WR Deuce Alexander Speaks on Competition in WR Room, Why He Picked Ole Miss
OXFORD, Miss. — On Wednesday, the Rebels completed their second practice of the second week of fall camp. Head coach Lane Kiffin offered the media some time after, also bringing out wide receiver Deuce Alexander and safety Kapena Gushiken.
Here’s what Alexander had to say regarding his transition to the SEC and the competition at Ole Miss.
Competition in the WR room
“Just every day we come in to compete, we love to compete in the room with each other, and against the defense and [defensive backs]. We make each other better by just pushing each other better, we know it’s a crowded room.“
Deuce Alexander
In a wide receiver room like Ole Miss,’ having a crowded room is the best situation for Kiffin and the staff. With plenty of new players from the portal and out of high school, the wide receiver room has so much depth that the competition in practice will only increase the talent’s production come Week 1.
Alexander is just one of many transfers Kiffin brought in, and not just the only receiver, either. The Rebels also added Oklahoma State WR De’Zhaun Stribling, Penn State WR Harrison Wallace III. The staff also added Alabama WR Caleb Odom, but we have been seeing a lot of him at tight end after Arkansas transfer tight end Luke Hasz’s injury.
Kiffin said he hopes that the wide receivers will be a strength of the team, and with record-setting QB Jaxson Dart now gone, these experienced wide receivers will need to lead the offense.
Why Ole Miss?
“The coaching staff, just to begin with, and then the history of the offense and the receivers they’ve put in the NFL. That’s my end goal: to go to the league, and they have a lot of guys there.“
Deuce Alexander
The Ole Miss brand has become even stronger during Kiffin’s tenure in Oxford. It’s become a brand that’s thrown around with the very best in college football. Although the Rebels may not have been the last ones standing at the end of last season, the culture is growing and everyone knows it.
Alexander has the potential to be a leader in a wide receiver room, something Ole Miss needs as it begins the Austin Simmons era at quarterback. The young QB is impressive — and so is his wide receivers corps.
A WF loss to Ole Miss helped his decision
Last September, Ole Miss manhandled Alexander’s former team, Wake Forest, by a score of 40-6. Watching Lane Kiffin’s offense at work was something that couldn’t help but affect Alexander’s decision.
“It definitely did [play a role], just watching the scoreboard go up. Different ways they used guys in the offense, it definitely made an impact in my decision.“
Deuce Alexander
At this point, every game for Ole Miss is a recruiting pitch. Whether it’s with high school recruits at a game for Ole Miss or the opponent, or players on opposing teams, the Rebels’ success speaks to them. Players may not know they’re going to enter the transfer portal in that moment, but later, when it comes time to decide where to go, the memory of playing Ole Miss still lives.
As the Rebels return only four starters with significant playing time from last season, success this year is representative of the coaching staff’s ability to work with and develop their players. That is something more appealing than anything for recruits.
Next Up
Ole Miss hosts Georgia State on Saturday, August 30, at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
Noah Scoggins
Noah is from Killeen, Texas, and graduated from Early College High School. He grew up in the Birmingham, Alabama, area and is now a second-year senior at the University of Alabama and will graduate in the spring. He is currently majoring in news media with a focus in sports media, as well as a minor in criminal justice. Noah has always loved and been passionate about college athletics and wants to share his love for sports.
