Ole Miss Football Spring Practice Report | March 18 Notes from Day One on the Field

OXFORD, Miss. – With fresh faces across the board on offense and defense, Ole Miss’ first spring football practice of 2025 offered a glimpse into the future of a program transitioning into a new era — and the competition is just getting started.

Day One #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Dt9E8Q69kU

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) March 18, 2025

Media members are allowed to view the opening periods of practices on Tuesdays throughout the semester. Here is what we saw on day one:

Offense

Although Jaxson Dart‘s departure to the NFL is the end of an era for Ole Miss, it was clear that the highly-touted Austin Simmons is next up. During day one drills, the lefty looked the part for the Rebels, showing off the arm talent often throughout the open periods. Simmons has a natural touch on his deep passes and eye-popping arm strength on intermediate throws.

A few throws from Austin Simmons (No. 13) from inside the practice facility.

Videos: @KarisChambliss pic.twitter.com/TMwI2zi2IT

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) March 18, 2025

The question of the Rebel quarterback room has not been whether Simmons is the guy; everyone knows that. The biggest question is whether or not Louisville transfer Pierce Clarkson or redshirt freshman AJ Maddox is behind him. On Tuesday, Clarkson and Maddox both rotated in with several groups of receivers and running backs, completing some impressive passes similar to Simmons.

QB AJ Maddox hits Bama transfer Caleb Odom (No. 4) on a back should fade and Cayden Lee (No. 19) on a corner route.

Videos: @KarisChambliss pic.twitter.com/CZn8tyTALC

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) March 18, 2025

Speaking of the running backs, the Rebels have upgraded that room tremendously. Although the departures of Ulysses Bentley IV and Henry Parrish left little to no depth for Ole Miss, returners Domonique Thomas and Logan Diggs are joined by transfers Kewan Lacy (Missouri) and Jordan Simmons (Akron).

Today, Diggs, Lacy and Thomas all rotated into the backfield with each quarterback, with Jordan Simmons getting reps in as well. Enrolling during the summer of 2025, blue-chip prospect Shekai Mills-Knight will also join that room for fall camp, and he was present at practice on Tuesday in street clothes.

As far as the playmakers, returners Cayden Lee, Dae’Quan Wright, Jordan Smart, Izaiah Hartrup and Devin Price were all rotating in to catch passes from the Rebel signal-callers. Standing out amongst the transfers and new faces, Harrison ‘Trey’ Wallace III and De’Zhaun Stribling both showed their SEC size and big play abilities.

Check this out! Simmons (No. 13) hits OK State transfer De’Zhaun Stribling (No. 1) in stride!

Video: @KarisChambliss pic.twitter.com/9pjQVtpnnF

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) March 18, 2025

Amongst others, freshman Winston Watkins showed off impressive speed at wideout. Alabama transfer Caleb Odom and Wake Forest transfer Deuce Alexander both rotated in for reps at receiver as well. There is no doubt that the receiver room is far from settled in Oxford, but the talent is certainly there in bunches. Arkansas transfer tight end Luke Hasz stood out with his size and route running, getting a ton of reps with Wright taking things easy during the portions we watched on day one.

Down in the trenches, it’s hard to say who will be in what spots this early in spring practice. Most notably, returning tackles Jayden Williams and Diego Pounds were each anchoring the offensive front for the quarterbacks. Other returners seen rotating at tackle were junior Cam East, sophomore Ethan Fields, and freshman John Wayne Oliver.

Among the newcomers, UNC-Charlotte transfer PJ Wilkins, UAB transfer Delano Townsend and freshman Devin Harper were seen repping at the guard spots. Auburn transfer Percy Lewis worked in at tackle and Arkansas transfer Patrick Kutas manned the center role on Tuesday with returner Brycen Sanders not participating in drills.

Defense

Defensive coordinator Pete Golding has the large task of replacing NFL talent in multiple positions, particularly on the defensive front for the Rebels. Tuesday, returners Kam Franklin, Zxavian Harris, William Echoles and Akelo Stone stood out as staple members of the trenches, while Jamarious Brown practiced lightly.

Newcomers such as LSU transfer Da’Shawn Wommack and freshman Andrew Maddox saw reps on the defensive front throughout day one, along with other returning redshirt freshmen Jeffery Rush and Kam Beavers. Just like his older brother (Princely), Nebraska transfer Princewill Umanmielen was seen working with defensive analyst Lou Spanos, taking drills lightly on day one.

As far as the run stoppers behind the trenches, returners TJ Dottery, Tyler Banks, and Raymond Collins all worked into the inside linebacker spots. Alongside the returners were Marshall transfer Jaden Yates and Grambling State transfer Andrew Jones. During press conferences following the practice, Banks stated that every member of the linebacker group is ready to go and returning players such as himself are ready to show their abilities.

Football is BACK‼️#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/VXgg6bsQAi

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) March 18, 2025

On the outside, Suntarine Perkins is still rehabbing from his offseason surgery but will expect to be a starter once fully healthy. Missouri State transfer Tahj Chambers and freshman Jarcoby Hopson were participating in outside linebacker drills as well.

A huge topic during the offseason thus far has been the defensive back room for Ole Miss. With the losses of Trey Amos and many others, the Rebels added Arkansas transfer Jaylon Braxton, Washington State transfer Kapena Gushiken and LSU transfer Sage Ryan. All three transfers were seen participating in drills today and will be expected to lead a young core of defensive backs during the 2025 season.

Other returners such as Cedrick Beavers, Katrevrick Banks, Pat Broomfield and Nick Cull were all seen getting reps at multiple secondary positions on Tuesday. The highly touted TJ Banks was also seen covering receivers such as Stribling, Odom and Wallace III often, with freshman Maison Dunn working alongside him.

Up next

With many members of the media heading to March Madness sites for Ole Miss women’s and men’s basketball games, the next practice showing is scheduled for next Tuesday, March 25, with press conferences following in its conclusion. Stay tuned to The Rebel Walk for practice notes each Tuesday. Hotty Toddy!