OXFORD — Ole Miss practiced for more than two hours on a hot Saturday morning, wearing shoulder pads for the first time this preseason camp.
Here are a couple of videos for some context:
Here are some observations from Saturday’s session:
— Former Oregon State running back Jam Griffin, who committed to Ole Miss Friday, was at practice but not participating.
— Tight end Caden Prieskorn, who came to Ole Miss out of the transfer portal from Memphis, is emerging as a huge part of the Rebels’ offense. He’s a big target in the middle of the field and he’s already becoming a bit of a safety blanket for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
— Speaking of Dart, what sticks out — at least to me — is he’s so much more patient and composed this year. Dart doesn’t bolt from the pocket as quickly. He seems to go through his progressions and take what the defense gives him. He doesn’t have the strongest arm on campus, but he has the ability to get the ball to receivers through traffic. He had a really nice short-yardage throw through a tight window and excellent coverage to Jalen Knox.
— On defense, it was kind of difficult to get an idea regarding who is and isn’t starting, as there appears to be a lot of emphasis early in August with getting looks at a lot of different players. On offense, however, there was possibly a little more clarity Saturday. The starting offense, with some rotations at wide receiver, appeared to be Dart, Quinshon Judkins, Tre Harris, JJ Henry, Jordan Watkins, Prieskorn, Micah Pettus, Eli Acker, Jayden Williams, Reese McIntyre and Jeremy James. The second unit, at least early in the day, was Spencer Sanders, Ulysses Bentley IV, Michael Trigg, Bralon Brown, Ayden Williams, Knox, Quincy McGee, Lane Hewett, Preston Cushman, Jack Mills and Cedric Melton. I can hear your questions and Hewett and Mills and I don’t know the answers. My guess is it’s a combination of some injuries and some experimenting. There is no firm two-deep this early in camp. Walker Howard was working with the third unit early in Saturday’s practice, but I didn’t note who else was out there with him.
— It looked like Trigg wasn’t there at the end of practice and I heard some rumblings that it wasn’t injury-related. He wasn’t happy to be with the second unit on Saturday. It’s no secret he spent some time last season and in the offseason in the proverbial dog house. I heard more, but it would be irresponsible to write it without some confirmation. It’s something to watch, obviously, moving forward.
— Freshman defensive back AJ Brown made some nice plays, breaking up a pass in one-on-ones and then getting scolded in skeleton work. This staff coaches really hard; that sticks out.
— I know we are already talking about Ayden Williams a lot, but the guy just makes plays. He just torched Demarko Williams in one-on-ones and then beat Brown in skeleton work. Williams just shows up over and over. There’s a ton of buzz about him inside the program.
— A defensive back who I keep noticing is Miami (Ohio) transfer portal safety John Saunders Jr. He just makes plays. He’s tall and physical and strong in coverage. Again, I’m not a football expert, but I keep noticing him out there.
— Freshman quarterback Austin Simmons was really sponging off of Dart on Saturday. I view that as a sign of maturity. Simmons knows he can learn a lot from Dart, who has started games at USC and Ole Miss, and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity.
— Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was really working with the linebackers in pass coverage on Saturday. He does lots of teaching between reps. There is a lot of work to do, obviously, with so many new coaches, new players and a new scheme.
— At one point Saturday, freshman Suntarine Perkins and veteran Ashanti Cistrunk were getting first-unit reps in team drills.
— Demarko Williams got an interception off of Dart in team work. It appeared to be a ball that should’ve been caught. Late in the practice, there were some drops. I attribute them to the heat. It was really, really hot as noon approached, and the humidity had zapped some guys.
— Bentley had two long touchdowns runs late in team drills. He’s a threat once he gets outside the tackle box. He has superior breakaway speed.
— Ole Miss worked on the punting game midway through practice, but nothing stood out to me.
— Linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste had high praise for Perkins. “That kid’s going to be a baller,” Jean-Baptiste said. Defensive back Ladarius Tennison agreed, saying Perkins is “going to the next leader of this team. …He’s going to be great."
— Jean-Baptiste said he feels like he’s adjusting well to his new home and Golding’s defense. He said the linebacker room “is a big family,” adding that he loves all his new teammates in that room.
— Tennison said he’s been working on tackling and recognizing scheme. He said he likes “everything” about Golding’s scheme.
-- Our next media opportunity is Monday morning.
