PRACTICE REPORT: These lesser-known Ole Miss football Rebels could play important roles in 2023

After every Ole Miss practice, we highlight players who are usually in the top 44.

But there are over 100 players on the spring roster, and most all of those young men have a role on the team that is important in its own way.

Some may be limited to working on special teams. Some may be green and not ready for prime time; working their way up to the coveted two-deep chart.

And some may be show/scout team pieces who give the top guys a facsimile of what they will see in games via plays and schemes they learn from week to week for the good of the team. Don’t discount the important of a quality show team, and don’t think because they are not in the top 44 for Ole Miss that they don’t know how to play the game.

Their passion for football may eclipse anyone on the team, frankly.

They rarely get their due. They labor mostly in anonymity know to only the most ardent fan, their girlfriends and they relatives, but we’d like to try to change that a little today with observations from today’s practice of some of the “other” players who strand out in their own ways.

And we will try our best not to “ignore” them in the future. . . they deserve attention too.

Backup senior Center Reece McIntyre has never seen the field much. If Ole Miss starting Center Caleb Warren went down, the coaches might just go with Left Guard Eli Acker at center, but Reece rarely misses a practice, goes head to head with the likes of J.J. Pegues daily on the show team and is in integral part of the offensive line room as an unselfish player and leader.

Sophomore Charlie Pollock, the backup punter, may never punt in a game unless Fraser Masin is injured but he has found his value to the team and his niche’ as the holder on placements for PK Caden Costa or Caden Davis. The importance of a competent, reliable holder cannot be overstated.

A good deep snapper is one you never notice, one who rarely has a bad snap on a field goal, extra point or punt. That describes Ole Miss’ Jared Lawrence, a 5-10 200 pound junior from Lebanon, TN, who was also last year’s deep snapper, a guy nobody every noticed or mentioned. Again, his importance cannot be measured.

He just does his critical job and does it well.

Redshirt freshman Drew Burnett isn’t in the Ole Miss WR rotation right now.

However, he makes plays and is noticeable almost every day. Why? His passion for the game is shines through every minute he’s on the practice field and even if he doesn’t get to show his stuff under the lights, he will keep our DBs on their toes year-round in practice. If they take him lightly, he will make them look bad. We’ve seen him do it several times this spring.

Ole Miss junior Linebacker Danny Lockhart is currently not in the LB rotation, but we’ve been told the coaches would be OK if an injury or two thrust him into the upper echelon of linebackers.

At 5-7 155 pounds, Slot Receiver Lex Boucvalt, a junior from Austin, TX, is another player who simply makes plays. He’s currently not in the playing rotation now either, but if he was, he would produce. He produces every day in practice – very quick and very sure-handed.

There are more – several more, but you get the point. Just as the saying goes it takes a village to raise a child properly, it takes everyone to make a team. From top to bottom, each has a degree of importance and there would be no team without them all.

Miami (Ohio) transfer and Ole Miss defensive back John Saunders

SHORT SHOTS …

The question was …

… raised on our message boards yesterday whether or not Ole Miss needed another hand-in-the-dirt defensive end.

The answer is yes.

But beyond Jared Ivey, the rehabbing Cedric Johnson, upstart J.J. Hawkins, senior Jamond Gordon and the oft-injured Jaden Dicks, the coaches do have a wild card should they choose to use it.

Tywone Malone can play inside or outside.

His versatility eases the necessity of getting another DE in the May portal period, but even with him being available at DE, we look for the Rebs to search for a transfer traditional three-point stance defensive end when all is said and done.

Up until a couple of days ago …

… our perception of the new transfer portal guys has been a bit iffy. It looks as if CB Zamari Walton, TE Caden Prieskorn and WR Chris Marshall (if he stays on his current path) could end up being starters and impact players.

The rest looked like depth pieces.

There’s nothing wrong with that. LBs Monty Montgomery and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste are currently quality rotation guys, as are Ole Miss OL Victor Curne and Quincy McGee. All needed. All important.

For some time, we believed DT Joshua Harris was in that realm as well – a quality backup.

Now, lately, it appears he may be in the echelon of Walton, Prisekorn and Marshall. If he continues improving, he will be looked at as a starter on the interior of the DL and that will be very, very critical. Keep coming, big fellow. For both practices this week, he has been at number one DT along with J.J. Pegues, ahead of Zxavian Harris.

Another who is working his way up the good chain is S/CB John Saunders, Jr, who is currently taking number one reps at the slot safety position that incumbent Ladarius Tennison had control of last year.

Saunders has been showing some good coverage skills and is a bigger player at 6-2 than the 5-9 Tennison.

Ole Miss QB Spencer Sanders

Junior Ole Miss CB Markevious Brown …

… has been injured most of the spring. But now that he is back, he and transfer Zamari Walton look to be the top corners available for spring drills.

Brown got a lot of experience last year backing up Deantre Prince, who is out this spring recovering from offseason groin surgery.

Ole Miss QB Spencer Sanders …

… was throwing today for the third practice in a row for the first time this spring. He did not appear to be favoring his ailing shoulder at all and had good zip on the ball for the duration of the workout. If he throws Saturday in the scheduled scrimmage should be assume the shoulder is good to go? We can’t answer that, but it has to be a good sign.

WR Jordan Watkins …

… has been in a black jersey, signifying injury and no contact, most of spring training. Even though he was still in black today, he ran patterns full speed and looked like he is on the verge of coming back full strength.

Watkins is expected to be a big part of the Ole Miss receiving game next season. We still have not seen transfer Tre Harris, who is also expected to be in the WR rotation next season, because he is still in black and still nursing a hamstring issue.

The black jerseys continue to increase …

… or so it seems. Some are just limited with no contact. Some are rehabbing from offseason surgery and some are trying to overcome spring injuries.

Notables include WR Tre Harris, WR Jordan Watkins, WR Larry Simmons, WR Jeremiah Dillon, DE Cedric Johnson (who is also running around very well like Watkins), OG Jeremy James, OT Jayden Williams, WR Dayton Wade, CB Deantre Prince, and OL Preston Cushman.

Former Ole Miss QB Matt Corral …

… was working out in the weight room during practice today. We peeked in at him and asked if he was healthy. Big grin – yes! He looks really good and ready to go.

Due to heavy rains in Oxford …

… Ole Miss practiced in the Manning Center today. The Rebels are scheduled to hold another scrimmage, which is open to the public, Saturday in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, weather permitting. We will keep you posted as we draw close to that morning.

The last scrimmage started at 10:45, but no definitive word on Saturday’s time yet.

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