OXFORD, Miss. – On Thursday morning, the Ole Miss Rebel football team continued with week two of fall camp, practicing outside the Manning Center facility as the team inches another day closer to the kickoff of the highly-anticipated 2024 season.
Here are my thoughts from today’s practice.
Click HERE for Tuesday’s Ole Miss Practice Report.
Offense
Quarterbacks
With the limited amount of practice viewing given to us, one thing is for certain when watching the Rebel quarterbacks throw it around; Austin Simmons really is that good. Now, of course, Jaxson Dart is the signal caller for this team, and it is well-deserved, but Simmons tends to draw a lot of attention when going through drills. Getting the Florida native to campus a few years early could be the biggest steal of the ‘Lane Train’ era.
Running Backs
The loaded running back room in Oxford cannot be talked about enough. A position that was uncertain a few months ago now has a surplus of talent to put on the field come week one. Miami transfer Henry Parrish Jr. caught my eye today catching passes out of the backfield.
During his previous stint at Ole Miss, Parrish Jr. caught 28 passes for 232 yards, and I am sure offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. will use the elusive back in the passing game once again.
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Wide receivers to watch
Going into another position room full of talent, true freshman Noreel White showed off his blazing speed today. The Mississippi native has work to do to pass other veterans on this team, but I would expect White to be used at some point this season, even as a return man on special teams.
On the topic of wideouts, another statement I will continue to stand by is how impressive Devin Price has been since arriving in the spring. I fully expect to see the Florida Atlantic transfer to get some reps at receiver when the 2024 season kicks off.
Offensive line notes
In the trenches up front, Southern Miss transfer Gerquan Scott grabbed my attention today. Scott has played a ton of Division-I football at guard; however, we have noticed the senior working in at center with 2023 starting center Caleb Warren and senior Reece McIntyre. The starting five up front is all but determined, although I would expect offensive line coach John Garrison to take advantage of the depth and versatility in that room throughout the year.
Defense
Pegues continues to show leadership
On the other side of the trenches for the Rebels, senior leader JJ Pegues caught my eye today. Just a week ago, head coach Lane Kiffin claimed that outside of Dart, Pegues has been that guy who has fully embraced the leadership role. Today, that leadership was on display in his drills with other defensive linemen as he took on star transfer Walter Nolen in 1-on-1’s and looked as if he was teaching the other young linemen around him.
EDGE rushers and outside LBs
Edge rushers and outside linebackers Princely Umanmielen, Suntarine Perkins and TJ Dottery continue to work alongside defensive coordinator Pete Golding and lead analyst Lou Spanos during their position drills. All three guys seem to be soaking in everything they can from the football gurus while going through their normal drills as well.
Secondary: Key Lawrence shining
In the back end of the Landshark defense, Oklahoma transfer Key Lawrence is a guy I feel like many fans may have forgotten about. Coming off of multiple years of manning the back half of the defense in Norman, I fully expect the senior to do the same in Oxford. Coach Golding went all in on getting more depth into the Rebel secondary this offseason, and Lawrence brings a ton of experience along with great tackling skills. I saw the safety working alongside defensive analyst Zach Arnett and senior safety Trey Washington today.
With Lawrence starting to turn heads, it will be interesting to see how the back end of Golding’s defense pans out with plenty of experience and talent to place at every position possible in the secondary.
Standouts
Standouts at Thursday’s practice include:
- Key Lawrence (S)
- JJ Pegues (DT)
- Henry Parrish Jr. (RB)
- Noreel White (WR)
Up Next
The gridiron Rebs will wrap up week two of fall camp tomorrow when they hit the field for a Friday morning practice. This all leads up to week one inside the Vaught on August 31st when Ole Miss hosts Furman at 6 pm.
Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for continuous fall camp coverage.
(Feature image credit: Kam Wicker, The Rebel Walk)
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Kameron Wicker
Kam is a senior 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.
