We could only film the first four periods, so I didn't get much. But here are a couple of videos just to give you some context:
Some observations:
-- Obviously, first practice, no pads, pretty humid. They went 16 periods outside after warming up and stretching indoors.
-- I'm not even going to try to put these in any order. Lane Kiffin speaks to media at 2. Players after him, so this is just going to be rapid-fire.
-- Stephon Wynn Jr., the Nebraska transfer, is a big body. Ole Miss has more bodies in the defensive interior than it's had in a bit. How good are they? Not sure. No way to know on a day like today, but there's volume. On the flip side, Akelo Stone, the Georgia Tech transfer, looked smaller than I expected. He doesn't have the wide base that Wynn or Josh Harris, for example, have. Zxavian Harris always looks like an OT to me more than a DT. He's tall, lean, almost kind of angular. He does seem to have really good feet.
-- Spencer Sanders is clearly healthier than he was in the spring. His throws have more zip and velocity. Jaxson Dart has a brace on his left leg, but he seemed to be moving well.
-- Early in practice, John Saunders Jr., the Miami (Ohio) transfer, picked off Dart in skeleton work. No big deal; that stuff happens in those drills.
-- I do think there's more big-body depth up front on offense than in previous seasons. Guys like Cedrick Nicely, Cedric Melton and Cam East all look the part. Again, no pads; can't judge anything, but there's size there that Ole Miss hasn't always had in what looks like a second unit.
-- Obviously, Quinshon Judkins is a beast, but I noticed that running backs coach Kevin Smith was really coaching Kedrick Reescano hard. There's not a ton of depth at the position, so I'm guessing getting Reescano "game-ready" quickly is a priority.
-- Just from talking to program insiders, there are jokes about all the new faces and stuff, but I sensed a general optimism. There's a belief that the wide receiver, while possibly lacking a star, has a lot of depth. If a star emerges, two candidates are Tre Harris and Ayden Williams. Harris, the Louisiana Tech transfer, has "All-SEC talent," one insider said. Williams, one said, has a chance to be "special." Another said Williams is "ready." There is a feeling that the defense is going to be a work in progress. "We'll have to outscore some people," one insider said. There are worries about depth at defensive end, about a lack of a true impact linebacker and just general concern, but that was likely to be expected with so many new faces. Freshman Suntarine Perkins, one said, is going to be a great player, but his ascension will be gradual. There's a big jump to make from small-level Mississippi high school football to the SEC. There's a ton to learn and the speed of the game adjustment is drastic, obviously. There is a sense that CB Deantre Prince is elite and that makes the secondary's job easier. There are lots of bodies to experiment with on the back end.
-- Safety Demarko Williams picked off QB Austin Simmons in skeleton work. That said, Simmons has some real raw talent. The lefty has a clean, quick release and zip on the football. He's obviously very young and there's lots of work to do, but the skill set is there. It's a talented quarterback corps, for sure.
-- I saw DE Jared Ivey taking a leadership role Wednesday, working with walk-on Cephas Pettis during some drills.
-- Freshman DE Chamberlain Campbell has a great frame, but he'll need to add weight. He appears to be very athletic.
-- Jordan Watkins, Dayton Wade, Judkins, Williams and Bentley were getting work at punt return.
-- A young couple walked onto the practice field holding hands and headed right over to the sidelines to observe some of practice. The young lady appeared to be very interested in the 7-on-7 drills but security came over and informed them practice was closed to the public. They left peacefully, still holding hands. Who said love is dead?
-- One insider said the linebacker corps will be a challenge for coaches. Ashanti Cistrunk, Khari Coleman, Monty Montgomery and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste all have strengths and all have weaknesses. It'll come down, at times, to scouting and schemes from both Ole Miss and the Rebels' opponent.
-- Dart had a nice throw to East Mississippi CC transfer Joshua Aka late in practice. During the same period, Sanders had an overthrow in the middle of the field picked off freshman safety Daniel Demery. Again, on a day when quarterbacks made tons of throws, an errant one here and there happens.
-- Late in practice, the heat claimed a few victims. Defensive tackle Jamond Gordon had to take a break. Williams went down with what appeared to be severe cramps after a catch. He needed a lot of liquid and medical attention. He's fine. It was cramps. It was very humid.
-- I know people want depth charts. They're impossible right now. I will note that late in the practice, safety Daijahn Anthony, a Liberty transfer, appeared to be getting "first-team" reps with fellow secondary members Saunders, Zamari Walton, Prince and Trey Washington.
-- Near the end of the practice, I was watching the defensive line. They were tired and hot, but Randall Joyner was demanding their focus in a "get-off" drill, meaning reading the center snap and getting upfield quickly. He stopped the drill at one point and got on a couple of players, particularly UT-Martin transfer Myles Saulsberry. He also made sure players understood criticism wasn't personal. There's a standard, Joyner said, and it won't be dropped. Joyner is a rising star in the field, in my opinion. I enjoy watching him work.
