Ole Miss Rebels News: Spring Has Sprung, Questions Going Forward

After a pretty rough year surrounding Ole Miss Rebels News it seems things are finally beginning to get better for Ole Miss athletics.

The latest Ole Miss Rebels News has been good and is getting even better day by day. Spring is here and Easter sends us into the last two months of the Ole Miss 2017-18 academic and athletics calendar year. I think we can all agree this has been a tough year for Ole Miss Sports. The year started with NCAA investigation which ultimately led to the resignation of Hugh Freeze last summer. The Ole Miss baseball team didn’t make it into the NCAA tournament. Ole Miss softball was one of the few bright spots. Like Coach Freeze, Andy Kennedy did not go out the way he wanted to with one of the worst Ole Miss basketball seasons in years.

Now, we have a very bright light in the Ole Miss baseball team but let’s wait and see how the rest of the season plays out. Will they make it to Omaha? They are certainly good enough but they have to stay healthy and have a few lucky balls and strikes along the way. The Ole Miss softball team is struggling but the future is in good hands with Mike Smith. As of this release the Ole Miss women’s basketball coach has yet to be named but I believe Ross will get the right person for the job as he did, in my opinion with Kermit Davis, Jr. for the men. For those who are upset that Davis went to and played for Mississippi State, get over yourself. So did Van Chancellor, the Ole Miss women’s legend basketball coach from years gone by.

Questions Moving Forward

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Now as we go forward there are many questions for the next season and beyond. How will this affect Ole Miss Rebels news? Will Ole Miss win their NCAA appeal? Will the lawsuits by Rebel Rags against Leo Lewis, Kobe Jones, Dan Mullen and Scott Stricklin go forward and what happens to the defendants if Rebel Rags wins? Could Dan Mullen and Scott Stricklin get fired at Florida? Don’t brush it off. In this scandalous era that we are in, anything is possible.

Will Matt Luke build on last season’s finish and have a winning season and beat MSU again? Can he land a top ten recruiting class? Right now Ole Miss is in the top five and the state of Mississippi’s 2019 class is the best ever! A winning season and a top recruiting class will be the key to Matt Luke’s longevity.

Some of you were not very happy when Luke was named the permanent coach after having the interim tag removed. Well, remember many Clemson fans were not happy when Dabo Sweeney was named the permanent coach after being the interim coach when Tommy Bowden was fired. We all know how that decision turned out.

Luke Off To Great Start

I believe the main reason that Luke has gotten off to a great start with the 2019 class is that no one loves or has more passion for Ole Miss than he does. You can bet that love and passion comes off as very sincere to the recruits and their families. It makes a huge difference. If you’re like me, you can’t wait for the 2018 football season. The offense may be one of the best in history. If the defense can improve, Ole Miss could be one of the surprise teams this fall.

Questions About Hoops

Will Kermit Davis be successful as the new Ole Miss men’s basketball coach. Well, he was 8-2 versus the SEC and Andy Kennedy couldn’t beat him. Davis is an excellent X’s and O’s coach and knows Mississippi very well. He knows the Ole Miss culture and what type of players he needs to be successful. Time will tell but I believe that Davis will win more than Andy Kennedy did and more importantly gets Ole Miss to the Big Dance more often. This is not a knock on Kennedy but I bet even he would tell you it was time for a change in leadership.

Appeal Questions

Will Ole Miss win its’ NCAA appeal and if not will there be more legal action? You never know with the NCAA, but I predict the Bowl Ban will stand but the NCAA will give back the unofficial visits. Remember no post season will not impact the upcoming signing class as you can already tell. We will know soon and quite frankly we need to put this to bed one way or the other. In regards to this whole NCAA mess, there has been a lot of debate on Shea Patterson’s eligibility at Michigan.

Transfer Questions

There have been rumors that Ole Miss waived any kind of resistance to him being able to play in 2018 and quite frankly I believe that he should. Now, many of you will not take kindly my opinion but Shea is a good kid. He did not sign up for all of this at Ole Miss and he wanted to play for Hugh Freeze plain and simple. After his season ending injury it was obvious that Jordan Ta’amu had won over the team. It was not certain that Shea Patterson would be the starting quarterback for Ole Miss and I don’t have direct knowledge of this, but I’m guessing Matt Luke told Shea he had to win the job.

Michigan needed a quarterback and Shea has family and friends in that area. Let’s wish him well and thank him for his time when he was here. I was at the Texas A&M game for his debut in College Station, Texas and I’ll never forget that Johnny Manziel like performance. It was epic. Shea, this writer hopes you do well at Michigan and make it to the NFL. I hope other Rebels will think about what if it was their son? You have to do what’s best for your long term future, just like Peyton Manning did by going to Tennessee. Timing is everything. Ask Eli Manning!

Questions About Bjork

Finally, what will Ross Bjork’s legacy be at Ole Miss? I know he’s received a lot of criticism, but let’s remember he didn’t hire Hugh Freeze or Andy Kennedy. Personally, I like Ross Bjork. He’s been nothing but professional when I’ve been around him and if I e-mail him with a question, he always replies. His legacy is now at the mercy of the Matt Luke and Kermit Davis, Jr. hires.

Next: Looking A Little Further Ahead

I applaud both hires. In fact the week that Kennedy resigned, I e-mailed Ross and recommended that he hire Kermit Davis, Jr. I believe Ross will be a long-term successful Athletics Director at Ole Miss. We have to give him time and let the results speak for themselves. I hope to see Ross and many of you in Omaha this June. Hotty Toddy!

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