Isaiah Hamilton fills a void in the Ole Miss cornerback room now that Amorion Walker is gone

When Michigan transfer cornerback Amorion Walker hit the bricks from Ole Miss headed back to Wolverine country, the Rebels were left with a void of experienced corners going into 2024.

Yes, Alabama transfer Trey Amos was on board and had a terrific spring, prompting insiders to say “he has next level ability” and his 6-1 200-pound frame is what the coaches are looking for in a corner.

Trey is penciled in to take Deantre Prince’s place – the corner for the past two seasons has had the assignment of covering the opposing team’s best receiver. The folks on the inside think he can handle that tough task.

Yes, the Rebs have Chris Graves returning from learning under Zamari Walton a year ago. The sophomore from Fort Myers via a transfer to Ole Miss from Miami is also cut out of the same long and lean cloth as the coaches are looking for – 6-1 180 pounds.

Yes, Tennessee transfer Brandon Turnage, a Lafayette County native, finally came home after stints at Alabama and then UT. At 6-1 185, he also fits the ideal mold new cornerback coach Bryan Brown is looking for.

Yes, veteran Richard O’Bryant is back and the thinking is the Brandon, Mississippi native will provide critical depth and be on most special teams unite.

Yes, rising sophomore A.J. Brown has been productive and is maturing nicely and yes, Ole Miss signed a JUCO in Cedrick Beavers who went through spring and is catching on with his plays well.

And, finally, yes, it looks as if the coaches are going to move true freshman Travaris Banks, a 6-foot-2 195-pounder from Tuscaloosa, Alabama to cornerback from safety and he showed outstanding progress and potential in spring.

But even at that, the Rebels had an issue that was hanging around like a loose tooth. They needed one more experienced, older cornerback to take the place of what was expected from Walker but did not materialize.

Enter Houston transfer Isaiah Hamilton, a 6-1 175-pound ballhawk who comes to Ole Miss from the Cougars for his final collegiate season.

In the past two seasons, Hamilton has intercepted nine passes, five as a sophomore at Texas Southern and 4 at Houston last year, leading the team.

Hamilton also had 50 tackles last season, proving he can operate within the requirements of cornerback run responsibilities.

The guess work here is that the main four corners this year will be Amos, Hamilton, Graves and Turnage and that all four will be used liberally. Turnage and Amos, we were told, had the best spring sessions, but we’ve been told emphatically the coaches “love” Hamilton, Graves and Banks and have confidence in the reliability of O’Bryant.

Regardless, Hamilton certainly fills a void left by Walker, who was said to be a “freak” of an athlete, but never really showcased that type of ability at Ole Miss.

With Hamilton on board, the Rebs should be very competitive at corner and have the ability to handle all types of coverage assignments.

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