Thursday Practice Notes | Ole Miss Football Continues Spring Practices

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebel football team continued spring practice on Thursday morning, working towards displaying their newly revamped roster in the annual Grove Bowl on April 13th.

What we saw on offense

Quarterbacks Jaxson Dart, Walker Howard and Austin Simmons continued to get their usual work in today. All three guys participated today in full practice alongside true freshman AJ Maddox who seems to be adding another special talent to an already loaded QB room.

One of the main talks since spring practices have started is the depth at the running back position for Ole Miss. Kedrick Reescano continues to turn heads, and the former 4-star prospect has the size and ability to be the third-down-back the Rebels need. Walk-on Fred McAfee ran hard today in his opportunities along with transitioned linebacker Trip White who joined Kevin Smith’s group this week.

In the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, returning starter Jeremy James was seen getting some work in at right tackle. As many know, Micah Pettus started nearly every game at that spot in 2023 before going down with an injury late in the year. Look for James and other members of the offensive line to provide depth at that position while Pettus continues toward a full recovery.

FAU transfer Devin Price caught my eye today. The Rebel wideout has been showing ‘big play’ abilities in the small amount of viewing we have had. Price caught 7 passes for 120 yards and a touchdown at FAU in 2o23. There is no doubt that the transfer has the talent and size to find his way on the field in the SEC this year.

What we saw on defense 

The Rebel defense seemed to be flying around quite a bit today, showing what they have learned from the defensive gurus on staff in Oxford.

The defensive line group stood out to me today, showing their depth with the number of rotations they can do on the defensive front. Many are aware of what top transfer portal prospect Walter Nolen brings to the table; however, Rebel fans should keep an eye out for Akelo Stone in the trenches. The returning defensive tackle could be poised for a breakout year for Ole Miss as he was seen today alongside Nolen and JJ Pegues up front.

Safeties Yam Banks and Trey Washington have been seen over the top of the defense at free safety over the recent weeks and today Indiana transfer Louis Moore joined them to patrol the middle of the secondary. Washington and Banks were also seen working the hybrid linebacker/safety spot that Pete Golding loves to use.

As for the guys controlling the run game in the middle, today we saw TJ Dudley, Khari Coleman and Chris ‘Poo’ Paul Jr. all at middle linebacker in what could be a feared trio moving forward for the Rebels. Returner Tyler Banks and JUCO transfer Raymond Collins were also seen at that middle linebacker spot as well, both being more of the traditional run stoppers you usually see at linebacker.

Also, we saw a few guys stand out on special teams today as well. Along with many other freshmen, Andy Jaffe worked on punt blocks and schemes. Jaffe flashed his ‘freak’ athleticism and speed in the drills along with the highly touted sophomore Suntarine Perkins who was seen practicing coming off the edge just as he does for Golding’s defense.

Up Next

The Ole Miss football team will continue spring practice this Saturday and into the coming weeks as they prepare for the annual Grove Bowl in Oxford. Stay tuned with our team for more updates on spring football in 2024.