Twenty-two Names to Know for the Ole Miss Football Season: No. 16 Micah Pettus
OXFORD, Miss. – As we lead up to week one in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium for the kickoff of Ole Miss football’s 2024 season, The Rebel Walk team is highlighting one player each day for our ‘Ole Miss 22’ rankings. We’ll break down who they are, how they got here, and what we expect from each.
Today, we take a look at the #16 player on our list, Micah Pettus.
Yet again, we reach another player on this list who has been at Ole Miss for the entirety of his college career, a rarity now in the days of NIL and transfer portal. Although the offensive tackle enrolled early in 2021, it was not until his redshirt freshman year in 2022 that he found his way into the trenches for the Rebels.
Fast forward to fall camp of 2024, and Pettus is one of the most experienced offensive tackles in the country.
How did Micah Pettus become a Rebel?
Coming out of James Clemens High School in Harvest, Alabama, Pettus was a 3-star-rated prospect as well as the 43rd-ranked player in the state. Another prospect that Lane Kiffin recognized had incredible potential, Pettus’s size stood out early and ultimately allowed the Alabama native to find his spot quickly.
Pettus was a 2020 Alabama All-State selection his senior year and was named team captain by his coaches and teammates. Most notably, the big offensive tackle did not allow a single sack throughout his entire high school career.
On May 24th, 2020, Pettus committed to Ole Miss over schools such as Florida State, Arkansas, Arizona State and Georgia Tech. Later that year the offensive lineman signed his letter of intent, decided to enroll early and arrived in Oxford in January of 2021.
Career Outlook
The 2021 signee did not see any action in year one under Kiffin, allowing the offensive tackle to redshirt as a true freshman. The 2022 season began, and many new faces were filling the Ole Miss roster which put many positions up for grabs. Pettus saw action in every game during that 2022 season, playing on special teams as well as right tackle and even a full game at center late in the year due to some injuries up front for the Rebels.
He earned SEC Player of the Week for his performance in his first career start.
Ole Miss offensive lineman Micah Pettus excelled in his first start, a testament to hard work and determination. Read: ⤵️ https://t.co/m0adTUgIDX
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 7, 2022
Coach Kiffin was complimentary of Pettus’ approach of working hard and waiting for his turn.
Coach Kiffin compliments Micah Pettus on his play and on being SEC O-Lineman of the Week: “This is how you’re supposed to do in this program. You work hard, you wait for your turn and you don’t complain. His turn came up and he made the most of it.”
— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) October 3, 2022
The stellar redshirt freshman year would land Pettus a 2022 Freshman All-America third-team bid, setting the tone for the Alabama native’s future.
Heading into year two in the starting lineup with a new ceiling, Pettus was named to the 2023 Outland Trophy Preseason Watch List, the preseason All-American fourth team, the preseason All-SEC second team and the preseason All-SEC third team (SEC Coaches). Pettus started the first 9 games for the Rebels, logging 663 total snaps at right tackle and special teams before suffering a season-ending injury against Texas A&M.
Always love a good snatch-trap technique. Check this out from Ole Miss RT Micah Pettus. Keep his name circled for this upcoming season. Listed at 6-7 and 360 pounds as a redshirt sophomore 👀 pic.twitter.com/XlGmQAFH87
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) March 12, 2023
In May of 2024, Micah Glenn Pettus earned a bachelor’s degree in multi-disciplinary studies. While continuing his football career at Ole Miss, the Rebel offensive tackle has also begun pursuing a second degree in general business.
Fall Camp and the 2024 season
Going into the 2024 offseason, questions on who would be returning were still looming. However, like many other upperclassmen from the 2023 roster, Pettus decided to return to Oxford for his redshirt junior year.
On a mission this year💯 #lastdance #comebackseason https://t.co/rsdPOJgErk
— Micah Pettus 🔝 (@micahpettus2) May 17, 2024
Offensive line coach John Garrison went shopping this offseason, adding many new faces in the trenches for the Rebels on offense. Yet again, Pettus finds himself in a room filled with talent and positions up for grabs; however, experience at the tackle spots does not come often in college football.
With well over 1,000 career SEC snaps under his belt, I would expect to see big number 57 on the end of the line again for the Rebels in 2024.
So far in fall camp, Pettus has looked the part since returning from his foot injury. The Rebel lineman has been right in the mix with new and familiar faces in the trenches, getting reps against one of the more talented defensive fronts in the SEC.
In just 16 short days, Micah Pettus and his Rebel teammates will take the gridiron once again as they take on the Furman Paladins on August 31st inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Hotty Toddy!
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.
