Auburn transfer CB Antonio Kite a constant in an Ole Miss secondary with ‘a lot of moving pieces’

Ole Miss football is in its third week of fall camp practices. The defensive secondary continues to mix and match. 

The Rebels don’t have a single returning starter from last season on the back end. Still, they don’t lack for experience. Ole Miss brought in, among others, SEC veterans Sage Ryan (LSU) and Antonio Kite (Auburn) through the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The Rebels signed the No. 3 class in the country, according to On3.

“It’s been great,” Kite said after practice on Monday. “My teammates are doing a great job just welcoming me in. I’m just trying to grind every day and get better with my teammates. I love coach [Lane] Kiffin as a guy. He pushes his players. I just wanted to be around a guy like that.”

Kite didn’t participate in spring practices. However, he’s been a starter at cornerback ever since the Rebels opened camp earlier this month.

True freshman Dante Core was opposite Kite in practice on Monday. Core was a consensus 4-star recruit in the 2025 class. He was a standout in the team’s game-like scrimmage inside Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Saturday.

“I feel like we played lights out,” Kite said. “We know we’ve got a lot of things to work on individually and with the team. I feel like I played OK, not my best. Dante’s my guy, man. He’s getting better every day. He’s a young guy, but he’s come in and worked hard, and he’s mentally there.”

Kite and the rest of the Ole Miss defense got the better of the offense in the scrimmage.

Included was multiple interceptions returned for touchdowns.

“I thought the defense came out with really good energy, especially after the first drive, and did some really good things and made some really good plays,” Kiffin, who’s in his sixth season as Ole Miss head coach, said. “Good pass rush that created some turnovers, good plays in the secondary. Quarterbacks, like most scrimmages, some that they wish they could have back and some things to learn from.”

Kiffin said the secondary, in particular, has ‘a lot of moving pieces.’ Returner Chris Graves and South Alabama transfer Ricky Fletcher are competing with Core for snaps on the boundary. 

Kite, though, has held down the field side. Ryan has been a constant at strong safety, while Washington State transfer Kapena Gushiken is holding down STAR, the hybrid safety/linebacker spot in Ole Miss’ 4-2-5 defense.

“I think a number of guys hurt early on and missing time back there limited us,” Kiffin said. “Some coming back now. For instance, Dante Core had a really good Saturday and did some good things coming back from injury, so it would be good to continue to get people back.

“We’re not all the way back, but a lot of moving pieces there, and a lot of confidence in our coaches that like we have in the years before getting them put together in the right spots.”

Kite is a former 4-star recruit in the 2022 class. 

He began his career at Alabama but transferred after two seasons. He spent last season at Auburn and had six tackles, an interception and a blocked punt. Kite committed to Ole Miss in December.

“I feel like we’re getting better every day and trying to put in work,” Kite said. “Stay in the playbook and just play as one. Play as one. When we’re playing as one, we’re locked in. We could be very good.”

Kite and Co. are being challenged by a strong crop of Ole Miss wide receivers. The group brought back Cayden Lee, signed five transfers and added a pair of top recruits in Caleb Cunningham and Winston Watkins.

De’Zhaun Stribling and Harrison Wallace were top receiving options at Oklahoma State and Penn State, respectively, last season.

“It’s very beneficial,” Kite said. “We’ve got some great receivers here.”