Ole Miss Football Spring Practice Report | April 8 Notes from the Field

OXFORD, Miss. — With Spring camp in Oxford coming to a close, the Ole Miss football team hit the gridiron Tuesday for one of the final times ahead of Saturday’s Meet the Rebels event.

Back in the Vaught 🏠#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Y6Tq35x6PV

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 4, 2025

Check out our notes from the field on April 8.

Offense

The consistency at quarterback has been there all Spring for Ole Miss, in fact, just last week head coach Lane Kiffin claimed the Rebels have been doing really good things through the air in camp. Austin Simmons took a lot of reps in the practice viewing Tuesday with Louisville transfer Pierce Clarkson shadowing him. Redshirt freshman AJ Maddox was not dressed out for practice but was present with the quarterback group.

In the backfield alongside the signal callers, Missouri transfer Kewan Lacy continues to impress with his unique skillset. The sophomore relies heavily on his balance and swift rushing ability to find open space often during live reps. Over the past few viewings, it has become more and more obvious that Logan Diggs and Domonique Thomas are leaders not only in the running back room, but within the team as a whole.

Get loose 5️⃣@kewanlacy22 | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/Ex3DljRgIM

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 4, 2025

Perhaps the hardest room to dissect; the Ole Miss wideouts have looked the part all throughout camp no matter who the ball is thrown to. On Tuesday, Wake Forest transfer Deuce Alexander showed impressive ball skills in the redzone during live reps, high-pointing a pass from Simmons over the top of a defender.

Outside of names like De’Zhaun Stribling, Harrison Wallace III, and Cayden Lee, Alexander has undoubtedly been the standout guy as far as skillset. Although, Alabama transfer Caleb Odom sticks out the most among the newcomers with his 6’5″, 220-pound frame. The lengthy receiver looks to be a huge redzone threat for the Rebels during the 2025 season, but has also flashed some back end speed in camp thus far.

just taking a moment to say hello 👋 pic.twitter.com/AMWDZqQVot

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 3, 2025

With a handful of veterans and returning lineman out for Ole Miss during Spring, the reps on the offensive interior have been full of new faces. True freshman Devin Harper has not been talked about much throughout camp, but the Rebel guard looks the part standing next to some of the bigger lineman on the team such as Diego Pounds and Auburn transfer Percy Lewis.

Defense

In the trenches on the defensive side, it looks like there could be seven to eight different names rotating on the line of scrimmage when the Fall comes around. The depth was certainly there for the Ole Miss defensive line on 2024, but with big names in every spot it was difficult to take those guys off of the field in big moments.

Causing chaos @_iamdrewww_ 🦈#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/QMM2APvS22

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 8, 2025

The Rebels will not have the likes of Walter Nolen or Princely Umanmielen up front, but having two full groups of every-down linemen can be an advantage throughout the course of an SEC schedule. Some names you may see throughout the Fall when the 2025 season approaches could be: Kam Franklin, Akelo Stone, Jamarious Brown, Zxavian Harris, Da’Shawn Womack, Princewill Umanmielen, WillEcholes, Andrew Maddox, etc. Of course, preseason All-American EDGE Suntarine Perkins should be fully healthy and suited up for the red and blue when the time comes.

The more and more you analyze the Ole Miss linebacker group, the better they have looked throughout camp. At times it seems there could be a lack of depth at the position, but you have to remember returning starter TJ Dottery has not practiced throughout the Spring. With Dottery out, transfers Jaden Yates (Marshall), Andrew Jones (Grambling State), and Tahj Chambers (Missouri State) have quarterbacked the middle of the field for the Landshark defense along with senior Tyler Banks.

🦈#ComeToTheSip | #HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/yPOX2IO6Hf

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) March 22, 2025

The biggest question that will loom over the top of the Ole Miss football team when the Spring concludes will be the defensive back room. There is a clear need for depth at the position with young talent and new faces every where, but TJ Banks and Cedrick Beavers continue to be the names that pop up as primary defenders. Arkansas transfer Jaylon Braxton took a light practice approach for most of camp, allowing early freshman enrollees to take a quick step forward in their collegiate careers.

 

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Special teams

The Ole Miss special teams unit is an after thought at times, but the better the Landshark defense gets, the more Kiffin has leaned towards punting on fourth downs and trusting defensive coordinator Pete Golding. There has not been many viewing periods in which special teams took the field, but on Tuesday the Rebels began practice with a few live kickoff reps.

It was freshman place kicker Mike Baker sending kickoffs into the other end zone while Alexander and Izaiah Hartrup were back deep as the primary returners. We have not seen any field goal or punt attempts through camp, but it is likely that Western Kentucky transfer Lucas Carneiro will be attempting field goals for the Rebels in the Fall and lone punter Oscar Bird flipping the field for the defense.

Up next

The Rebels will continue the final full week of Spring practice with Meet the Rebels approaching at the end of the week. The returning Meet the Rebels event will be held inside of the Manning Center on April 12 with doors scheduled to open at 1 p.m. CT.

𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗲𝗱. ➡️ 𝗪𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗱.

🏈 Meet the Rebels Day
🗓️ April 12
📍 Manning Center
🕐 1-3 PM CT#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/a6lhtFmp2T

— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) April 3, 2025