Might Ole Miss have Wide Receiver Jordan Watkins Back for MTSU game? ‘Potentially, Maybe,’ Per Lane Kiffin
OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss dismantled Furman last Saturday, 76-0, in the season opener. And the Rebels did so without returning starting wide receiver Jordan Watkins who has been out due to injury. But according to head coach Lane Kiffin at Thursday night’s Reb Talk with David Kellum, the team could “potentially” have Watkins back in some form or fashion this Saturday against Middle Tennessee State.
A fan at Reb Talk submitted a question asking if Watkins would play against the Blue Raiders.
“Potentially, maybe,” Coach Kiffin said before then going into greater detail.
“I do think that Jordan will actually play. We’ll see more (Friday) as we get closer, but that would be good. Jordan’s done a great job receiving for us. He’s kind of Cayden Lee’s big brother. To have those guys out there would be great.“
Lane Kiffin on Jordan Watkins
At the beginning of 2024 fall camp, Watkins appeared to be healthy. However, a week into camp, he was observed wearing the non-contact black jersey and held out of drills due to what we were told is a hamstring injury.
Last season, the standout wide receiver broke his hand during the bye week, but later played even with the injury.
Kiffin went on to explain a somewhat unconventional treatment Watkins is getting for his hamstring.
“I don’t know how to say this, but it’s very informative what I learned. So they got an injection from California, maybe I’m not supposed to say this, they injected (Watkins’) leg with female placebo, so that his injury would come back faster with the nutrients. How about that? I’ve never heard of that before… I was blown away when our trainer was telling me this story. Why does it have to come from California? I don’t know.”
Lane Kiffin on Watkins’ hamstring treatment
There is no doubt having Watkins available adds even more firepower to an Ole Miss offensive arsenal that is loaded and among the nation’s best. Last season, he caught 53 passes for 741 yards and three touchdowns. He also handled the Rebels’ punt returns.
Jordan Watkins running 21.2 mph 💨 pic.twitter.com/4Ap4wORCyw
— We Run the Sip (@OMRebelNation) January 20, 2024
Up Next
Ole Miss and MTSU kick off at 3:15 pm CT Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway. The game can be seen on SEC Network.
Evelyn Van Pelt
Evelyn has covered sports for over two decades, beginning her journalism career as a sports writer for a newspaper in Austin, Texas. She attended Texas A&M and majored in English. Evelyn’s love for Ole Miss began when her daughter Katie attended the university on a volleyball scholarship. Evelyn created the Rebel Walk in 2013 and has served as publisher and managing editor since its inception.
