Ole Miss Football Practice Report: Energy and positive vibes abound as Rebels continue preparation for Tulane

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football practiced Tuesday and media was permitted to watch a few portions of the Rebels at work. It has been three weeks since Ole Miss last took the field — a win over Mississippi State — but the wait is almost over. The Rebels are set to make history Saturday, hosting their first-ever College Football Playoff game against Tulane — a familiar opponent they handled 45–10 back on September 20.

Ole Miss has returned to a familiar routine under new head coach Pete Golding as the preparation for a National Championship begins. Tuesday’s opportunity for media to view practice was limited to approximately seven or eight minutes, and there frankly was not a lot to analyze. However, some things were evident, and we have a few takeaways from what we saw.

Most of the team appears healthy, and there’s no better time for that with so much on the line. From my observation, cornerback Antonio Kite and tight end Dae’Quan Wright were the only players obviously dealing with any type of injury. Neither participated during our viewing sessions Tuesday as Kite was dressed in a white jersey, while Wright presented in a black “no contact” jersey. Defensive end Princewill Umanmielen also sported the black jersey. Keep in mind, this doesn’t mean much of anything for the players’ availability for Saturday, but it appears caution is being taken ahead of the first-round game against the Green Wave.

Both the tight end room and the cornerback room enjoy depth, even with these two starters not participating during our viewing sessions. With Wright out, tight ends Luke Hasz, Caleb Odom and Trace Bruckler were splitting reps at the position. At the cornerback spot, Ricky Fletcher, Chris Graves, Jaylon Braxton and Cedric Beavers all got plenty of reps.

The wide receiver corps looked refreshed and ready on Tuesday. They ran routes at a high level and made great catches with quick foot movement off the line of scrimmage.

The break seems to have been beneficial for the team as a whole, as players appeared rested and full of energy on both sides of the ball. Competition was at a high level.

Also important to note, former Ole Miss football player Marcus Woodson was in attendance as well as the Rebels’ future offensive coordinator John David Baker.

The media will not get another opportunity to view the team before the game this Saturday, but we will speak with head coach Pete Golding Wednesday.

(Feature image credit: Billy Kuhl, The Rebel Walk)