Ole Miss TE Casey Kelly embracing portal additions, competition: "We all just want to score touchdowns."
With the ever growing and evolving transfer portal and it’s impact on the college football landscape, the obvious question to ask players already on the roster is how they feel about a new face arriving in the room.
Most players seem to accept that there was probably a need and a reason their coach went and found another player who plays the same position as them while others might scratch their head and take stock of the situation.
Put Casey Kelly in the former category.
The three-year tight end is a key cog in the Ole Miss offense that is front and center in dealing with the expectations of finally becoming the guy and only to see the transfer portal turn that upside down.
When Michael Trigg arrived from Southern California with teammate Jaxson Dart, the immediate reaction was the Rebels found their new starting tight end and Casey Kelly is not battling for playing time.
That is not necessarily the case with the schemes head coach Lane Kiffin and co-offensive coordinators Charlie Weis, Jr. and John David Baker are probably cooking up with multiple tight ends.
Either way, Kelly welcomes Trigg to the team and sees the portal additions as only a positive.
“Everybody feeds off each other,” Kelly said. “We want everyone to win here. We want everyone to compete. We want everyone to do there job and if someone’s not competing then we want the other person to pick bring them up. We want them to influence them and kind of point them in the right direction.
“(Trigg’s) taught me stuff, I’ve taught him stuff. Kind of just feeding off each other, kind of getting better. We’re all getting better in ways we couldn’t have before.”
Kelly is in his own friendly competition with Trigg, but both are on the receiving end of the other major position battle on that side of the football.
With Dart and Luke Almyer embroiled in a quarterback battle — that Kiffin noted earlier this week will continue into August and fall camp — Kelly, Trigg and the receivers are all getting a birds eye view of the two.
The competition has been neck-and-neck, from watching the open scrimmages and what the players are saying during the week.
“I’ve seen them both working together,” Kelly said. “As soon as you step on that field, we’re all trying to score touchdowns. As soon as they step on the field there’s no, really, bickering or competing. They’re all trying to gunsling it. They’re all trying to do their best and I’ve kind of seen both (make) strides from day one to day 14. I’ve seen a lot from both of them.”
Spring has brought ups and downs for Kelly who is one of the players that has been nicked up some over the last four weeks. During the middle portions of spring Kelly was not taking part in the scrimmages or any physical drills, but was back out on Saturday in the final scrimmage before this weekend’s Grove Bowl.
Entering his fourth year, Kelly is billed at 255 pounds and says he is feeling the best he has felt after returning from injury.
“This is definitely the best shape and the best weight I’ve felt since I’ve been here,” Kelly said. “It’s going to be my fourth year, so really feel comfortable in everything I’m doing and have confidence in my body. I’m ready.”
