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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Practice Report: September 11
9/11/2020 | Football
<i class="icon-video"></i> Jaylon Jones Press Conference<i class="icon-video"></i> Mac Brown Press Conference<i class="icon-video"></i> Luke Logan Press Conference
Jaylon Jones, Mac Brown and Luke Logan Meet with Media
OXFORD, Miss. – The countdown is on as less than 10 practices remain until the start of the 2020 Ole Miss football season.
The Rebels put in two hours of work under the hot Mississippi sun on Friday morning, their 16th of 25 practice sessions this fall leading up to the Sept. 26 opener against No. 8 Florida.
After practice, defensive back and 2020 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner Jaylon Jones, punter Mac Brown and kicker Luke Logan met with the media via Zoom to detail the latest in the secondary and on special teams.
NEW NUMBER
When Jaylon Jones was named the 2020 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner on Thursday, he remarked that he was proud to bring the No. 38 back to the secondary. Even before he earned that honor, Jones has been using Chucky's motto to push him through his ACL injury and rehabilitation.
"I think it ties in with that quote. Never quit," Jones said. "I went through a lot. I've had a lot of ups and down since I've been here. But I've never lost sight of the main goal and where I'm trying to go. I love this sport. I give it my all. There's going to be bumps in the road on anybody's journey, so I just kept my head high, leaned on my teammates and the coaching staff and just kept rehabbing and focusing on getting better."
Now, Jones is 100 percent and ready to lead a revamped Ole Miss secondary. Jones has worked all over the place in the defensive backfield—nickel, free safety, strong safety and corner—but has worked primarily at safety this fall. He's also in the mix to return kicks. As he gets ready to start his fifth season in red and blue, he likes what he's seeing from his younger teammates.
"AJ Finley has been looking good, Jamar Richardson, Jakorey Hawkins, Keidron Smith, Jay Stanley, Jalen Jordan—we moved a receiver, Marc Britt, to safety, and he's looking really good," Jones said. "Really everybody. We've got a lot of guys who are competing. Guys want to get better every day. It's definitely showing on the field."
ZEROED IN
Like with most positions units across the Ole Miss roster, punter Mac Brown is making a change this fall under the new coaching staff. Last season, the team's punt coverage philosophy favored a rollout, rugby-style kick, but new special teams coordinator Blake Gideon will have Brown back in the traditional punting style.
"Coach Gideon wants to play to our strengths and just wants us to kick the ball the way we can kick the ball," Brown said. "Obviously he has a great resume. He was a great player at Texas, so it's great to have him from a player's standpoint, to be there and understand what happens in big games. He's kind of laid out a little map for us to follow, and we plan to execute that exactly how he wants it."
If you take a look at Brown's map, you won't find the endzone anywhere on it. The senior out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, had six touchbacks in 57 punts last season. In 2020, he wants that number to be zero.
"My goal this year is to put zero balls in the end zone," Brown said. "As many balls inside the 20 as I can, flip the field. Just turning over balls and keeping them away from those dangerous returners. The SEC is filled with great returners. So the best thing I can do is keep it away from them, get a couple of good rolls and hope for the best—hope that I don't have to make any tackles."
NEW RULES
For Luke Logan, the biggest change has been internal. After a heartbreaking end to the 2019 season, the senior out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is approaching the 2020 season with a new mentality.
"I've been an Ole Miss fan my whole life, so that in the Egg Bowl is the last thing I'd want to happen," Logan said. "But through that all, it was an incredible teaching moment. This position that kickers are in, you get three or four opportunities a game. Whenever you don't capitalize on that, it can really stick with you. I'm not doing my team justice if I'm still focusing on that. They deserve me to be out there focused every single day, ready to make the next kick—no matter where it is, when I'm called on, it's got to be made."
That all started in the offseason with Logan and Brown, his holder. The pair is bringing a renewed sense of urgency to each and every kick, even in practice. Leisurely kicking sessions where a ball or two might go awry without issue are no longer. A miss in practice is now analyzed like a miss in the game—note-taking, film study, whatever it takes to turn misses into makes.
After the most intense offseason yet for the duo, Brown is excited to see what Logan will do when Ole Miss takes the field in 2020.