-- Chase will handle Thursday's practice and I'll handle Saturday's. The Thursday practice is tentatively scheduled for Thursday evening. Saturday's is a morning practice.
Chase's Notes From Practice
As Neal mentioned above, Ayden Williams really showed today. It’s the first day and there aren’t pads involved, but he has speed, body control and good physicality in what’s essentially 7-on-7. The heat is the only thing that beat him, as he cramped pretty severely at the end of practice, right after catching a ball over his shoulder in coverage for about a 30-yard gain. I have some questions about him wearing a hoodie under his jersey in this heat, but otherwise he had a great first day. Javon Patterson walked over to Neal and me at one point, and Williams was the one player he mentioned.
This is one of those first-day whatever observations, but Ulysses Bentley looks to be a little bigger and seemed to be as expected as far as speed and shiftiness. Quinshon Judkins didn’t get a lot of reps that I noticed, so Bentley was sort of the lead back for a lot of it. Nothing is wrong. Judkins has nothing to prove on the first day.
Linebacker Tyler Banks was really active during team and 7-on-7 drills. He had a couple pass deflections and was really involved.
Dayton Wade overcame an early drop to have a big day. He caught balls from multiple QBs down the field and looked effective on the outside. They went at Jarell Stinson a lot.
Dart wore a sleeve on his left knee but looked completely normal. He even scrambled some and appeared at or near 100 percent.
Neal mentioned Joyner, and I had him on my list, too. He coached hard and pushed them at the end of practice. The coaches seemed focus on retention and implementing or continuing the standard they want from practice. A lot about effort and alignment and doing the little things. It was the theme of the day. The special teams units got yelled at a good bit for the small details.
Players I saw in black non-contact jerseys: Teja Young, Jadon Canady, Rayf Vison, Josh Pfeifer, Caleb Warren.
Reescano looked better than most freshman backs I see. Just physically he doesn’t look like someone who was in high school recently. He’s at the top of my list to see the rest of the camp.
Spencer Sanders certainly looked healthy. I thought he was a tad rusty, but it’s such a small sample size don’t look at that with much attention.
Kyirin Heath was good in the passing game. The question is blocking, but I noticed him several times.
Thursday’s practice starts around 6 p.m.
Pete Golding did a ton of one-on-one coaching, and writes nonstop on his notepad or whatever. It's just copious note taking. He rarely got loud. He seemed to be focused on just corrections to specific players.
Reece McIntyre was at center for Warren.
Some observations:
-- Obviously, first practice, no pads, pretty humid. They went 16 periods outside after warming up and stretching indoors.
-- I'm not even going to try to put these in any order. Lane Kiffin speaks to media at 2. Players after him, so this is just going to be rapid-fire.
-- Stephon Wynn Jr., the Nebraska transfer, is a big body. Ole Miss has more bodies in the defensive interior than it's had in a bit. How good are they? Not sure. No way to know on a day like today, but there's volume. On the flip side, Akelo Stone, the Georgia Tech transfer, looked smaller than I expected. He doesn't have the wide base that Wynn or Josh Harris, for example, have. Zxavian Harris always looks like an OT to me more than a DT. He's tall, lean, almost kind of angular. He does seem to have really good feet.
-- Spencer Sanders is clearly healthier than he was in the spring. His throws have more zip and velocity. Jaxson Dart has a brace on his left leg, but he seemed to be moving well.
-- Early in practice, John Saunders Jr., the Miami (Ohio) transfer, picked off Dart in skeleton work. No big deal; that stuff happens in those drills.
-- I do think there's more big-body depth up front on offense than in previous seasons. Guys like Cedrick Nicely, Cedric Melton and Cam East all look the part. Again, no pads; can't judge anything, but there's size there that Ole Miss hasn't always had in what looks like a second unit.
-- Obviously, Quinshon Judkins is a beast, but I noticed that running backs coach Kevin Smith was really coaching Kedrick Reescano hard. There's not a ton of depth at the position, so I'm guessing getting Reescano "game-ready" quickly is a priority.
-- Just from talking to program insiders, there are jokes about all the new faces and stuff, but I sensed a general optimism. There's a belief that the wide receiver, while possibly lacking a star, has a lot of depth. If a star emerges, two candidates are Tre Harris and Ayden Williams. Harris, the Louisiana Tech transfer, has "All-SEC talent," one insider said. Williams, one said, has a chance to be "special." Another said Williams is "ready." There is a feeling that the defense is going to be a work in progress. "We'll have to outscore some people," one insider said. There are worries about depth at defensive end, about a lack of a true impact linebacker and just general concern, but that was likely to be expected with so many new faces. Freshman Suntarine Perkins, one said, is going to be a great player, but his ascension will be gradual. There's a big jump to make from small-level Mississippi high school football to the SEC. There's a ton to learn and the speed of the game adjustment is drastic, obviously. There is a sense that CB Deantre Prince is elite and that makes the secondary's job easier. There are lots of bodies to experiment with on the back end.
