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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss Football Practice Report: Path to Greatness
8/15/2024 | Football
Presented by Oxford Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine
OXFORD, Miss. – The work continues for the Ole Miss football team as it looks to pave a path to the 2024 College Football Playoff, and each of the Rebels look to pave their own path to success.
On Thursday, three new transfer portal additions—Julius Buelow, Isaiah Hamilton and Dae’Quan Wright—met with the media to talk about their paths to Ole Miss and where they hope their future roads lead.
IRON SHARPENS IRON
Julius Buelow is one of many pieces of the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class. After helping guide Washington to the national title game last year, he and fellow Husky Nate Kalepo, had the opportunity to visit Oxford, and even amid a rare Mississippi snowstorm, the pair knew immediately that Ole Miss was the place to be.
“I’ve got to give a shoutout to Victor Curne, he played left tackle here last year. He was my teammate at UW. He got me in contact with Coach Weis and Coach Garrison, it kind of piqued our interest in coming here,” Buelow said. “We flew out to Oxford, had a great time during the blizzard.”
Much of the attention in the Rebel portal class has been on their blue-chip defensive linemen, but the Rebels also added a lot on the offensive end, and those two groups will continue to clash on a daily basis as they prepare for August 31. Ole Miss could rotate double-digit linemen on the offensive front this season, and Buelow figures to be a big part of that dynamic.
“I want to be a contributor. I want to be the best teammate I can be,” Buelow said. “Committed to the daily grind, the competition. Iron sharpens iron. We have a great D-line. I think we have a great offensive line too, and I think great things will come this season.”
PATH TO SUCCESS
Isaiah Hamilton is looking to take the Daijahn Anthony route to the NFL. Both were zero-star recruits out of high school. Both went to small schools—Anthony to Shepherd, Hamilton to Texas Southern. Then both went to bigger schools—Anthony to Liberty, Hamilton to Houston. Then, they came to the Sip. Anthony starred in the Rebel secondary last year and earned an NFL Draft selection. That type of development is why Hamilton came to Ole Miss.
“I love the way Coach Pete and Coach Brown were highly interested in me and showed me they really cared and wanted to help me grow and become a better football player and for me to carry on to the next level, and I also wanted that for myself—growth and opportunities,” Hamilton said on why he came to Ole Miss.
Hamilton was a late addition to the secondary, joining Ole Miss in May after spring ball. The Rebels had already added Louis Moore, Brandon Turnage, Key Lawrence, Yam Banks and Trey Amos to the secondary through the portal, but Hamilton figured that would only make him—and his teammates—better.
“I saw the talent they had here already. Competition-wise, I felt like I would make them work harder to get better as a team, and also myself,” Hamilton said. “I looked at it as us getting better as a collective, and I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing the whole time since I’ve been here.”
THE WRIGHT WAY
Many players hit the transfer portal and look for a destination where they can be the guy at their position. Dae’quan Wright chose his destination knowing that Ole Miss already had an elite tight end in Caden Prieskorn, but he didn’t see that as a negative.
“Really Lane Kiffin and his past and what he did with tight ends and how he used them. I watched Caden go crazy in the bowl game and how he was used. That got my attention,” Wright said. “With Caden being here, it didn’t really bother me because with two tight ends, it’s kind of scary in an offense.”
The junior appeared in 19 games over two seasons at Virginia Tech, tallying 574 yards through the air. Knowing that he can play a massive role in the offense despite not being the loudest voice in the room, Wright has settled right in.
“It’s actually been pretty good. He’s been the leader. I’ve been trying to lead the other guys too coming in as a junior. I’ve just tried to get comfortable around the guys, build relationships, and that’s been great,” Wright said. “Being beside him, he’s a great tight end, is pretty good for me because it lets me showcase my talents, and we complement each other on the field, so it’s good.”
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