‘Got to get to work’: Summer grind officially underway for Ole Miss football
The Ole Miss football team has reported to campus and begun summer workouts.
The build to 2023 is officially on.
The Rebels open fall-camp practices in August. They’re looking to better their 8-5 finish from a year ago. Ole Miss opened 7-1 and climbed as high as No. 7 in Top 25 polls. However, the Rebels lost five of their last six, including the Texas Bowl, to finish 8-5 and unranked.
Now-fourth-year head coach Lane Kiffin attacked the NCAA Transfer Portal in response. The Rebels brought in two quarterbacks in Spencer Sanders (Oklahoma State) and Walker Howard (LSU). Both players went through spring practices.
Sanders was limited for the first two weeks with a shoulder injury. He came on towards the end, though, and impressed in the Grove Bowl.
Sanders was a four-year starter at Oklahoma State.
There was at least some uncertainty surrounding his status, but he, too, has made his way to town and is already back to work.
Sanders led the Cowboys to the Big 12 Championship Game in 2021 as well as a bowl game in each season prior. In all, he threw for 9,553 yards and 67 touchdowns. Sanders added 1,956 yards and 18 touchdowns on the ground.
But he’s entering the dog days No. 2 on the depth chart behind incumbent Jaxson Dart.
Other notable additions include 13 new Rebels on defense, two offensive linemen, one of college football’s top returning tight ends in Caden Prieskorn (Memphis), as well as wide receiver Tre Harris. Ole Miss is also expected to soon land UTEP transfer wide receiver Zakhari Franklin.
The Rebels have some 4-6 spots left to work with.
“Most of (the newcomers), if not all of them, they’re still in the process of getting cleared, but I’ve met a couple of guys,” Ole Miss senior offensive lineman Jeremy James told the Ole Miss Spirit on Thursday. “They all seem like really good dudes and good players. We’re excited for it.
“We’ve just got to get to work (this summer). I think our main focus as a team this year is coming together as a family and really connecting and growing. We’re trying to get to the point where we can really just rely on each other when things get hard in games. End of game, when you need one play to win, we need to get to that point where we just rely on each other and trust each other.”
Photos provided by Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations.
