Tuesday Practice Report | Ole Miss enjoys energized practice as Rebs prepare for Saturday’s Grove Bowl Games
OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Rebel football team kicked off the week of the newly-introduced Grove Bowl games with an energized practice on Tuesday morning, followed by Lane Kiffin, Nate Kalepo and Ayden Williams stepping to the podium for interviews to conclude the day.
Grove Bowl week is here! 🍿#ComeToTheSip pic.twitter.com/P6oPBCnHrl
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 8, 2024
High-energy practice
In anticipation of the first Grove Bowl Games, the Rebels looked fired up today at practice. The offense and defense were both flying around, and the ‘everyday’ 1-on-1 matchups seemed to get the team going for the continuation of practice.
Running back Kedrick Reescano played a huge part in the high-tempo workout today. The sophomore ran hard in drills and continued to do the same in the team portion of practice, running with authority. I would expect Reescano to be on full display during the 7-on-7 games this weekend.
Transfer linemen Nate Kalepo, Julius Buelow and Diego Pounds all continue to catch my eye at practice. Both Washington transfers, Kalepo and Buelow, seem to be learning more and more as they continue to find their footing in Oxford. Kalepo has been seen mostly at guard while the big bodies of Buelow and Pounds have been on the ends of the line. Buelow has also been seen working in the guard spots this spring.
Early enrollee Dillon Hipp has stood out to me at practice as of late as well. The 6’6″, 240-pound tight end practiced light to begin the spring due to just recently arriving on campus; however, Hipp looks like a ‘full-go’ now as he has been seen making some plays for the talented Rebel quarterbacks.
In case you missed it, Rebel head coach Lane Kiffin posted a video this past weekend explaining some of the new things that will be featured in the new-look Grove Bowl.
He also announced today that there will be a hot-dog eating contest that will feature the well-known figure, Joey Chestnut.
Student Appreciation and Love at THE Grove Bowl Games Saturday at 3pm!!!! Come hang out with the #24REBS pic.twitter.com/RGaq7WuHTz
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) April 8, 2024
At the podium
For the first time since arriving on campus this past fall, former coveted high school wideout Ayden Williams got the chance to speak with the media today following practice. The rising sophomore flashed some of his abilities a year ago in a small sample size, but I would expect Williams to be heavily involved in the 2024 Ole Miss offense.
He commented today on what the spring has looked like for him.
“I had surgery shortly after the season, so really I was just focusing on recovering, learning the playbook better and getting a better overall understanding of the game.“
~ Ayden Williams on how he has improved
Washington transfer Nate Kalepo also spoke with media. The offensive lineman opened his press conference today with why he chose to play for Ole Miss following a National Championship appearance with the Huskies.
“Victor Curne, he played for you guys (Ole Miss) last year, really good player and I feel like he played a big part in that (the 2023 season). I had a lot of communication with him, and he was saying if you want to play the best, be the best, go against the best competition…I felt like that was here at Ole Miss.“
~ Nate Kalepo on why he chose Ole Miss
In the new era of the transfer portal in college sports, Lane Kiffin continues to turn heads with his philosophies and top-ranked transfer classes. Today Kiffin spoke on the difficulties of retaining your current players, and how he has gone about keeping so many of them from a season ago.
“I am not saying it is going to happen every year because things are always changing. I think we have been very fortunate, rarely have we had a player leave here that we were trying to keep. I just think that speaks to the culture of the locker room…they know that there is open competition here, the best players play.“
~ Lane Kiffin on keeping his players out of the portal
Up Next
The Ole Miss football team will have their final spring practice this coming Thursday with the Grove Bowl games scheduled for this Saturday, April 13th at 3 pm CT at Vaught-Hemmingway Stadium.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Rebel football and other Ole Miss sports.
Kameron Wicker
Kam is an undergraduate at Ole Miss, currently pursuing a degree in Journalism. Even though he’s from Delhi, Louisiana, that didn’t stop Kam from growing up a diehard Ole Miss fan. He’s a sports guru who watches and follows all sports at all times. He lettered four years in football and baseball in high school and is an avid Saints, Pelicans, and Astros fan. In his free time, you can find him watching sports or at the rec participating in them.
