Jonathan Mingo has one last ride with Ole Miss as NFL future looms ahead
With two weeks remaining of the 2022 season for Ole Miss football the countdown clock is on for several players who’s college careers are ending.
For many it will be the last time they play any competitive snaps in a game and for a few others it will be the last time they wear an Ole Miss jersey before shifting focus to the NFL.
Receiver Jonathan Mingo falls into the latter category. With bowl practices resuming this past weekend it marks the final days the senior will be taking the field as a Rebel.
Of course Mingo could have ended his Ole Miss career last month after the Egg Bowl against Mississippi State, choosing to put all his efforts into NFL Draft preparation early. But he, along with senior offensive lineman Nick Broeker, chose to not opt out.
“Just trying to end my career on a good note,” Mingo said. “We lost our last game. It wasn’t our best game, personally, and for me it wasn’t my best game either. So, I just want to end my career on a good note. Just go out with my brothers, playing with them one more time. Because this group we got right here won’t be the same again.”
A theme within the Ole Miss lockeroom is unfinished business after the way the regular season ended.
Dropping four of its last five games, including a three-game losing skid, to close out the regular season Ole Miss has a roster full of motivated players.
A resounding thud is not the way they want to see the 2022 season end and how they want to be remembered for closing out the year. Hoisting up its second bowl trophy of the last three years is a more appetizing way to put a bow on things.
Not only does Mingo want to have his final game as an Ole Miss Rebel end in a victory but also wants to help turn around the momentum for the program as a whole looking towards 2023.
“We know we didn’t play our best football,” Mingo said. “We know we should have won those last three games that we lost. We’re just trying to finish business, end the season on a good note and have the next year going in the right direction.”
As that clock continues to count down and the days continue to come off the calendar in December, Mingo knows it will eventually strike midnight on his college playing days.
No, the Brandon, Miss. native will not turn into a pumpkin but he also very aware that his time at Ole Miss is ending very soon. Something that crawls into his mind at times, but also something Ming is trying to keep blocked out for now.
“Sometimes when I get home and think (it hits me),” Mingo said. “But everyday I try to go out there and get better. So that’s like the last thing on my mind. …When I have more time to sit at home and reflect that’s when I’ll start to think about it some.”
Mingo will have one more game after the Texas Bowl as he will play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. on Feb. 4, joining Broeker as the only two Ole Miss seniors invited.
Watch Mingo’s full press conference after Wednesday’s practice below. Video provided by Ole Miss Sports Production.
