Day One Observations: Ole Miss Football Opens Fall Camp
The Rebel Walk’s Kam Wicker also contributed to this article.
OXFORD, Miss. – It’s officially the month of August, which means the start of fall camp for Ole Miss football. This is where the rubber really hits the road as the Rebels look to make the final determination on their starters and stay as healthy as they can as we approach the September 2nd kickoff against Mercer.
With that, it’s time to dive in to day one observations on both sides of the ball.
Quarterbacks
The quarterback battle is perhaps one of the most anticipated in Ole Miss football history. Returning starter Jaxson Dart is coming off of a 2022 campaign that saw him throw for 2,294 yards and 20 touchdowns, with a 62 percent completion rate.
Dart is joined in the quarterback room by Oklahoma State transfer Spencer Sanders, who will provide the stiffest competition for the job. Sanders threw for 2,642 yards and 17 touchdowns in 2022, completing 57 percent of his passes. Dart threw 11 interceptions, compared to nine for Sanders.
Walker Howard, a former five-star transfer from LSU, along with Austin Simmons, a transfer from Florida, make this an incredibly loaded and deep quarterback room.
Loaded QB room, and they all looked solid. Jaxson looks to have put on some more muscle in the off-season as well. pic.twitter.com/Ame91vzAPj
— Austin Eldridge (@AustinonAir1021) August 2, 2023
Dart and Sanders both took first-team reps on day one, and the snap count appeared to be fairly even. Of course, Kiffin was quickly asked in the post-practice presser about how long the competition might last.
“I just try to be really careful in saying, ‘Okay, that’s the guy,’ and you haven’t even seen him play in a game with the current team. So ideally, no, we would not go (into the season) but if it doesn’t show itself then I feel like you have to.”
Lane Kiffin on the QB competition
While there were some misfires for both Sanders and Dart, each had good performances and hit receivers well, while also showing off their scrambling skills. Dart has clearly put on some muscle during the offseason, and looks ready to stay at the helm of this offense, but Spencer Sanders clearly showed he didn’t come here to settle for the backup job, and he is absolutely going to try and win it.
Coach Kiffin was also asked how the competition going on throughout camp affects the quarterbacks and if he thinks it could cause Dart to second-guess himself.
“I’ve talked to him. Those quarterback competitions, those have to happen and go later than the player wants them to. Certainly, the player wants to be the quarterback and doesn’t want that to keep dragging on, but that’s not my job to please one player. I’ve got to do what’s best for the team. That’s why it’s so long, to make sure, with the most information we have, that we make the best decision. I have no problem that players get frustrated sometimes, but I think we communicate really well with them so they understand what’s going on and why we’re doing the things we do.“
Lane Kiffin
Running Backs
Quinshon Judkins. What else is there to say?
In all seriousness, Judkins is absolutely massive. I would estimate he’s carrying at least 40 extra pounds of pure muscle, and he has more explosiveness than one of Wile E. Coyote’s failed ACME traps to catch the Roadrunner. And his footwork? Judge for yourself.
https://t.co/x5qtAM9eky pic.twitter.com/0PQ0OO9goc
— Austin Eldridge (@AustinonAir1021) August 2, 2023
Judkins, who has made multiple offensive watch lists during the preseason, is only focused on one thing: winning.
“That’s definitely rat poison to me personally. The main goal obviously is to win. That’s why you come to Ole Miss, to have a great season, be a great teammate, and contribute to the team in a positive way, and that’s my goal… Me personally, I don’t really pay attention to it [pre-season accolades] because that’s not my end goal. I want to work more, my ceiling is so high and I know it can only get better, so that’s not something I really pay attention to.“
Quinshon Judkins
Judkins is the clear front-runner in the RB room, but Ulysses Bentley IV showed off his speed and agility on day one as well. If he can stay healthy in 2023, the one-two punch of Judkins and Bentley is going to be a force to be reckoned with in the SEC.
While most of the chatter has revolved around the Rebels’ deep quarterback room, the running back room isn’t a lightweight either. True freshman Kedrick Reescano is making an early name for himself as well, and shows the potential to see action this year.
