Austin Simmons looks special, Juice Kiffin lends a kickoff paw and other notes from Ole Miss practice
The Ole Miss football team came one step closer to “real” football Saturday when they practiced for a little over two hours in full shoulder pads and helmets.
The results included several periods of “thud” work and some tempers flaring in the suffocating heat.
Prior to fall camp opening, the talk of the team was how deep the quarterback position is …
… and How tough the competition will be. So far, junior Jaxson Dart has held on the top spot, based on full team drills, because he has taken most of the snaps with the number one offense. Transfer Spencer Sanders is throwing the ball extremely well. He’s getting a few number one reps, but is mostly splitting second team reps with freshman Walker Howard.
Which brings us to true freshman Austin Simmons.
Rebel fans, this young man, still only 17, has the look of being something special in time. He’s a full 6-3, like advertised, and he has a short, quick delivery that comes out of his left hand hot. His throwing motion is short and quick.
He reminds me a little bit style-wise of NFL great Aaron Rodgers. Obviously he’s not Aaron Rodgers. What I’m saying is he’s got the physical tools to be really good once he matures and learns.
Meanwhile, Dart has done nothing to lose his spot. Sanders is playing well and appears to be putting heat on Dart in the QB race. Still, the incumbent Rebel is standing tall and making plays.
Ole Miss cornerback DeShawn Gaddie
The two cornerback positions appeared to be settled early …
… with veteran Deantre Prince and transfer Zamari Walton holding the top spots. They are still taking the number one reps, but transfer DeShawn Gaddie is breathing down Walton’s neck. At worst, he’s most certainly the number 3 cornerback at this juncture. He’s exhibited good man coverage skills thus far in 1-on-1 drills and in 7-on-7.
But who is the number 4 CB? That’s important as well. For now, it looks as if Demarko Williams, who had an interception in 7-on-7 Saturday, and true freshman A.J. Brown, who went through spring drills, are battling for the fourth spot.
The coaches changed non-contact jerseys from black to green today …
… and here are the players who were in the green: Center Caleb Warren, LB Skielar Mann, S Jadon Canady, S Teja Young, WR Zakhari Franklin, WR Rayf Vinson, WR Lex Boucvalt, WR Mac Owen, WR Qua Davis, and OL Ethan Fields.
Young is participating in full speed, non-contact drills and has shown he has a lot of speed. It wouldn’t surprise us to see him with slot coverage duties when all is said and done. Kid can move.
Tight End Hudson Wolfe was still in a blue jersey. It was uncertain if he would go green when the hitting began but he was full go today with Monday being the first full contact practice. Fingers crossed he’s still in blue because he made a couple of really nice catches Saturday, one of which was a diving snag.
The Rebels have picked up three good transfer portal players in the last week …
… in LB T.J. Dudley, CB Chris Graves and (just yesterday) RB Jam Griffin.
Ole Miss has applied for waivers for immediate eligibility for all three. We’re told the confidence level for them being granted is “very high.” Their waivers requests are in the hands of the SEC. Dudley will have four years to play three. Graves will have four to play four. Griffin will have two to play two if/when they are approved.
Practice Insider: Maybe we’ve been thinking about the Ole Miss QB situation all wrong
Juice Kiffin (Photo credit: Josh McCoy-Ole Miss Athletics)
A.J. Finley played a lot of good football for the Rebels the past four seasons …
… but the hope is that he will not be missed because his heir apparent, Trey Washington, had a very good spring.
He’s also having a good fall camp thus far.
Trey is smart, athletic and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Very few busts, we have been told. Saturday Trey had a leaping interception on a pass intended for TE Caden Prieskorn. If he stays on this path, he will be as good or better than Finley and that’s saying a lot.
And don’t sleep on redshirt freshman Taylor Groves, who is currently the fourth or fifth safety in the rotation. (The Rebs usually play 3 safeties in the 4-2-5 they have worked so far in spring and fall camp under DC Pete Golding.)
A bit of a surprise is Liberty transfer DaiJahn Anthony, who is currently holding one of the top safety spots with Washington and Isheem Young manning the other two. Like Washington, Anthony is smart and rarely makes mistakes.
Under the heading of ‘did-ja-know?’ …
… the Rebels really are turning over a lot of players. Only Colorado, under new coach in Deion Sanders, had more attrition from 2022. The Rebels, we were told, had only 41 of the 85 on scholarship last season left on the team. Another ‘did-ja-know,’ the only “mid-teens” of scholarship players are left off of the Sugar Bowl team from 2021.
It’s just the way college football is now for teams that are not named Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Michigan, Clemson and a couple of more.
And, finally, for those interested in Juice Kiffin …
.. here’s a somewhat juicy note.
Prior to practice, Juice’s trainer was working with him on retrieving the kicking tee after kickoffs. Juice retrieved it perfectly a couple of times, sprinting to midfield for the tee and sprinting back. It was too hot to work him much more than that, but he did great sans a crowd.
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