Thursday Football Practice Report | Ole Miss Defensive Front Looks Disruptive; Rebels Ready for Grove Bowl Games

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss football team had its final Spring practice of 2024 Thursday morning as the Rebels now look towards the new-look Grove Bowl Games this coming Saturday. The offense and the defense showed up with a little more intensity today, displaying what they are capable of.

Offense vs Defense

Thursday morning, members of the media had the opportunity to see more of the offense versus defense period of practice. From the start, it seemed like the defensive front was just too disruptive for all of the quarterbacks as none of them seemed to stay in the pocket for long. The highly touted transfer Walter Nolen looked as good as advertised, finding himself in the backfield frequently during this period of practice.

Safety Trey Washington and cornerback Chris Graves also caught my eye today during the team portion of practice. Washington seemed to have a knack for knowing where the ball was going to be, reading the offense well all morning. On the other hand, Graves was the most physical defensive back. The former transfer broke up many passes guarding guys like Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins.

While it looked as if the defense clearly won the day, the offense began to find the end zone more closer to the end of our viewing periods. Tight ends Dae’Quan Wright and Hudson Wolfe made a couple of plays for their quarterbacks along with Austin Simmons and Kedrick Reescano controlling the ground game often.

To summarize the spring for the Rebels, the defense looks much improved from a season ago. Year two in defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s system should make things easier for the new faces as they seem to fit in as expected.

It has been difficult to truly evaluate the offense this spring with key pieces like offensive lineman Micah Pettus, running back Ulysses Bentley IV, and wide receiver Antwane “Juice” Wells and more all working towards a full recovery.

Depth in the trenches 

Throughout practice the depth of the offensive and defensive fronts have been on full display, even with a few players taking caution.

The center position might be the deepest position on the offensive line. Senior Caleb Warren returns after starting almost every game a season ago and Reece McIntyre continues to find himself at the position as well. Recently we have also seen Brycen Sanders, Preston Cushman and Gerquan Scott all take reps at center as well.

Mana Taimani arrived to campus a year ago, transferring in from JUCO ball in California. The tackle has seem to work his way into the rotation this Spring with Pettus nursing the injury from last season.

Freshmen Jude Foster and Ethan Fields have also provided more depth for the experienced Rebel offensive line. The newcomers look the part alongside the upperclassmen as they are both listed at 6’4”, 300+ pounds.

The big boys upfront do not have it easy at practice, having to go up against one of the most talented and deepest defensive line units in the country. Mentioned earlier, Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen has shown his special abilities all Spring alongside other very large humans at defensive tackle such as Zxavian Harris, Joshua Harris, JJ Pegues and Akelo Stone.

Former 5-star Suntarine Perkins and Florida transfer Princely Umanielen continue to highlight the edge as both guys bring their own unique skill set to the position. Thursday morning we got a good look at two other edge rushers who have not been talked about much. Redshirt freshmen Chamberlain Campbell and Deejay Holmes Jr. both saw reps in the team portion and looked solid in during their opportunities.

Mississippi-natives Kam Franklin and Jeffery Rush have also fit right into the talented defensive line. Both players were highly-touted high school prospects who arrived to campus at the start of the semester. The Rebels will also add another top defensive line prospect in the fall when William Echoles enrolls at Ole Miss.

Up Next

The Ole Miss football team concluded Spring practice on Thursday morning and will finish off the athletic year with the Grove Bowl Games this Saturday at 3pm CT.

Stay tuned for more updates on Ole Miss football as the transfer portal window for the Spring officially opens on Tuesday, April 16th and will stay open for one week.