Could former Ole Miss RB Henry Parrish Jr. be mulling a return to the Rebels?
OXFORD, Miss. — Sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side.
Several reports suggest Miami (Fla.) running back and former Rebel Henry Parrish, Jr., has decided to enter the transfer portal. A strong leader for his services could be Ole Miss, the school where Parrish began his career.
Miami RB Henry Parrish Jr Has Announced He Will Enter The Transfer Portal
Parrish Jr Had 100 Att, 625 Yds, & 6 TDs For The Hurricanes Last Season & Was The Leading Rusher
Wouldn’t Rule Out An Ole Miss Reunion #GoCanes #TheU #AllAboutTheU #GoCFB @DoubleTay21 pic.twitter.com/tdy4cvnxfm
— CFB Nation 🏈 (@TheCFBNation) March 19, 2024
Parrish left Oxford two seasons ago after splitting time at running back with Jerrion Ealy and Snoop Conner. Both of those players have graduated and Ole Miss saw Quinshon Judkins recently transfer to Ohio State after the Rebels’ Peach Bowl win over Penn State.
While Ulysses Bentley IV is the leader to take over the starting spot in the backfield, some additional depth would be welcomed in the Ole Miss running back room. The Rebels have sophomore Kedrick Reescano returning, as well as the addition of LSU transfer Logan Diggs.
Diggs, however, had off-season knee surgery and it is uncertain when he can return to the field.
“You’re going to have another free agency window (the transfer portal) coming up,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin said Tuesday after practice regarding the April window.
“If you guys look out there and look at our running back position, just like you would in the NFL, you’re going to attack free agency at that spot. It is what it is.”
Lane Kiffin
While at Ole Miss, Parrish’s running back coach was Kevin Smith. When Smith took the same position at Miami in 2021, Parrish followed his position coach to Coral Gables. Last season, however, Smith returned to Ole Miss, so it might be tempting for Parrish to want to end his college career under the tutelage of a familiar face.
At Miami, Parrish started ten games in two seasons, rushing for 1,241 yards and ten touchdowns.
Miami Canes’ Henry Parrish Jr with the moves 👀 pic.twitter.com/0w8Lv7wcrT
— College Football Alerts (@CFBAlerts_) September 2, 2023
HENRY PARRISH TOUCHDOWN‼️#GoCanes 💚🧡 pic.twitter.com/t7IS5jKjU5
— QSportsMedia (@QSportsMedia2) November 24, 2023
Although he prepped at Miami’s Christopher Columbus High School, Parrish’s college experience in Dade County may not have lived up to his expectations. The Hurricanes finished with a 12-13 record in his time there, reaching the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl where they fell to Rutgers, 31-24.
The Canes did play before big crowds at home, but Hard Rock Stadium has a capacity of nearly 65,000 and the team has never come close to selling out.
In contrast, Vaught-Hemingway Stadium has become a true home-field advantage for Ole Miss.
Should Parrish decide to return to his college roots, it could be a success for both parties. Parrish would get to conclude his career on a preseason top-10 team that has a definite shot at the 12-team college football playoff, and the Rebels’ running back room would receive some much needed depth.
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.
