Ole Miss is blessed with more than two prototype linebackers in 2024

Sitting around daydreaming about the 2024 football season, I wondered when was the last time an Ole Miss team has had prototypical linebackers on their roster like this upcoming season?

You know – the 6-foot-1, 230-240-pounders with pretty good wheels, side-to-side playmaking ability and pretty good coverage chops?

The Rebels have had one at a time who fit that mold several times – Patrick Willis is the first that comes to mind. D.T. Shackelford also hits the sweet spot. Eddie Strong is another. Abdul Jackson was a bad man on the football field.

Jeff Herrod and Shawn Cobb played together one year in the mid 1980’s.

Cassius Ware and DeWayne Dotson were a formidable duo for sure, anchoring one of the best Rebel defenses ever. They wrecked opposing offenses.

And Larry Grantham in 1959 led a defense that only allowed a remarkable 21 points for an entire season on a national title team.

We’re sure there are many others, these are just a few off the top of our pointed head, but the original point is that the ’24 Rebels are blessed with more than two prototype linebackers.

T.J. Dudley , at 6-1, 230 pounds, transferred to Ole Miss from Clemson last season and will be just a sophomore in 2024. The Montgomery, Alabama native played in the Peach Bowl at defensive end and flashed excellent athletic prowess. He has “linebacker” written across his head.

The 4-star recruit played sparingly at Clemson as a true freshman – in the four games allowed to keep his redshirt status before coming to Ole Miss. In high school, he was a three-time All-State performer. He is penciled in as a starter for the Rebels in 2024.

Then there is Arkansas transfer Chris “Pooh” Paul, Jr. at 6-1, 235 pounds, who will be a junior in 20224. Pooh tallied 74 tackles last year as a sophomore for the Razorbacks and 62 stops as a redshirt freshman in 2022. Again, a prototype linebacker with speed and tenacity.

Paul is also penciled in as a starter.

Along those same lines of prototype physically is another junior – Tyler Banks , who is 6-3 245 pounds and is expecting to play the same role Ashanti Cistrunk had for a couple of years – coming off the bench without any drop off in production from the starters. Tyler has paid his dues and is ready to make a mark on the defense.

JUCO transfer Raymond Collins , who joined Ole Miss in spring and is still learning the defense, is 6-2 240 pounds and flashed some in spring. He will probably play mostly special teams in 2024 while he continues to get acclimated in defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s defense.

Finally, a linebacker who is not a prototype but has shown he belongs in the SEC is senior Khari Coleman , who is 6-2 225 pounds and has been most effective in rushing the passer during his stint at Ole Miss. Khari had 10 tackles for a loss as a sophomore and 48 total tackles last season.

A lot of fans thought sophomore Suntarine Perkins would be added to this list of linebackers, but the Ole Miss roster has him listed as a defensive end and in spring he was primarily coming off the edge as a rush end in the practices we were allowed to observe. We never saw him at a true LB slot.

Can you think of more prototype linebackers Ole Miss has had?

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