OXFORD, Miss. – Lane Kiffin and the Rebs took the field Tuesday evening for another fall practice in preparation for the 2024 season, which begins in just two weeks. As soon as the boys stepped on the turf today, it appeared that a majority of the starters took their spots, and the offense played a live series against the defense. This allowed us to look at many position battles, starting with the offensive line.
Offensive Line
In the series we saw today — and it changes every day — Jayden Williams was playing left tackle, Nate Kalepo at left guard, Gerquan Scott at center, Julius Buelow playing right guard, and Micah Pettus at right tackle. The first part of this line rotation that stood out to me was seeing Jayden Williams back on the field after taking a limited number of snaps last season. There’s no question that the 6-foot-4, 315-pound junior deserves a spot on the line, and it’ll be interesting to see him battle North Carolina transfer Diego Pounds for that starting role.
For depth purposes, if this were the starting offensive line, and it is absolutely worth noting that this line is fluid and nothing is set in stone, the Rebs would have the following players ready to come off the bench: Diego Pounds, Caleb Warren, Eli Acker, Jeremy James, Reece McIntyre, Brycen Sanders, and so many more unbelievably gifted players.
Lane Kiffin wanted more size and strength in the trenches, and that’s exactly what he has this fall.
Wide Receiver
Like most practices, the footwork and speed of the wide receivers continued to shine in this Ole Miss offense. One player we were sure to focus on tonight was Noreel White, who could easily make a name for himself in the future of this Ole Miss offense.
As described by Cayden Lee in yesterday’s press conferences:
“Noreel is definitely a very special player. He has amazing hands and is very physical. His strength is unmatched, and he’s hard to cover because he’s very physical with the DB’s.“
Cayden Lee on Noreel White
It’s also worth acknowledging that wide receiver Jordan Watkins was a full participant in today’s practice after being limited in weeks prior due to injury. Despite being a couple weeks away from kickoff, Watkins appears to be at game speed.
Defense
The defense spent a lot of time working in individual groups, the first of those consisting of Princely Umanmielen, Chris Hardie, Deejay Holmes Jr., and Paris Evans. These JACK linebackers were working directly with analyst Lou Spanos on moving into coverage and intercepting passes. All four of these studs possess the size and speed to fit perfectly into Pete Golding’s aggressive style of defense.
In the traditional linebacker group, TJ Dottery and Chris “Pooh” Paul appeared to be working in the middle, looking to emerge as two leaders in this defense. On the outside, one player who caught our eye was Khari Coleman, the former TCU transfer who has tallied 100 tackles and seven sacks during his two years as a Reb. Coleman’s speed allows him to be a disruptor in the run game and the perfect candidate in a blitz package.
Up front in the trenches, redshirt freshman Jamarious Brown looked to be excelling in positional drills, proving that he can become a crucial rotational piece within Randall Joyner’s defensive line.
What’s Next?
The Rebel Walk will be back on Thursday, August 15th, with another practice report. Until then, be sure to stay tuned for any and all of your Ole Miss sports updates. Hotty Toddy!
Zach Moreth
Zach is a freshman at Ole Miss and is studying Sports Administration. Outside of watching and playing sports, he enjoys spending time with his loved ones and being active. I’m excited to help cover our amazing Ole Miss sports teams!
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