Ole Miss lands two players on the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year watch list
The preseason is over and Ole Miss is days away from opening up its 2023 college football season, but that is not stopping some of its young guns from getting added to a national award watch list.
Wide receiver Ayden Williams and linebacker Suntarine Perkins were named to the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award watch list.
Neither is a surprise addition to the list that includes 37 freshmen across college football. Ole Miss is one of nine teams to have multiple players named to the list while Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas have three players each.
Throughout camp both Williams and Perkins have impressed their teammates and coaches alike in how fast they are picking things up only weeks into their college career.
When it comes to the Ole Miss offense Williams has been working behind Tre Harris as one of the two outside receiver positions. Expectations are high for what Williams might can do his first season in the Southeastern Conference.
The Ole Miss receiver was also named to On3’s Preseason True Freshman All-America Team last week.
“Phenomenal. For him to come in and move and do the things that he do,” Dayton Wade said when asked about Williams earlier this month. “From a player perspective, sometimes, it gets repetitive going against the same people over and over and over again and you keep beating them. But you go out there, you’re winning it’s like you get you a few sons out there. You become a big dog. He’s put his imprint early. I like that about him.”
The same kind of ringing endorsements are coming for the Ole Miss linebacker on the defensive side of the ball. He is currently rotating with Khari Coleman at the second string behind transfer Monty Montgomery.
Perkins was the top Mississippi prospect out of the 2023 signing class and, like Williams, is wanting to make an impact early playing in his home state.
“Perkins, for a freshman he’s progressing a lot,” Ashanti Cistrunk said after a practice last week. “He’s a crazy athlete and he’s just got it all. I’ve kind of taken him under my wing, helping him progress more and understand the defense more. But, we’re looking good at linebacker. I can’t wait to see it all come together.”
Both Williams and Perkins will look to make their Ole Miss debut this weekend in Saturday’s season opener against Mercer at 1 p.m. CT.
