OK, first, some caveats:
It was the first day of practice. The players were not wearing pads. Helmets only. Lane Kiffin has sent a message to reporters via UM Media Relations to avoid reporting on schematics (which is hard but I'll do my best to comply, as I generally understand what he's requesting and don't find it particularly outlandish) and that he's not crazy about depth charts (that makes two of us, but it's sort of impossible to not discuss depth and competition and such).
But the key part: First practice, no pads, anyone making sweeping judgments from that sort of practice is an absolute idiot and shouldn't be listened to.
So, here goes:
-- Overall, it just looks more like an SEC roster. The players are bigger, better put-together. It's a deeper roster. Even a lot of the walk-ons kind of look the part.
-- Things are generally calmer, for lack of a better word. Maybe that's the change in S&C coaches from Love to Savage. Love was kind of nuts out there. He was a yeller. Savage is much calmer, much more focused on, you know, strength and conditioning. There was just a more professional vibe. Maybe that's a personal preference.
-- Maybe I'm reading way too much into body language, but Lane Kiffin just looks more comfortable. Maybe I'm taking things I've heard and conversations I've had and transferring that into the way I observe him. That's possible. But I do think he looks more comfortable. Maybe it's he's been at Ole Miss a bit, has put together more of a staff that is his guys, etc. I don't know. I just see a more comfortable guy.
-- Jonathan Mingo was running well, cutting well and looked more in shape than I've seen him in a while. He made a really nice one-handed catch in skeleton drills. Ole Miss wants and needs him to be the guy at wide receiver this fall. It was one day but I didn't see him favoring his foot or any of that. He looked solid.
-- Ladarius Tennison basically tackled Malik Heath in some passing drills early in the practice. It was a sign of things to come. Later in the practice, things really got physical. I couldn't tell how it started, but it looked like the offensive line got generally pissed off at the defensive line and things got a little chippy. Then before you know it, guys are hitting the ground on damn near every play. Linebacker Troy Brown went down and appeared to be in some pain and Kiffin had seen enough. He stopped practice, gathered everyone around him and spoke. I couldn't hear what he said, but I strongly suspect it was a reminder that they weren't in pads and they were on the same team. Things seemed to calm down afterwards.
-- There are just so many safeties. There are so many defensive backs in general. There's a lot more size there, too. Cornerback Miles Battle stood out to me. Freshman Taylor Groves flashed a few times. Damarko Williams flashed a few times in coverage. So did Kyndrich Breedlove. Just a lot of choices back there. Redshirt freshman cornerback Richard O'Bryant (a walk-on, I'm guessing) had an interception in skeleton drills.
-- OK, depth chart time. If you're using this as a gauge, you are simply ignoring everything I said up top. First practice, no pads, etc. But early in practice, when they went to some team looks VERSUS AIR, here's who ran with the 1s:
QB Luke Altmyer
RB Zach Evans
WR Jonathan Mingo
WR Malik Heath
WR Jaylon Robinson
TE Casey Kelly
LT Jeremy James
LG Nick Broeker
C Caleb Warren
RG Eli Acker
RT Mason Brooks
The second unit was:
QB Jaxson Dart
RB Kentrell Bullock
WR JJ Henry
WR Dannis Jackson
WR Jordan Watkins
TE Jonathan Hess
OT Micah Pettus
OG Cedric Melton
C Reese McIntyre
OG Jalen Cunningham
OT Jayden Williams
Couple of notes: TE Michael Trigg was dressed and participating. No idea why he wasn't running 1s or 2s there. Maybe minor injury. Don't know. I'm sure someone will ask Kiffin. Both Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV were getting major reps at RB also. Throughout practice, Dart and Altmyer were swapping between the 1s and 2s. More on the QBs later.
-- Another guy who caught my eye a few times was freshman tight end Kyirin Heath. I was told he's still got some growing up to do (expected for a freshman), but he was making plays all morning. He's a 6-4, 235-pound Texan who runs with fluidity and appears to have reliable hands.