Here are a couple of videos for some context:
Here are some observations from Saturday’s session:
— Former Oregon State running back Jam Griffin, who committed to Ole Miss Friday, was at practice but not participating.
— Tight end Caden Prieskorn, who came to Ole Miss out of the transfer portal from Memphis, is emerging as a huge part of the Rebels’ offense. He’s a big target in the middle of the field and he’s already becoming a bit of a safety blanket for quarterback Jaxson Dart.
— Speaking of Dart, what sticks out — at least to me — is he’s so much more patient and composed this year. Dart doesn’t bolt from the pocket as quickly. He seems to go through his progressions and take what the defense gives him. He doesn’t have the strongest arm on campus, but he has the ability to get the ball to receivers through traffic. He had a really nice short-yardage throw through a tight window and excellent coverage to Jalen Knox.
— On defense, it was kind of difficult to get an idea regarding who is and isn’t starting, as there appears to be a lot of emphasis early in August with getting looks at a lot of different players. On offense, however, there was possibly a little more clarity Saturday. The starting offense, with some rotations at wide receiver, appeared to be Dart, Quinshon Judkins, Tre Harris, JJ Henry, Jordan Watkins, Prieskorn, Micah Pettus, Eli Acker, Jayden Williams, Reese McIntyre and Jeremy James. The second unit, at least early in the day, was Spencer Sanders, Ulysses Bentley IV, Michael Trigg, Bralon Brown, Ayden Williams, Knox, Quincy McGee, Lane Hewett, Preston Cushman, Jack Mills and Cedric Melton. I can hear your questions and Hewett and Mills and I don’t know the answers. My guess is it’s a combination of some injuries and some experimenting. There is no firm two-deep this early in camp. Walker Howard was working with the third unit early in Saturday’s practice, but I didn’t note who else was out there with him.
— It looked like Trigg wasn’t there at the end of practice and I heard some rumblings that it wasn’t injury-related. He wasn’t happy to be with the second unit on Saturday. It’s no secret he spent some time last season and in the offseason in the proverbial dog house. I heard more, but it would be irresponsible to write it without some confirmation. It’s something to watch, obviously, moving forward.
— Freshman defensive back AJ Brown made some nice plays, breaking up a pass in one-on-ones and then getting scolded in skeleton work. This staff coaches really hard; that sticks out.
— I know we are already talking about Ayden Williams a lot, but the guy just makes plays. He just torched Demarko Williams in one-on-ones and then beat Brown in skeleton work. Williams just shows up over and over. There’s a ton of buzz about him inside the program.
— A defensive back who I keep noticing is Miami (Ohio) transfer portal safety John Saunders Jr. He just makes plays. He’s tall and physical and strong in coverage. Again, I’m not a football expert, but I keep noticing him out there.
— Freshman quarterback Austin Simmons was really sponging off of Dart on Saturday. I view that as a sign of maturity. Simmons knows he can learn a lot from Dart, who has started games at USC and Ole Miss, and he’s taking advantage of the opportunity.
— Defensive coordinator Pete Golding was really working with the linebackers in pass coverage on Saturday. He does lots of teaching between reps. There is a lot of work to do, obviously, with so many new coaches, new players and a new scheme.
— At one point Saturday, freshman Suntarine Perkins and veteran Ashanti Cistrunk were getting first-unit reps in team drills.
— Demarko Williams got an interception off of Dart in team work. It appeared to be a ball that should’ve been caught. Late in the practice, there were some drops. I attribute them to the heat. It was really, really hot as noon approached, and the humidity had zapped some guys.
— Bentley had two long touchdowns runs late in team drills. He’s a threat once he gets outside the tackle box. He has superior breakaway speed.
— Ole Miss worked on the punting game midway through practice, but nothing stood out to me.
— Linebacker Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste had high praise for Perkins. “That kid’s going to be a baller,” Jean-Baptiste said. Defensive back Ladarius Tennison agreed, saying Perkins is “going to the next leader of this team. …He’s going to be great."
— Jean-Baptiste said he feels like he’s adjusting well to his new home and Golding’s defense. He said the linebacker room “is a big family,” adding that he loves all his new teammates in that room.
— Tennison said he’s been working on tackling and recognizing scheme. He said he likes “everything” about Golding’s scheme.
-- Our next media opportunity is Monday morning.