Wide Receivers
The Rebels lost a lot of firepower in their receiver corps after 2022, with Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath heading to the NFL. But Lane Kiffin and company don’t seem to have too much to worry about in that area. Dayton Wade and Jordan Watkins are both returning this season, and with the loss of Mingo and Heath, Wade and Watkins are primed for breakout seasons. Both showed fantastic athleticism and great route running.
A lot of great catches today, and Jordan Watkins was no exception. pic.twitter.com/WGnZvXEiMc
— Austin Eldridge (@AustinonAir1021) August 2, 2023
But perhaps the most impressive receiver of the day was newcomer Ayden Williams. The freshman from Ridgeland showed out, making some highlight reel catches, including a spectacular toe-tap catch in the corner of the endzone that would’ve been a Sportscenter Top 10 play in a game.
I asked Coach Kiffin what he saw from Williams.
“Ayden looked really good. Obviously a great high school player, but you never know until you really get them, and it’s just one day without pads, but he looked really special and unique out there. The little bit we were able to do with him in the offseason we saw some of the same stuff.”
Lane Kiffin on WR Ayden Williams
Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris also looked really good, and took most of his reps with the first team. UTSA transfer wide receiver Zakhari Franklin did make his way out to the practice field, but was in a no-contact black jersey. Lane Kiffin did not give any updates on his status, but we will continue to monitor that story.
Offensive Line
While there wasn’t a ton to take away from the offensive line on day one, there is a pretty clear group that stood out as the probable starters. Jayden Williams, Eli Acker, Micah Pettus, Jeremy James, Reece McIntyre and Brycen Sanders all got a large workload on day one. Caleb Warren, the anticipated center, was in a black jersey, indicating he is under no contact restrictions at this time. We will update on that as we can.
The Defense
Ole Miss begins 2023 with a new defensive coordinator, as Pete Golding joined Kiffin’s staff in the offseason, leaving Nick Saban and Alabama to head to Oxford. In the SEC, defense is critical, and the prevailing feeling around the program is one of excitement for this year’s squad.
The most notable defensive recruit to sign with the Rebs was, of course, Suntarine Perkins. He is already a large physical specimen on the field, but certainly the “freshman” part of him came through some today as Pete Golding spent some extra time with Ole Miss’ lone 5-star recruit this cycle.
But most impressive to this reporter was Louisville transfer Monty Montgomery, who also was seen taking time to take Perkins under his wing and help the newcomer learn.
“You have to always give back to them, just have to show them the ropes. I would want someone to show me the ropes if I was in that position, so it’s very good to have someone in this role and give back.“
Monty Montgomery on helping the young defensive players
With a large amount of turnover on the defensive side of the roster, the Rebels were clearly still in “learning mode” on day one, and outside of the returning players, there aren’t necessarily any clear starters on Golding’s defense. Cedric Johnson, Deantre Prince, JJ Pegues, Jared Ivey, and Khari Coleman are all expected to be on the field from day one. Notably, Zxavian Harris, the defensive tackle who faces some pending legal charges, was on the field and practicing with the team today. We will continue to follow any further updates on his status if they come.
Other Notes
There were six Rebels in black no-contact jerseys today: Caleb Warren, Jadon Canady, Skielar Mann, Teja Young, Rayf Vinson, and Qua Davis. No other injuries were noted today, and the Rebels have clearly been spending time in the weight room during the offseason.
Looking Ahead
We will continue to bring you coverage from media availability throughout fall camp. We are exactly one month from opening kick, with Mercer coming to Oxford on September 2nd to open the 2023 campaign. That game will be televised on both the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
Continue to follow The Rebel Walk for all your Ole Miss football coverage.
(Feature image credit: Josh McCoy, Ole Miss)
Austin Eldridge
Austin has more than ten years in sports media, including sports talk radio, play-by-play broadcasting and journalism. He has followed Ole Miss athletics for his entire life and has covered the Rebels and the rest of the SEC while working in the Memphis media market. Outside of sports media, Austin is a musician and outdoorsman. Before a serious accident forced him to be medically discharged, he was a multi-media journalist with the Mississippi National Guard.