-- Safety Demarko Williams picked off QB Austin Simmons in skeleton work. That said, Simmons has some real raw talent. The lefty has a clean, quick release and zip on the football. He's obviously very young and there's lots of work to do, but the skill set is there. It's a talented quarterback corps, for sure.
-- I saw DE Jared Ivey taking a leadership role Wednesday, working with walk-on Cephas Pettis during some drills.
-- Freshman DE Chamberlain Campbell has a great frame, but he'll need to add weight. He appears to be very athletic.
-- Jordan Watkins, Dayton Wade, Judkins, Williams and Bentley were getting work at punt return.
-- A young couple walked onto the practice field holding hands and headed right over to the sidelines to observe some of practice. The young lady appeared to be very interested in the 7-on-7 drills but security came over and informed them practice was closed to the public. They left peacefully, still holding hands. Who said love is dead?
-- One insider said the linebacker corps will be a challenge for coaches. Ashanti Cistrunk, Khari Coleman, Monty Montgomery and Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste all have strengths and all have weaknesses. It'll come down, at times, to scouting and schemes from both Ole Miss and the Rebels' opponent.
-- Dart had a nice throw to East Mississippi CC transfer Joshua Aka late in practice. During the same period, Sanders had an overthrow in the middle of the field picked off freshman safety Daniel Demery. Again, on a day when quarterbacks made tons of throws, an errant one here and there happens.
-- Late in practice, the heat claimed a few victims. Defensive tackle Jamond Gordon had to take a break. Williams went down with what appeared to be severe cramps after a catch. He needed a lot of liquid and medical attention. He's fine. It was cramps. It was very humid.
-- I know people want depth charts. They're impossible right now. I will note that late in the practice, safety Daijahn Anthony, a Liberty transfer, appeared to be getting "first-team" reps with fellow secondary members Saunders, Zamari Walton, Prince and Trey Washington.
-- Near the end of the practice, I was watching the defensive line. They were tired and hot, but Randall Joyner was demanding their focus in a "get-off" drill, meaning reading the center snap and getting upfield quickly. He stopped the drill at one point and got on a couple of players, particularly UT-Martin transfer Myles Saulsberry. He also made sure players understood criticism wasn't personal. There's a standard, Joyner said, and it won't be dropped. Joyner is a rising star in the field, in my opinion. I enjoy watching him work.
-- Chase will handle Thursday's practice and I'll handle Saturday's. The Thursday practice is tentatively scheduled for Thursday evening. Saturday's is a morning practice.
Chase's Notes From Practice
As Neal mentioned above, Ayden Williams really showed today. It’s the first day and there aren’t pads involved, but he has speed, body control and good physicality in what’s essentially 7-on-7. The heat is the only thing that beat him, as he cramped pretty severely at the end of practice, right after catching a ball over his shoulder in coverage for about a 30-yard gain. I have some questions about him wearing a hoodie under his jersey in this heat, but otherwise he had a great first day. Javon Patterson walked over to Neal and me at one point, and Williams was the one player he mentioned.
This is one of those first-day whatever observations, but Ulysses Bentley looks to be a little bigger and seemed to be as expected as far as speed and shiftiness. Quinshon Judkins didn’t get a lot of reps that I noticed, so Bentley was sort of the lead back for a lot of it. Nothing is wrong. Judkins has nothing to prove on the first day.
Linebacker Tyler Banks was really active during team and 7-on-7 drills. He had a couple pass deflections and was really involved.
Dayton Wade overcame an early drop to have a big day. He caught balls from multiple QBs down the field and looked effective on the outside. They went at Jarell Stinson a lot.
Dart wore a sleeve on his left knee but looked completely normal. He even scrambled some and appeared at or near 100 percent.
Neal mentioned Joyner, and I had him on my list, too. He coached hard and pushed them at the end of practice. The coaches seemed focus on retention and implementing or continuing the standard they want from practice. A lot about effort and alignment and doing the little things. It was the theme of the day. The special teams units got yelled at a good bit for the small details.
Players I saw in black non-contact jerseys: Teja Young, Jadon Canady, Rayf Vison, Josh Pfeifer, Caleb Warren.
Reescano looked better than most freshman backs I see. Just physically he doesn’t look like someone who was in high school recently. He’s at the top of my list to see the rest of the camp.
Spencer Sanders certainly looked healthy. I thought he was a tad rusty, but it’s such a small sample size don’t look at that with much attention.
Kyirin Heath was good in the passing game. The question is blocking, but I noticed him several times.
Thursday’s practice starts around 6 p.m.
Pete Golding did a ton of one-on-one coaching, and writes nonstop on his notepad or whatever. It's just copious note taking. He rarely got loud. He seemed to be focused on just corrections to specific players.
Reece McIntyre was at center for Warren.
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