Ole Miss football halfway through spring practices
OXFORD, Miss. – (Release) Ole Miss football got back to work after its first open practice last weekend, hitting the halfway point of the spring season with workouts on a warm Tuesday morning in Oxford.
Progress Report
Head coach Lane Kiffin spent time Tuesday gauging the progress made so far this spring, not just with the quarterback competition, but the team as a whole at the halfway mark of the spring practice season.
Ole Miss is coming off a successful 8-5 campaign and returns several key pieces such as sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins, but the Rebels also lost several crucial players on both sides of the ball and are in the early stages of the installation of a new defensive system.
Add in 20 new mid-year enrollees to the mix for spring ball before the rest of the signing class arrives in the summer, and the spring evaluation period becomes all the more crucial.
“After a couple of weeks, I thought there have been some really good things,” Kiffin said.
“The offense is ahead of the defense, which is probably what you would expect with a new scheme on defense and a lot of new parts. Very pleased with the quarterback production. Leading with Jaxson (Dart), he’s had a really good couple of weeks and a really good Saturday, so that’s great to see. Still got a lot of work to do. Still got some holes in the next window to work on, especially defensively.“
Coach Kiffin
Kiffin specifically called out the play of returning junior QB Dart, but also gave praise to transfers Walker Howard and Spencer Sanders on their adjustment to a new and fast-paced offensive system at Ole Miss.
“I think (Howard and Sanders) are doing a really good job,” Kiffin said.
“I think both are learning new systems that are very different from the system they were in. And Spencer has been limited from a physical standpoint. I think any time you have guys like that, they’ll be a little behind and then make a jump later in the spring or early fall camp.“
Coach Kiffin on Spencer Sanders and Walker Howard
Building depth at every position – not just quarterback – was a big priority for the Rebels this past offseason, and Kiffin has liked the mix of competition across the board so far this spring.
“I think you’re seeing (depth building) at linebacker, you’re seeing that at offensive line especially,” Kiffin said.
“We’re nowhere near playing games, so we really don’t have (ones) as much, so we’re rotating competition in there. I think when it’s all said and done, including guys we add in this next window, they’re not all gonna start. A number of them will be significant backups.”
Coach Kiffin on Rebels’ depth
Open Practice
This Saturday, April 8, the Rebels will hold their second open practice to the public inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with a tentative start time of 10:45 a.m. CT. Fans should park in the SJB Pavilion parking garage and enter through gate 33 in the southwest corner. Gates will open at 10:15 a.m. and seating will be available in the south grandstand.
Spring practice will culminate with the annual Grove Bowl on April 15.
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.
