The 'last ride' moments are starting to hit Jeremy James as he begins his final season at Ole Miss
Ole Miss wraps up fall camp this weekend and transitions into game week mode with Mercer on the horizon. These events start to put things into perspective for Jeremy James.
The senior offensive lineman is finishing up his final fall camp as a Rebel after deciding to return for one last season in Oxford following the 2022 season.
With any senior student-athlete at any level, whether it be high school or college, the start of their final year always comes with certain mile markers and boxes to be checked for the final time. James is already crossing a few of those off as August comes to a close.
“At this point everything we do, like this is the last fall camp practice is coming and I’ll go, ‘Wow, that’s the last one. I’ll never do that again,'” James said after Thursday’s walk through.
“I’ve just kind of taken it all in. The brothers I’ve made through football and the experiences I’ve gotten to go through here in Oxford, it’s been incredible.”
When the 2022 campaign concluded it was known Nick Broeker was off to the NFL after opting to return for his final season. James still had eligibility under his belt but the allure of jumping early to the NFL and start the draft process.
After some time spent on the subject with those close to him James made the decision to he would return to Ole Miss for another season and see where the chips fall come next spring.
“There were discussions about it but ultimately we decided that it was best I come back one more (season),” James said.
For James and the rest of the Ole Miss offensive line the work has been put in fix depth all camp.
What has traditionally been an issue at the offensive line position looks to be righting the ship this season.
Building depth to have more than five or six guys to rely on has been a mission statement for fourth-year Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin, which after some help in the transfer portal this offseason is being accomplished.
With a starting five all but established exiting fall camp the backups and reserves are now being sorted out. There has been a lot of shifting around on the left side of the line with a goal of building up versatility in the room.
“We’re just trying to get everyone comfortable wherever,” James said. “We’re going to need people to play everywhere this year. I mean, God forbid, but injuries happen and we’re just trying to get people used to playing in different rotations and different spots.”
This process is going smoother than it might normally would in a previous offensive line room at Ole Miss. Having experienced players returning like James and the Caleb Warrens of the locker room the experience of transfers like Victor Curne and Quincy McGee have made things easier.
“(We feel) really comfortable. We have eight or nine guys that can play multiple positions,” James said. “We’re all close as a group, so, we feel really good about it.”