-- Jaylon Robinson just moves differently. I'm not sure how to explain it. They call him "Flash," and he lives up to the nickname. Ole Miss has this large group of wide receivers. Mingo, Robinson, Jackson, Watkins, Jalen Knox, Larry Simmons (made some nice plays for a freshman), Henry, Bralon Brown, Brandon Buckhaulter, probably others I'm not thinking of, but they really need a couple to emerge as GUYS. Robinson would be a leading candidate based on what I saw Wednesday.
-- Back to the DBs for a minute. At one point, sophomore MJ Daniels walked right by me. He's still kind of baby-faced. Immediately after him, Vanderbilt transfer safety Dashaun Jerkins walked past me, looking like the veteran he is. Daniels, I've heard, is getting closer to being an impact guy. People expect him to maybe be special by next season. Jerkins has clearly played a lot of college football. Again, it's a great problem to have, but I don't know how Ole Miss plays all those guys back there.
-- This is venturing into schematics, so I'll tread lightly, but I saw Ole Miss experimenting with Demon Clowney and Brandon Mack at linebacker alongside Brown. TCU transfer Khari Coleman was obviously playing there as well. I suspect they're looking for options to deepen the weakest overall unit on the defense, but that's me guessing.
-- Otis Reese is a physical guy. He had a couple of touch tackles (remember, no pads, no tackling) that basically knocked guys down.
-- Speaking of physical, I think Knox could be a physical blocker in space. He really isn't built like a typical wide receiver.
-- A program insider raved about the redshirt freshman OT, Jayden Williams. The same guy raved about sophomore safety Trey Washington. He said both players had made huge strides and were positioning themselves to be stars down the road.
-- Speaking of stars, I really think there's a good chance A.J. Finley is considered one in the SEC by the end of the season. The senior from Mobile just does everything well.
-- The starting defensive line Wednesday appeared to be KD Hill, Jamond Gordon and Isaiah Iton. The second unit appeared to be JJ Pegues, Jaden Ivey and Tywone Malone. Tavius Robinson ran some with the starters as well and obviously, Cedric Johnson was getting lots of starters reps at the defensive end spot. Like I said, it looked like Mack was moving around some. There's more depth up there than I've seen at Ole Miss since I've been on the beat, which is longer than I care to admit. It's a potentially really strong unit. Again, I don't want to veer into the schematics lane, but I suspect, just based on numbers and talent, we see some 3- and 4-man fronts this fall.
-- Apropos of nothing, watch Judkins. I suspect he'll be down the depth chart a bit this season, but I just don't see how that kid doesn't become a running game bell cow before too terribly long. He's the complete package at running back.
-- I saved quarterbacks for last. There's more depth there, as Kinkead Dent looked good Wednesday. Even the two walk-ons, Braden Waterman and Davin Wydner, throw well and even flash with the deep ball a bit. But the race is between Altmyer and Dart. It's no secret that the staff wants to see Dart dial back the aggression and Altmyer dial up the courage meter a bit in the passing game. Both quarterbacks had some really nice throws Wednesday. Altmyer stayed pretty conservative while Dart made a mistake that would've been a pick-6 in a game. Dart tends to throw into traffic and he got frustrated with himself when, on one of those occasions, a throw into a crowd got tipped and landed in LB Austin Keys' hands. In a game, Keys would have had a chance to score. This is me thinking out loud, but if the running game is solid and the defense looks like it can dictate some games, Altmyer might have the inside edge, especially if he can find a way to turn up his aggression in the downfield passing game just enough.
-- But again, one practice, no pads. One practice. No pads. Sweeping judgments are idiotic and I hope I made that clear. I'd have to see a lot more before I went any stronger than that. Speaking of, we'll hear from Ole Miss' coordinators after tomorrow's practice. Kiffin meets with the media in an hour and players meet with us after that, so more content forthcoming here at RG.com.
