Where’s Zakhari Franklin? The can’t-miss highlights from the Ole Miss Spirit’s All-Day AMA
After a few weeks off, the Ole Miss Spirit, on Monday, held what is usually its weekly, all-day Ole Miss AMA (Ask Me Anything).
Miss any of the action? Not to worry. Included here are the can’t-miss questions and answers to keep you current on anything and everything Ole Miss.
The Stringer asked …
Can you add/recruit portal guys in the dead period or is that just for high school guys?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): It’s supposedly a dead period for everyone, but it never really is as far as the portal is concerned, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down.
Oleblue1 asked …
When do (the Ole Miss Rebels) actually report for fall camp?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): First week of August.
Rebs0603 asked …
If (UTSA transfer wide receiver) Zakhari Franklin isn’t cleared/has surgery, who steps up?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): Tre Harris is the No. 1 option for this Ole Miss wide receiver group, whether Zakhari Franklin is here or not.
I think Franklin ends up contributing in a big way for the Rebels this season. However, if he doesn’t, there are plenty of options. Jordan Watkins, Dayton Wade, Jalen Knox, Ayden Williams, JJ Henry, Bralon Brown, Jeremiah Dillon, Larry Simmons and Cayden Lee.
But everybody I talk to keeps hyping Williams to the moon, so if you’re asking for specific step-up/breakout candidates, I’m leaning the former four-star and No. 2 prospect in Mississippi.
JBLogan asked …
What is the update on Kam Franklin’s recruitment? Saw where he is committing soon.
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): I don’t have one. It’s Ole Miss, Tennessee and Miami (Fla.), far as I know. If I had to guess right now, I’d probably say Tennessee, but wherever he commits to, his recruitment isn’t going to be over until November.
Ole Miss five-star-plus freshman Suntarine Perkins
Grovecrew said …
This year’s breakout players on offense and defense.
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): Offense: Cayden Prieskorn. I think the Memphis transfer tight end is going to turn himself into a top-three-round NFL Draft selection as an Ole Miss Rebel.
Defense: Suntarine Perkins is going to start from Day 1 and be the face of the program (with Quinshon Judkins) before the season’s out. He’s going to have an instant impact rivaled only by Harold Perkins (LSU) last season.
PoppieDooks asked …
Guys we haven’t seen play yet that you’re most bullish on? For me, Suntarine and Jalen Knox.
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): Off the top of my head: Suntarine Perkins, Ayden Williams, Zamari Walton, Cayden Prieskorn, Walker Howard and Brycen Sanders.
MikeHiltonFan asked …
Is Suntarine gonna be one of the most impactful freshmen we’ve had under (now-fourth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane) Kiffin? I don’t think he’ll be able to top Judkins’ production, but do you think he’ll be able to come close?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): Going to be all but impossible for Perkins to put up whatever is the defensive equivalent of Judkins’ record-setting production from last season. But as far as announcing himself to college football and instantly becoming a household name? He might match Judkins by October.
BealeStreetRebel asked …
Does Zakhari Franklin play this fall?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): Yes. Maybe only half the year (depending, of course, on his surgery and/or actually getting on campus), but I think he makes plays as an Ole Miss Rebel this fall, yes.
Rebs0603 asked …
See you mention Simmons/B. Brown. They both had hype coming in and haven’t contributed much. Is that because it has taken them longer to adjust, or the portal and bringing in proven WRs? Both have the size to be great.
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): They’ve both been great practice players, but it hasn’t translated to games. It’s hard for me to believe two four-stars just straight up bust. I’d lean Brown, though, as far as potential breakout for this season. He appears closer than ever.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
The Stringer asked …
Ben, do you think (Ole Miss tight end Michael) Trigg is going to benefit from us having a true TE? Feel like we’ll be able to line him up out wide and maybe see flashes of Evan Engram in him this year. Takes the pressure off him to do so much.
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): He’s already benefitted. I’ll have to see him put the work into games and produce, but he was noticeably better and more engaged in all phases in the spring. He’ll also get to focus predominately on being the Big Wide Receiver he is, which I could easily see unlocking his next-level pass-catching potential.
MikeHiltonFan asked …
This is a really specific question in which you may not know the answer to. But in 2021, Matt Corral was so good at making pre-snap reads and adjustments, and he was also really good at moving safeties and defenders with his eyes, thus leading to receivers being wide open. Dart last year, at times, struggled with both of those things. For example, there are multiple instances where he telegraphed a pass and threw a pick, something Corral rarely (if ever) did in the 2021 season.
Do you know if Dart has been working on improving and/or has improved those aspects of his game?
BEN GARRETT (SpiritBen): That’s been his main focus this off-season, specifically his pre-snap adjustments. I give him the benefit of the doubt last year, though, because he was kind of tossed into the deep end and was swimming for most all of the year. But he got better as Ole Miss got worse (288 all-purpose yards per game over the same stretch the Rebels went 1-5), and he didn’t turn the ball over in the spring. Both examples, I think, of tangible growth. He’s not going to be the same player as he was last year. A leap is coming. How that leap manifests itself? No idea. But he’s going to be better, and I would argue a lot of it will come pre-snap, including sliding protection, which was a real issue last year. The protection problems weren’t just on the offensive line.
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