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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Football Spring Outlook
3/19/2021 | Football
Rebels Return 66 Lettermen From 2020 Squad
| 2021 OLE MISS SPRING FOOTBALL - TEAM INFORMATION | |
| Basic Offense: Spread Lettermen Returning/Lost: 66/19 Offensive Lettermen Returning/Lost: 30/11 Defensive Lettermen Returning/Lost: 35/5 Specialists Lettermen Returning/Lost: 1/3 |
Basic Defense: Multiple Starters Returning/Lost: 19/6 Offensive Starters Returning/Lost: 8/3 Defensive Starters Returning/Lost: 10/1 Specialists Starters Returning/Lost: 1/2 |
The 2021 campaign brings a new wave of excitement to Oxford and the Ole Miss campus as Lane Kiffin looks to build off a strong finish to last season.
The Rebels won four of their final five games, including a 26-20 win over No. 7 Indiana in the Outback Bowl and return a solid mix of veterans and young talent. Ole Miss returns 78 percent (66 of 85) of its lettermen from last season, including 19 position starters in 2021. Eight starters and 30 total letterwinners return for one of the most dynamic offenses in the country. The Rebels ranked top 20 in the FBS in nine different offensive categories last season, including having the No. 3 team in the country in total offense. The Rebels shattered the school record with 555.5 yards per game.
The Rebels also broke the SEC record for total offense in conference games (562.4 ypg), besting LSU's mark of 550.0 yards per game set last season during the Tigers' run to a national title.
Junior Matt Corral returns as the Rebels' primary signal caller and is one of the most productive quarterbacks in the country. Corral became just the fourth SEC player ever to finish as NCAA leader in total offense per game (384.9) last season, joining Pat Sullivan (1970), Rex Grossman (2001) and Johnny Manziel (2012). The signal-caller also finished No. 5 in passing yards per game (333.7), No. 7 in passing TDs (29), No. 9 in passing efficiency (177.6) and No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5). Corral is the returning SEC leader in eight separate categories.
Ole Miss returns 100 percent of the rushing production from the running back position, including junior Jerrion Ealy. Ealy finished last season with 745 rushing yards on 147 carries and nine TDs on the ground. He ranked No. 25 in the FBS in all-purpose yardage (132.1 ypg). Ealy also serves as a dangerous return threat, with one kickoff return TD in each of the last two seasons.
Dontario Drummond and Jonathan Mingo are a duo of two-year starters at wideout that will hope to replace the production lost with last year's top two receiving threats, Elijah Moore and Kenny Yeboah, headed to the NFL. Moore, a consensus All-America selection last season, hauled in a school record 86 receptions for 1,193 yards and eight touchdowns during his last season in a Rebel uniform. Moore, a Biletnikoff finalist, led the country in receiving yards per game (149.1) and receptions per game (10.8). Yeboah registered 27 receptions for 524 yards and six touchdowns, the seventh-most amongst FBS tight ends.
2020 starters, Nick Broeker, Ben Brown, Jeremy James and Caleb Warren, all return to help anchor the Ole Miss offensive line.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ole Miss returns 35 lettermen and will rely heavily on their 10 returning starters from the 2020 defense.
Sam Williams, KD Hill, Tariqious Tisdale, Quentin Bivens and Tavius Robinson all return for the Rebels on the defensive line. Williams paced Ole Miss last season with eight tackles for loss and four sacks. Cedric Johnson and Brandon Mack will see action at the hybrid buck position.
Linebackers Lakia Henry, Jacquez Jones and MoMo Sanogo have a combined 56 career starts between the three of them and will all be called upon to help lead the Ole Miss defense in 2021. Jones led the team last season with 75 total tackles, while Henry finish third with 62. Sanogo has 184 career tackles, including 112 during a healthy 2018 campaign.
The Rebels also return numerous key starters and loads of additional depth in the secondary. Starters Keidron Smith, A.J. Finley, Jon Haynes, Jakorey Hawkins and Jalen Jordan are back after all starting a majority of games last season. Smith led all returning DBs in 2020 with 64 tackles, while Finley led the Rebels with three interceptions and seven pass breakups. Otis Reese, a transfer from Georgia, became eligible for the final three games of the 2020 season and averaged eight tackles per game.
Below is a position-by-position breakdown headed into spring drills.
| QUARTERBACK |
• Corral finished No. 5 in passing yards per game (333.7), No. 7 in passing TDs (29), No. 9 in passing efficiency (177.6) and No. 11 in passing yards per completion (14.5).
• Corral is the returning SEC leader in eight separate categories.
• Backup John Rhys Plumlee earned true freshman All-America two seasons ago and saw action at receiver during the Rebels' Outback Bowl win.
