But Talk of Champions wanted in on the preseason (prognostication) fun, too! Included are some key observations from a combined 15 periods of practice viewing this week.
WHAT I SAW (1): The offensive line is rounding into form.
Good news consider the number of injury holdouts in the spring and through the first few practices of camp. Julius Buelow is one of two Washington transfer offensive lineman. He was fully dressed on Friday and working with the first team at right guard/tackle. Diego Pounds, the North Carolina tackle, was at left.
WHAT I SAW (2): Speaking of the first-team offensive line .
I’m pretty sure the first team I saw was, from left to right, Pounds, Nate Kalepo (Caleb Warren was riding a stationary bike), Gerquan Scott, Jeremy James and Buelow.
James is alternating between guard and tackle. Warren’s mostly repping at guard after three years starting at center. The coaching staff shifted him over room for Scott, the transfer from Southern Miss. They like the upside of second-year former four-star Brycen Sanders there, too.
Wright is a tight end transfer from Virginia Tech. He was limited for most all of the spring because of an injury, but he’s full-go now and running No. 2 behind Prieskorn, as was the plan when Ole Miss signed him in the nation’s No. 3-ranked transfer class , according to On3.
First-year tight ends coach Joe Cox had Wright working specifically (and over and over) on his in-line blocking during Friday’s session. Wright started all 12 games for the Hokies last season. He was an ACC leader in catches by a tight end.
WHAT I SAW (4): Utah State transfer wide receiver Micah Davis is practicing.
Davis committed to Ole Miss last month. He was allowed to leave Utah State so late because his head coach was fired after the second portal window closed in the spring. He’s wearing No. 4.
He’s not particularly big; kind of looks exactly like you’d expect from how he was described: slot/returner mold. The fact that he’s No. 5 or 6 on the depth chart (for now) is representative, I think, of how deep the talent level is for Ole Miss.
Davis was all-conference last season. He had 36 receptions for 628 yards and six touchdowns. He also returned 28 punts for 250 yards and six kickoffs for 83 yards.
WHAT I SAW (5): Ole Miss crushed DB recruiting in the portal.
Each of Isaiah Hamilton (Houston), Trey Amos (Alabama), Key Lawrence (Oklahoma) and Louis Moore (Indiana) are going to start or at the very least play a ton. But somewhat lost, and he shouldn’t be, is South Alabama’s Yam Banks.
Banks has been with the first team for Ole Miss at safety, best I can tell, since he reported with 17 other transfers in the spring. I’m telling y’all; don’t sleep on him. He’s a former in-state recruit from Ridgeland. Converted wide receiver, so the ball skills are there. Violent tackler. Nose for the ball; he’s always around it. Hybrid safety/linebacker.
Banks had 45 tackles at South Alabama last season . He also tallied three pass break-ups, an interception, a sack and a forced fumble. Banks had six interceptions (including a pick-six), 50 tackles and 11 PBUs the year prior.
WHAT I SAW (6): Jordan Watkins, Juice Wells, running back Ulysses Bentley, IV, and Warren all worked off to the side.
They were on stationary bikes in the five periods we got to see on Friday.
Henry Parrish, Jr., dominated first-team snaps at running back as Ole Miss continues to take things slow with Bentley, IV. Bentley’s coming back from turf toe. Matt Jones was running as the No. 2. He’s wearing No. 0 now. Behind him were transfers Dominque Smith and Rashad Amos.
WHAT I SAW (7): I mentioned this on Wednesday’s ‘Talk of Champions.’
But the scuttlebutt I picked up at practice this week is don’t expect to see much of Princely Umanmielen the first three games. He’ll appear situationally. Umanmielen has been in a black, no-contact jersey since he arrived at Ole Miss in the spring. He’s recovering from labrum surgery.
The good news from Friday was Umanmielen was going through all individual drills seemingly with no restrictions as far as movement. He’s still sitting out the team stuff, but he’s on his way, it says here.
Hopefully the extra cautious approach pays off when Ole Miss completely unleashes him in late-September/early-October.
WHAT I SAW (8): I’m calling a Cayden Lee breakout right here and now.
Lee came on late last year, including his first career start for Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl. He finished with five catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns on 136 total offensive snaps.
Go ahead and double or triple those numbers for 2024-25.
For my money, he’s one of, if not the cleanest, route-runners on the team. He can move around formation, too — potentially not so unlike Elijah Moore’s usage in 2020. As in, I could see Ole Miss working him out of the backfield some. But, full disclosure, that is purely my own conjecture; I haven’t see it in practice.
I just can see him constantly making plays.
Lee just fits the Moore archetype and skillset to a tee. He’s one of the three current starters for Ole Miss at wide receiver. The others are Tre Harris and Ayden Williams.
Williams reminds me so much of Braylon Sanders, both in play style and career track.
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