Ole Miss Football Begins Springs Drills On Friday

OXFORD, Miss. - When Ole Miss kicks off spring football drills here Friday afternoon, the No. 1 priority facing Coach Ed Orgeron and his Rebels may well be rebuilding a linebacker corps hit hard by the loss of its top two tacklers on the team. Consensus All-American Patrick Willis, the 2006 Butkus Award winner as the nation's finest linebacker, completed his four-year Ole Miss career by leading the Rebels in tackles his final two seasons, including 137 during his senior campaign. Willis, who also led the Southeastern Conference in tackles both years and was a two-time SEC Defensive Player of the Year, became the most decorated defensive player in Ole Miss history. Another key linebacker who must be replaced is Rory Johnson, who decided to bypass his senior season to enter the National Football League draft. A junior college transfer in 2006, Johnson played only one year with the Rebels, ranking second to Willis in tackles with 94. "We're going to mix and match guys until we find the best three to play," Orgeron said. "We are probably going to have to wait until the start of the season to announce our starting linebacker corps." When Orgeron begins his third spring training period on Friday, he will welcome 47 lettermen, including nine regular starters on offense and six on defense. However, those totals don't really give a true picture when it comes to experience returning. In fact, of the returning players, 18 different players on offense and 12 on defense started at least one game a year ago, not including kickers. One of the top returnees on offense is senior All-SEC running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis, who rushed for 1,000 yards as a junior when he became only the third player in Ole Miss history to gain 1,000 yards or more rushing. John "Kayo" Dottley did it twice (1949 and 1950) and Deuce McAllister cracked the 1,000-yard barrier once (1998) during his career. Green-Ellis ranked third among all SEC rushers in 2006. Orgeron said he feels two of the strengths of the team will be in the offensive line and running back, while he will be looking this spring for much improvement from the quarterback position and more production from the wide receivers. "On defense, obviously we've got some holes to fill with Patrick and Rory leaving," Orgeron said. "We feel we're going to be strong up front this year. Although we don't have a lot of depth, we feel that our starting four will be very strong." Orgeron noted that junior defensive lineman Peria Jerry will miss spring drills due to an injury, but is expected to be at full speed by the start of fall camp. "We have some work to do on defense," he said. "We're going to try to put the best people in the best positions to make plays." Since the end of last season, Orgeron has made some changes in his coaching staff, beginning with the hiring of veteran coach John Thompson as defensive coordinator. Orgeron had served as his own defensive coordinator his first two seasons with the Rebels. Thompson will also coach defensive backs. David Corrao, who for the last two years has served on the staff as a defensive graduate assistant, has been promoted to a full-time assistant coaching position and will coach linebackers. Tony Hughes, who coached defensive backs during his first two seasons at Ole Miss, is now coaching tight ends, while last year's tight ends coach, Hugh Freeze, has switched to coach the wide receivers. Freeze is continuing his duties as recruiting coordinator. No changes were made in responsibilities for associate head coach and offensive line coach Art Kehoe, defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach Chris Rippon, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dan Werner and running backs coach Frank Wilson. The two additions resulted when wide receivers coach Matt Lubick accepted an assistant coaching position at Arizona State and linebackers coach David Saunders was reassigned within the athletics department. Ole Miss will have 15 practices this spring, including the April 7 Red-Blue "Grove Bowl" contest. Kickoff is set for l:00 p.m. at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium/Hollingsworth Field.

The University of Mississippi Athletics

Related News

Related Videos