It was the first day of practice. The players were not wearing pads. Helmets only. Lane Kiffin has sent a message to reporters via UM Media Relations to avoid reporting on schematics (which is hard but I'll do my best to comply, as I generally understand what he's requesting and don't find it particularly outlandish) and that he's not crazy about depth charts (that makes two of us, but it's sort of impossible to not discuss depth and competition and such).
But the key part: First practice, no pads, anyone making sweeping judgments from that sort of practice is an absolute idiot and shouldn't be listened to.
So, here goes:
-- Overall, it just looks more like an SEC roster. The players are bigger, better put-together. It's a deeper roster. Even a lot of the walk-ons kind of look the part.
-- Things are generally calmer, for lack of a better word. Maybe that's the change in S&C coaches from Love to Savage. Love was kind of nuts out there. He was a yeller. Savage is much calmer, much more focused on, you know, strength and conditioning. There was just a more professional vibe. Maybe that's a personal preference.
-- Maybe I'm reading way too much into body language, but Lane Kiffin just looks more comfortable. Maybe I'm taking things I've heard and conversations I've had and transferring that into the way I observe him. That's possible. But I do think he looks more comfortable. Maybe it's he's been at Ole Miss a bit, has put together more of a staff that is his guys, etc. I don't know. I just see a more comfortable guy.
-- Jonathan Mingo was running well, cutting well and looked more in shape than I've seen him in a while. He made a really nice one-handed catch in skeleton drills. Ole Miss wants and needs him to be the guy at wide receiver this fall. It was one day but I didn't see him favoring his foot or any of that. He looked solid.
-- Ladarius Tennison basically tackled Malik Heath in some passing drills early in the practice. It was a sign of things to come. Later in the practice, things really got physical. I couldn't tell how it started, but it looked like the offensive line got generally pissed off at the defensive line and things got a little chippy. Then before you know it, guys are hitting the ground on damn near every play. Linebacker Troy Brown went down and appeared to be in some pain and Kiffin had seen enough. He stopped practice, gathered everyone around him and spoke. I couldn't hear what he said, but I strongly suspect it was a reminder that they weren't in pads and they were on the same team. Things seemed to calm down afterwards.
-- There are just so many safeties. There are so many defensive backs in general. There's a lot more size there, too. Cornerback Miles Battle stood out to me. Freshman Taylor Groves flashed a few times. Damarko Williams flashed a few times in coverage. So did Kyndrich Breedlove. Just a lot of choices back there. Redshirt freshman cornerback Richard O'Bryant (a walk-on, I'm guessing) had an interception in skeleton drills.
-- OK, depth chart time. If you're using this as a gauge, you are simply ignoring everything I said up top. First practice, no pads, etc. But early in practice, when they went to some team looks VERSUS AIR, here's who ran with the 1s:
QB Luke Altmyer
RB Zach Evans
WR Jonathan Mingo
WR Malik Heath
WR Jaylon Robinson
TE Casey Kelly
LT Jeremy James
LG Nick Broeker
C Caleb Warren
RG Eli Acker
RT Mason Brooks
The second unit was:
QB Jaxson Dart
RB Kentrell Bullock
WR JJ Henry
WR Dannis Jackson
WR Jordan Watkins
TE Jonathan Hess
OT Micah Pettus
OG Cedric Melton
C Reese McIntyre
OG Jalen Cunningham
OT Jayden Williams
Couple of notes: TE Michael Trigg was dressed and participating. No idea why he wasn't running 1s or 2s there. Maybe minor injury. Don't know. I'm sure someone will ask Kiffin. Both Quinshon Judkins and Ulysses Bentley IV were getting major reps at RB also. Throughout practice, Dart and Altmyer were swapping between the 1s and 2s. More on the QBs later.
-- Another guy who caught my eye a few times was freshman tight end Kyirin Heath. I was told he's still got some growing up to do (expected for a freshman), but he was making plays all morning. He's a 6-4, 235-pound Texan who runs with fluidity and appears to have reliable hands.