"I've seen Luke hit a 68-yard field goal before, so Luke's got a big leg. I would put Luke's leg up against pretty much anybody's leg," Brown said. "This year, as he continues to control the ball a little bit better, you guys will be able to see that. So you understand where I'm coming from when I say he's the best kicker in the SEC."
The Rebels put in two hours of work under the hot Mississippi sun on Friday morning, their 16th of 25 practice sessions this fall leading up to the Sept. 26 opener against No. 8 Florida.
After practice, defensive back and 2020 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner Jaylon Jones, punter Mac Brown and kicker Luke Logan met with the media via Zoom to detail the latest in the secondary and on special teams.
NEW NUMBER
When Jaylon Jones was named the 2020 Chucky Mullins Courage Award winner on Thursday, he remarked that he was proud to bring the No. 38 back to the secondary. Even before he earned that honor, Jones has been using Chucky's motto to push him through his ACL injury and rehabilitation.
"I think it ties in with that quote. Never quit," Jones said. "I went through a lot. I've had a lot of ups and down since I've been here. But I've never lost sight of the main goal and where I'm trying to go. I love this sport. I give it my all. There's going to be bumps in the road on anybody's journey, so I just kept my head high, leaned on my teammates and the coaching staff and just kept rehabbing and focusing on getting better."
Now, Jones is 100 percent and ready to lead a revamped Ole Miss secondary. Jones has worked all over the place in the defensive backfield—nickel, free safety, strong safety and corner—but has worked primarily at safety this fall. He's also in the mix to return kicks. As he gets ready to start his fifth season in red and blue, he likes what he's seeing from his younger teammates.
"AJ Finley has been looking good, Jamar Richardson, Jakorey Hawkins, Keidron Smith, Jay Stanley, Jalen Jordan—we moved a receiver, Marc Britt, to safety, and he's looking really good," Jones said. "Really everybody. We've got a lot of guys who are competing. Guys want to get better every day. It's definitely showing on the field."
ZEROED IN
Like with most positions units across the Ole Miss roster, punter Mac Brown is making a change this fall under the new coaching staff. Last season, the team's punt coverage philosophy favored a rollout, rugby-style kick, but new special teams coordinator Blake Gideon will have Brown back in the traditional punting style.
"Coach Gideon wants to play to our strengths and just wants us to kick the ball the way we can kick the ball," Brown said. "Obviously he has a great resume. He was a great player at Texas, so it's great to have him from a player's standpoint, to be there and understand what happens in big games. He's kind of laid out a little map for us to follow, and we plan to execute that exactly how he wants it."
If you take a look at Brown's map, you won't find the endzone anywhere on it. The senior out of Eden Prairie, Minnesota, had six touchbacks in 57 punts last season. In 2020, he wants that number to be zero.
"My goal this year is to put zero balls in the end zone," Brown said. "As many balls inside the 20 as I can, flip the field. Just turning over balls and keeping them away from those dangerous returners. The SEC is filled with great returners. So the best thing I can do is keep it away from them, get a couple of good rolls and hope for the best—hope that I don't have to make any tackles."
NEW RULES
For Luke Logan, the biggest change has been internal. After a heartbreaking end to the 2019 season, the senior out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is approaching the 2020 season with a new mentality.
"I've been an Ole Miss fan my whole life, so that in the Egg Bowl is the last thing I'd want to happen," Logan said. "But through that all, it was an incredible teaching moment. This position that kickers are in, you get three or four opportunities a game. Whenever you don't capitalize on that, it can really stick with you. I'm not doing my team justice if I'm still focusing on that. They deserve me to be out there focused every single day, ready to make the next kick—no matter where it is, when I'm called on, it's got to be made."
That all started in the offseason with Logan and Brown, his holder. The pair is bringing a renewed sense of urgency to each and every kick, even in practice. Leisurely kicking sessions where a ball or two might go awry without issue are no longer. A miss in practice is now analyzed like a miss in the game—note-taking, film study, whatever it takes to turn misses into makes.
After the most intense offseason yet for the duo, Brown is excited to see what Logan will do when Ole Miss takes the field in 2020.
"I've seen Luke hit a 68-yard field goal before, so Luke's got a big leg. I would put Luke's leg up against pretty much anybody's leg," Brown said. "This year, as he continues to control the ball a little bit better, you guys will be able to see that. So you understand where I'm coming from when I say he's the best kicker in the SEC."
Players Mentioned
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