Practice Insider: Ole Miss looking for young TEs to step up with status of Prieskorn, Trigg up in the air

Ole Miss football is in the countdown to the 2023 season opener Saturday at 1 p.m. against Mercer in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Just about all that’s left to be said that hasn’t been said before is “finally.”

Finally, we get to see what this Rebel team is all about, even though we don’t anticipate the Bears from Georgia, with respect to them, to be a defining gauge of what this squad is or can be.

Are the Rebels the team we anticipate? A team with quality depth and a lot of experience, for the most part, across the board? On paper, this Ole Miss squad, thanks a lot to the transfer portal, is long of tooth with plenty of collegiate snaps under their belts. There are very few players without substantial experience that will be counted on for major roles.

Wide Receiver Ayden Williams will be one. But he will be flanked by others in the WR room who have plenty of reps and can bring him along in the wash, so to speak. Make no mistake, he’s going to be special in our book. Still, he won’t have to be for a while, which is good for him.

Also in the WR room, freshman Caden Lee has recently made a move in the direction of playing time. He will be like Williams – he will be caught up in the wave of experience the other receivers have and should blend in nicely.

Ole Miss tight end Hudson Wolfe

It looks as if TEs Kyirin Heath and Hudson Wolfe may need to step up big.

They might not have any experience, but veteran Caden Prieskorn is dealing with a foot issue and Michael Trigg can’t get out of his own way. While there is experience in the tight end room, some of it may not be available or have its head screwed on properly for a couple of outings.

The defensive line, the offensive line, the linebackers, the safeties, the wideouts, the running backs, the quarterbacks and the corners simply don’t have any collegiate “babies.” With the possible exception of another rookie who will be dynamite sooner rather than later, LB Suntarine Perkins.

S Trey Washington, S Taylor Groves, DL Zxavian Harris and CB Demarko Williams are players who don’t have a world of experience and will most likely be thrust into bigger roles. However, they have prepared for this day and appear to be ready for the challenge.

Like Williams and Lee, they will be surrounded and bolstered by experienced players. So, their inexperience probably won’t show if things go according to plan.

This staff is sharp enough to only ask players to do what they are capable of doing. The August practices we were able to attend convinced us of that. Their roles have been examined, evaluated and assigned by a thorough, experienced staff.

Finally, we will end the suspense of who will be the starting quarterback.

We’d bet our substantial fortune of $42.27 in our bulging bank account it will be junior Jaxson Dart. Coach Lane Kiffin is playing cat and mouse with the whole situation. But the reality is that Dart has taken 90% of the reps in August with the number one offense.

We will also see if there are plans to have some sort of package for Spencer Sanders. Sanders is an explosive QB. He needs to see the field some for his high-water ability to make big plays.

But make no mistake, it will be a major shock if Dart does not take the first snap of 2023.

Finally, we get to see if our theory of having 40-50 really good football players with not a whole lot of star power is the right definition, our description from having watched them in practice, for this team.

Yes, we are aware that RB Quinshon Judkins has been named for lots of accolades. Others have been put on prestigious watch lists, too. But we believe this team, in the long run, is going to hang its hat on consistent, quality play across the board two deep instead of waiting on two or three stars to work their magic.

Oh, there will be magic.

Star-studded, explosive moments.

But this team seems to be built on more players doing the right things consistently. We will see soon enough.

Finally, we will get to see DE Cedric Johnson crush a quarterback. DT J.J. Pegues have a tackle for loss. The quality of transfer LBs Monty Montgomery and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste. How CB Zamari Walton responds in the SEC. Whether Dart has reached his goal of taking better care of the ball. If the offensive line has shored up some pressure issues from a year ago. Whether the secondary has adequately replaced the good players they lost from last season. If the wideouts can get the separation they need and if Judkins can pick up where he left off last year.

Finally. . . .

The post Practice Insider: Ole Miss looking for young TEs to step up with status of Prieskorn, Trigg up in the air appeared first on On3.