‘We’d All Go to War for Each Other’: Hartrup on Brotherhood, Competition at Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. — Ole Miss football has been consistently pushing forward throughout spring practice, looking to build upon the championship-caliber foundation that was established with last year’s team.

Ole Miss concluded practice earlier this week with wide receiver Izaiah Hartrup taking the podium to speak on a range of subjects. Here are the key takeaways from Hartrup’s post-practice press conference.

Offensive depth

Hartrup is just one piece of a loaded wide receiver room in Oxford, which saw a mass influx of talent following the conclusion of last season after the coaching staff utilized the transfer portal to add Syracuse wide receivers Darrell Gill and Johntay Cook, Auburn’s Horatio Fields, Kentucky’s Cameron Miller and Virginia Tech’s Isaiah Spencer.

After practice, Hartrup told reporters what he’s seen from the pair of Syracuse receivers thus far.

“Consistent. I think they show up every day with a good mindset,” Hartrup said of Gill and Cook. “Wanting to get better, wanting to push the guys around them. They’re good at leading, too. As a group, I feel like we’ve all got a good bond, good connections.”

With plenty of new faces to compete with, Hartrup gave his take on where he believes the position battle is at.

Izaiah Hartrup on the WR room

He also described the culture that’s been developing in the room.

Hartrup on the brotherhood in the WR room

Hartrup first arrived at Ole Miss as a transfer himself, joining Ole Miss from Southern Illinois after four seasons. In 2023, his last season with the Salukis, he recorded just over 700 receiving yards. But after recording just three receptions for 21 yards in his two seasons with the Rebels, all of which came last season, he’s hoping to make a difference for the upcoming season.

However, a wide receiver is nothing without his quarterback, which is just another position where the Rebels have plenty of depth. Ole Miss is returning star quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, but also brought in Auburn transfer Deuce Knight, Louisiana transfer Walker Howard and has four-star Mississippi native AJ Maddox returning. So, the Rebels are certainly set at the signal-caller position.

“They’re all great players,” Hartrup said. “Obviously, we know [Trinidad Chambliss], what [Trinidad] can do; real elite. Love catching passes from him. Deuce, he came in here, has put his head down. He’s been grinding. He’s gotten better each and every day. So, he’s doing real well, too. And AJ Maddox: cannon for an arm. Could throw it probably about 80 yards. I love catching passes from him, too. He just continues to grind and show up every day, and I love what he’s doing, too.”

Returning to Oxford

After Hartrup participated in his sixth season of college football, he was ultimately granted a seventh year of eligibility and decided to make his return to Oxford. He talked about his decision to come back on Thursday.

“So, I’ve missed a couple of years with injuries,” Hartrup said. “At my previous school, I had an injury that I missed the whole year with, and then my first year I transferred here, I had another injury and basically missed the whole year. So, the NCAA thought it was good enough to be able to get another year. So, we fought for it, and it really, honestly, didn’t take much,” he explained.

But with plenty of new talent coming in every year, Hartrup had all the reasons in the world to transfer out and take a chance somewhere else, but he didn’t; competition and earning his role in the offense were more enticing.

Hartrup on why he stayed at Ole Miss

It’s been an eventful and unfortunate series of events for the receiver, but after securing that final year of eligibility, Hartrup is set on making his final year count and ensuring his journey doesn’t leave off on the wrong note.

“When I first got here, I had that injury. That was pretty tough mentally, obviously. You miss the whole year, but I just kept going, I fought back,” Hartrup said. “Had a decent year, whatever, last year returning kicks. So, we just hope to get a little bit of a bigger role this year and help the team in whatever way that I can… I think just being here just ups your game a little bit, you know, like you’re going against guys who are elite at what they do, defensive-wise. And like I said, the people you’re just in the rooms with. So, I think every part of my game has stepped up, because if you don’t step up, you’re going to be left behind.”

Hartrup has been in the Ole Miss system for a while, and he’s not ready to fall behind now, or ever. Now under Golding and going through spring drills, Hartrup and everyone else are doing their best to compete and earn their spot for the fall.

“I feel like we’ve been competing in a lot more things,” Hartrup said. “Because, you know, we got a new team, so we got a lot more competitive drills, I feel like, but I mean, I think the standard is the standard. Coach Pete Golding wants to stick up to it, regardless. So I wouldn’t say much has changed, but I think the intensity has ramped up,” he added.