Chemistry Test: Jordan Watkins among those trying to lead Ole Miss’ preseason team-building efforts

Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin talked extensively in his 2023 opening press conference – just as he did last year at this time – about team chemistry and the pitfalls of developing it with essentially “a new team” every season due to the transfer portal rules and NIL.

“That is challenging nowadays with the system the NCAA has set up,” Kiffin said. “That is a big challenge. We have a few guys that have been here a while, especially on the offensive line. That’s an ongoing challenge for us to bring people along.

“You have to do work to come together. This isn’t an individual sport. You have to do a lot of work off the field with each other to build trust and prepare.”

Hence, the next logical question has to center around team leadership. In the years before the liberal use of the transfer portal, leadership evolved organically. It usually fell on the shoulders of seniors who had been in the program since their college career began.

Now, a lot of the portal guys are seniors and have no “stake” in the program, no years of toil at their new school. They have not earned leadership roles through several years of sacrifice for their team.

It’s a tricky subject, this leadership thingy, but sometimes it just comes down to a young man’s personality. Some are born to take charge, to lead. Others have to be coaxed to take on that task.

One player who has taken leadership by the horns, so to speak, is Wide Receiver Jordan Watkins.

Watkins simply has the “it” factor of leadership: effective communicator, passionate, engaged and accountable for his actions.

“J-Knox (Jalen Knox), (Dayton) Wade and I have kind of become the leaders of the room early on. I’m sure others will step up too,” Jordan noted. “It’s really a team effort. We have 15-16 guys in our room, so it’s hard to do it all by yourself, but I will do my share and be a leader.”

Jordan was third on the team in receptions (40) in 2022 for 449 yards and two touchdowns. He missed a lot of spring drills with a hamstring issue, but he is full go now that fall camp has arrived.

“My legs feel great, I am just blessed to be out there,” he explained. “It took longer than I thought it would to get straight with the hamstring, but I’m finally myself again.”

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Ole Miss wide receiver Ayden Williams

Watkins, as you would expect, is a fan of the wide receiver room.

“We brought in a couple of guys this year from the portal and that’s been really, really good for us in the receiver room,” Watkins noted. “When you lose two really good guys to the draft in Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath, you have holes to fill, but I believe we have done that.

“There’s room for a lot of people to step up and make plays and I think, even though we lost those two, we have more receivers capable of doing that than we did last year.”

Watkins thinks highly of the rookie, Ayden Williams, also.

“From what I have seen in summer workouts and in practices so far, he’s a playmaker and that’s what wide receivers have to be,” he added. “We all have to make plays when the opportunity presents itself and I think Ayden will do that. He’s more mature than your normal true freshman. There’s been times when he has had to step up and say some things and he’s done that. It’s really good to see from a young guy.”

Watkins is also a fan of Tre Harris. Harris, like Watkins, also missed spring due to a hamstring issue after transferring in from Louisiana Tech.

“He reminds me a lot of Mingo – a bigger guy with good speed and a guy who attacks the ball,” Watkins closed.

Kiffin is concerned with team chemistry, and rightfully so. But when you have leaders like Jordan Watkins, his worries will soon dissipate.

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