Ole Miss football practice report for Friday, August 8: Week two of fall camp winds down for the Rebels

OXFORD, Miss. — After a hot Friday morning practice, the Ole Miss football team is winding down its second week of fall practices. Players were in shorts, shoulder pads and helmets today.

NFL scouts have been in attendance throughout the week including from the Atlanta Falcons, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Houston Texans, Tennessee Titans, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders. Former Ole Miss Director of Player Personnel Alex Brown was on hand today representing the Falcons.

Linebacker and Chucky Mullins Award Winner Tyler Banks, tight end/wide receiver Caleb Odom, and defensive lineman Jamarious Brown met with the media after Friday’s practice to provide insights about the preparation throughout fall camp. Stay tuned for articles on what they had to say.

Banks, who was announced as Chucky winner yesterday, wore the cherished No. 38 jersey today at practice for the first time.

Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner Tyler Banks wearing the No. 38 in practice for the first time. ❤️💙

(🎥: @KarisChambliss, Rebel Walk) pic.twitter.com/hJnMrgP0y3

— The Rebel Walk (@TheRebelWalk) August 8, 2025

Here’s a look at our notes for Friday’s practice from the periods we were allowed to watch.

Offense Notes

The quarterbacks took reps under center today, focusing on rolling inside and outside the pocket and making throws on the run. It’s stating the obvious that Austin Simmons, again today, looked comfortable and in charge. In the race for backup QB, both AJ Maddox and Trinidad Chambliss had strong moments today, with Maddox’s deep balls appearing more solid. That being said, Chambliss looked solid on the short-to-medium range passes.

The first unit offensive line does not appear to have changed much, if at all, since the first day we were able to watch this fall camp. Diego Pounds (LT) and Jayden Williams (RT) are at the tackle spots, while Delano Townsend is at left guard and PJ Wilkins at right. Brycen Sanders is at center.

One former Ole Miss offensive lineman commented to us this week that Brycen was “working very hard during the offseason,” and this player says he expects big things from Sanders this season. When Patrick Kutas is back at full speed from injury, we will likely see him rotating in as well. Don’t be surprised if you see some action from freshman Devin Harper, as he continues to impress. From all accounts, this offensive line is deep and that bodes well for the offense.

Working on deep balls and routes, Harrison Wallace III stood out amongst the receiving corps today.

Wallace, a four star prospect according to 247Sports, transferred from Penn State to Ole Miss in January. After hauling in 720 yards and four touchdown catches for the Nittany Lions last season, Wallace has seized every opportunity to be a face of the offense throughout fall camp. Izaiah Hartrup and De’Zhaun Stribling also displayed their skills with touchdown catches during long ball drills.

Running back Kewan Lacy continues to be a shining star.  The footwork and pass catching ability of Lacy is polished and will be vital for short yard gains in 2025 for Ole Miss.

Patrick Kutas has worked in various roles on the offensive line during this week’s camp, including the center position.

Defense Notes

Chris Graves Jr. owned Friday’s practice, giving Pete Golding’s secondary reason to be pumped up. After working through a collection of cone and scheme drills with the defense, Graves went one-on-one with freshman wide receiver Winston Watkins during the team’s red zone drill. After giving up a touchdown on a very pure route from Watkins on the first play, Graves would shut down Watkins by playing great press coverage, winning the battle, 2-1. It is worth pointing out the young Watkins looks very good out there.

As practice switched from inside to outside, Graves continued his dominance. As the first team offense and defense went head-to-head, Graves showcased great man-to-man coverage, and even swatted away an incoming pass to Harrison Wallace III. Graves’ energy was evident for the defense today with everyone feeding off his positivity. 

On the defensive line, Kam Franklin and Zxavian Harris continue to thrive as playmakers. Franklin’s size is legit at 6-5 275 lbs, and you can expect the sophomore to be given ample opportunities to perform this season.

Also during special teams drills today, freshman kicker Mike Baker displayed a strong and accurate leg. The predominant return man in  today’s practice Traylon Ray, the transfer wide receiver from West Virginia.

The Rebels worked on open field tackling drills today and on plays off the line of scrimmage, and it appeared the players were incredibly focused.

Today’s standouts include:

• Chris Graves Jr.
• Harrison Wallace III
• Kewan Lacy
• Devin Price

While there might be a scrimmage tomorrow — nothing is confirmed — media is not allowed in for that. We will have a practice report following the next media availability next week.

(Feature image credit: Karis Chambliss, The Rebel Walk)