-- Jaylon Robinson just moves differently. I'm not sure how to explain it. They call him "Flash," and he lives up to the nickname. Ole Miss has this large group of wide receivers. Mingo, Robinson, Jackson, Watkins, Jalen Knox, Larry Simmons (made some nice plays for a freshman), Henry, Bralon Brown, Brandon Buckhaulter, probably others I'm not thinking of, but they really need a couple to emerge as GUYS. Robinson would be a leading candidate based on what I saw Wednesday.
-- Back to the DBs for a minute. At one point, sophomore MJ Daniels walked right by me. He's still kind of baby-faced. Immediately after him, Vanderbilt transfer safety Dashaun Jerkins walked past me, looking like the veteran he is. Daniels, I've heard, is getting closer to being an impact guy. People expect him to maybe be special by next season. Jerkins has clearly played a lot of college football. Again, it's a great problem to have, but I don't know how Ole Miss plays all those guys back there.
-- This is venturing into schematics, so I'll tread lightly, but I saw Ole Miss experimenting with Demon Clowney and Brandon Mack at linebacker alongside Brown. TCU transfer Khari Coleman was obviously playing there as well. I suspect they're looking for options to deepen the weakest overall unit on the defense, but that's me guessing.
-- Otis Reese is a physical guy. He had a couple of touch tackles (remember, no pads, no tackling) that basically knocked guys down.
-- Speaking of physical, I think Knox could be a physical blocker in space. He really isn't built like a typical wide receiver.
-- A program insider raved about the redshirt freshman OT, Jayden Williams. The same guy raved about sophomore safety Trey Washington. He said both players had made huge strides and were positioning themselves to be stars down the road.
-- Speaking of stars, I really think there's a good chance A.J. Finley is considered one in the SEC by the end of the season. The senior from Mobile just does everything well.
-- The starting defensive line Wednesday appeared to be KD Hill, Jamond Gordon and Isaiah Iton. The second unit appeared to be JJ Pegues, Jaden Ivey and Tywone Malone. Tavius Robinson ran some with the starters as well and obviously, Cedric Johnson was getting lots of starters reps at the defensive end spot. Like I said, it looked like Mack was moving around some. There's more depth up there than I've seen at Ole Miss since I've been on the beat, which is longer than I care to admit. It's a potentially really strong unit. Again, I don't want to veer into the schematics lane, but I suspect, just based on numbers and talent, we see some 3- and 4-man fronts this fall.
-- Apropos of nothing, watch Judkins. I suspect he'll be down the depth chart a bit this season, but I just don't see how that kid doesn't become a running game bell cow before too terribly long. He's the complete package at running back.
-- I saved quarterbacks for last. There's more depth there, as Kinkead Dent looked good Wednesday. Even the two walk-ons, Braden Waterman and Davin Wydner, throw well and even flash with the deep ball a bit. But the race is between Altmyer and Dart. It's no secret that the staff wants to see Dart dial back the aggression and Altmyer dial up the courage meter a bit in the passing game. Both quarterbacks had some really nice throws Wednesday. Altmyer stayed pretty conservative while Dart made a mistake that would've been a pick-6 in a game. Dart tends to throw into traffic and he got frustrated with himself when, on one of those occasions, a throw into a crowd got tipped and landed in LB Austin Keys' hands. In a game, Keys would have had a chance to score. This is me thinking out loud, but if the running game is solid and the defense looks like it can dictate some games, Altmyer might have the inside edge, especially if he can find a way to turn up his aggression in the downfield passing game just enough.
-- But again, one practice, no pads. One practice. No pads. Sweeping judgments are idiotic and I hope I made that clear. I'd have to see a lot more before I went any stronger than that. Speaking of, we'll hear from Ole Miss' coordinators after tomorrow's practice. Kiffin meets with the media in an hour and players meet with us after that, so more content forthcoming here at RG.com.
