is slated for 2 p.m. CT and will be televised by SEC Network+ and ESPN+
Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for spring football practice coverage!
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn's love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
