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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Buy-In Paying Off for Golson
10/8/2014 | Football
By Austin Miller, Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
A two-sport standout out of Pascagoula High School, Senquez Golson turned down the Boston Red Sox to attend Ole Miss, where he originally planned to play both football and baseball.
After playing both sports his freshman year, he has since focused on football, and a lot has changed for him and the football program in the three years that have passed.
"He's just a tremendous athlete," Ole Miss baseball head coach Mike Bianco said. "You can see that on the football field and you can certainly see it when he's on the baseball field. You can see why he was such a highly-touted prospect out of high school. He's a guy who can do what not many kids can do and that's play two sports at a very high level. And there's not a higher amateur level than the Southeastern Conference."
Golson put it all together in the game earlier this season against Louisiana-Lafayette, intercepting two passes, including one that he returned 59 yards for a touchdown, in a 56-15 win, earning national defensive back of the week honors.
His interception in the end zone last Saturday sealed a 23-17 win over then-No. 1 Alabama with 37 seconds left, giving Ole Miss one of the biggest wins in program history.
The Pascagoula, Mississippi, native had similar moments, starting 20 games and intercepting six passes over his first three seasons, but in his last collegiate season he's playing his best and most consistent football as part of one of the nation's best defenses.
"I have said it in past interviews, but it took about three years to get it right," Golson said. "I had to get my off-the-field life right first, so I can just focus all the way on football, and that's what helped me."
His success on the field, like for many of his teammates, came from buying into the program change under head coach Hugh Freeze.
"This is, in my opinion, the first year that he decided he was really going to buy in," Ole Miss football head coach Hugh Freeze said. "Not that he was bad the last couple of years, but there's no question with the way he comes to work every day and the way he allows me to coach him, he's just a different guy and he's definitely more in. When somebody does that and has success on the field, it's rewarding when you see good things happen because a kid has decided to buy in."
That buy-in and the success that followed, defensive coordinator Dave Wommack said, started in spring practice and continued through summer workouts and fall camp.
"It started to mean more to him," Wommack said. "I don't think he would mind me saying this, and I told him this 100 times, he used to practice lazy and you felt like you were held hostage at times with him. He stepped up and matured and decided this is his last year. Off the field, he's trying to be more disciplined and work harder. In his own way, a lot of guys look to him as a leader on this team."
"I had to mature and grow up and figure out what I needed to be doing rather than what I wanted to be doing," Golson said. "It's simple. You go to class and then you don't have to get up in the morning and run and you're not grumpy for the rest of the day. That's an example and part of doing the little things off the field that help you on the field."
Golson and the Ole Miss football program have come a long way since a 2-10 season in 2011, winning back-to-back bowl games in 2012 and 2013 and breaking into the Associated Press top 10 for the first time since 2009. And he gives all the credit to the Coach Freeze and the coaching staff.
"They helped with my personal life with the advice they give us," Golson said. "We're playing good football and my teammates keep us up. We're one team now and that makes a big difference. The atmosphere is different. We're a different football team."
The one-time eighth round selection of the Boston Red Sox in the 2011 MLB Draft said he never regretted his decision to turn down seven figures to play professional baseball, but he's glad to have now fully bought in and seeing success follow on the football field.
"I never really regretted turning down the money because I knew what I could do," Golson said. "I also knew once I got here, there would be a process and I had to figure it out and find a way. I wished I had figured it out earlier instead of waiting until my senior year."
In addition to making big plays on defense, Golson has also emerged as a team leader and an example for the younger players to follow.
"It was best for the team," Golson said. "I was a senior this year and I wanted to go out with a tradition with the corners, the secondary and the defense period. I wanted to try to lead them with all of the knowledge I have gained from four years and what we used to be and what we are now. I wanted to step up and be the leader that I'm supposed to be as a senior."
The decision to attend Ole Miss, and the transformation that followed, not only changed the football program, but it also impacted Golson's life in a significant way.
"When I first got my offer from Ole Miss, I didn't know about Ole Miss because of the things you hear," Golson said. "When I went on my visit, it was nothing like that. Since I have been here, Ole Miss has changed my life and I love it."