• Kinkead Dent will also add depth behind Corral.
• Luke Altmyer is a mid-year enrollee who will join Ole Miss for spring drills.
| RUNNING BACKS |
• Junior Jerrion Ealy rushed for 745 yards and tallied nine touchdowns on the ground.
• Ealy ranked No. 25 in the FBS in all-purpose yardage (132.1 ypg).
• Snoop Conner finished 2020 with 421 yards on the ground, including eight rushing TDs.
• Conner had a rushing touchdown in seven of the 10 games last season.
• Henry Parrish Jr., who saw significant playing time late in the 2020 season, will help add another explosive option in the Rebel backfield.
| WIDE RECEIVERS |
• Moore broke the school record with 86 receptions and led the country in receiving yards per game (149.1) and receptions per game (10.8).
• Dontario Drummond and Jonathan Mingo are the two Rebel starters that return for 2021.
• Drummond tallied 25 receptions for 417 yards in 2020, with seven TDs.
• Mingo hauled in 27 catches for 379 yards and three touchdowns.
• Senior Braylon Sanders returns for an extra year and leads the experienced receiving group with 33 career appearances at Ole Miss.
• Sanders averaged 99 yards receiving over the final three regular season games.
• Newcomers Qua Davis, Brandon Buckhaulter, Bralon Brown and JJ Henry will all add depth at the wideout position.
| TIGHT ENDS |
• Casey Kelly, Chase Rogers and Damarcus Thomas will all compete for the chance to replace Yeboah in the starting lineup.
• Kelly had a career-best performance during the Outback Bowl in Yeboah's absence, hauling in six receptions for 49 yards and one TD.
• Rogers appeared in eight games in 2020, with one start.
• Thomas is a talented sophomore who will challenge for playing time.
• Jonathan Hess and Luke Knox, who switched to tight end at the beginning of spring camp, will both add depth to the position.
| OFFENSIVE LINE |
• Ole Miss returns center Ben Brown, who has started every game on the Rebel o-line since arriving on campus in 2018.
• Jeremy James earned freshman All-America honors after ending the season without a sack or QB hit in nearly 300 pass blocking snaps over the course of the final seven games.
• James was the only freshman guard in the SEC that tallied a grade of 70 or better by Pro Football Focus
• Junior Nick Broeker and sophomore Caleb Warren also return in 2020 after starting every game last year.
• Jalen Cunningham, Hamilton Hall, Eli Acker, Carter Colquitt and Bryce Ramsey will all push for spots on the line in the spring.
| DEFENSIVE LINE |
• Williams led the Rebels with eight tackles for loss and four sacks last season.
• Hill has 21 career appearances on the interior of the Rebel d-line.
• Tariqious Tisdale is utilizing the extra year of eligibility after missing the final few games of the 2020 season due to an upper body injury.
• LeDarrius Cox, Patrick Lucas Jr, Hal Northern, Tavius Robinson and Sincere David will all add depth.
• Transfer Jamond Gordon is a mid-year enrollee who will join Ole Miss for spring drills.
| OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS |
• Johnson showed flashes during his true freshman campain, including a key sack in the Outback Bowl to seal the win over No. 7 Indiana.
• Brown and Mack both appeared in five games in 2020.
| LINEBACKERS |
• Lakia Henry, Jacquez Jones and MoMo Sanogo have a combined 56 career starts between the three of them.
• Jones led the Rebels with 75 total tackles last season.
• Henry finished third on the team in tackles (62), tackles for loss (5) and sacks (2.5).
• Sanogo offers valuable experience with 35 career games played and 184 total career tackles.
• Zikerrion Baker, Ashanti Cistrunk and Austin Keys return from last year's team and will add depth.
• Maryland transfer Chance Campbell will join the Rebels and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
• Campbell earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors as a junior in 2020 after leading the team with 43 tackles (22 solo) and 5.5 tackles for loss in just four games.
• He finished 12th in FBS and second in Big Ten with 11.0 tackles per game.
| DEFENSIVE BACKS |
• Otis Reese, a transfer from Georgia, became eligible for the final three games of the 2020 season and averaged eight tackles per game.
• Veteran Jaylon Jones is back for his another season and leads the defensive backfield with 39 career appearances.
• Tylan Knight, Deane Leonard and Jalen Denton all return in 2021.
• Eight of the 26 signees for the 2021 signing class are defensive backs and all eight will be mid-year enrollees.
| SPECIAL TEAMS |
• Brown averaged a career-best 46.6 yards per punt in 2020.
• Cale Nation, Land Gebhart and newcomer Caden Costa will all compete for the place kicker role.
• Jerrion Ealy has a kick return TD in each of the last two seasons.
Players Mentioned
