Ole Miss Football: Latest Updates From The Rebels Fall Camp

With the 2018 Ole Miss football season just weeks away there is a lot going on around the Rebels fall camp over the past few days and here are the updates.

The clock is slowly ticking and counting down towards the Ole Miss football season opener against Texas Tech September 1. Naturally the Rebels have been busy with fall camp getting ready for the season. There hasn’t been a lot of news from Oxford about the Rebels but what has been released has been great news for the Rebels and their fans. OHT has been trying to keep up with it all and keep everybody updated as we head thru fall practice.

Now in day 11 fall camp for Ole Miss football has been going smoothly for coach Matt Luke, his staff and the Rebels players. As expected the Rebels have had very little practice time viewed by the media. Of course, with the August heat in North Mississippi Matt Luke has been busy with practices in the IPF instead of on the practice field. Still, it hasn’t slowed the practice schedule or the Rebels attitude. The Rebels are focused, working hard and position competition is building.

Players Are Competing

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Naturally with every fall camp the competition ramps up as players are fighting for positions on the depth chart for their respective positions. This fall camp is no different however there are some positions where even the starters have competition for their spots. The defensive side of the ball, on the line and in the backfield, is where it seems the most potential starting spots are being battled for.

One of the positions receiving the most competition is that of defensive tackle. We knew prior to camp this was a position of focus for coach Freddie Roach and OC Wesley McGriff because of the loss of Breeland Speaks to the 2018 NFL Draft. The Rebels recruited the position hard in the last class and now there is a lot of depth which means DTs vying for playing time.

It appears junior Josiah Coatney has the position at this point although red-shirt freshman Sincere David had been looking really good until he went down with an injury. Now, that opens up the depth chart for other tackles to move up and get more plays. Senior Ross Donelly has been having a terrific fall camp and has developed in the off-season to be a true threat to junior Benito Jones at the No.1 nose tackle position.

Other Competitions

Of course, there is has also been an intense competition at STAR between juniors Vernon Dasher and Myles Hartsfield. Now Dasher is out with an injury and it opens up the No.2 spot for junior Montrell Custis at least until Dasher gets healthy. Speaking of Hartsfield, Myles has had a really good fall and has been getting reps at both STAR and corner-back and has been locked in and very physical. In other defensive news, Qaadir Sheppard moved to No.1 defensive end this past weekend and we’ve heard he is incredibly fast off the edge and making plays in camp.

On the offensive side of the ball there has been the battle for the premier running back spot. For now it still appears junior Scottie Phillips is in the lead for Jordan Wilkins empty spot but then there is junior Eric Swinney who is coming on stronger each day in practice. Freshmen Tylan Knight and Isaiah Woullard have both been doing very well and are getting extra reps with the 2nd team. Apparently head coach Matt Luke is happy with what he has seen from the running back competition lately. Per OleMissSports.com,

"“There’s a really good competition growing there at running back. They’re making each other better. Really like the competition and the physicality they’re running with.”~Head coach Matt Luke"

The running back position has been a question mark for this season but so far Luke has been dedicated to producing a legit running game in 2018. Apparently Luke realizes he has a talented running back group and is donating a lot of practice time to developing that facet of the fast-paced Longo offense. In wide receiver news freshmen Elijah Moore and Miles Battle have both been getting extra reps in practice and both look very good. Now on to a sore subject.

The Injury Bug

When it comes to injuries the Rebels were lucky for the first week of camp for the most part. There were a few minor injuries but nothing which really raised concerns. However, once full contact began we knew the bug would finally hit and it has. A special thanks goes out to Chuck Rounsaville for his practice reports with injury updates via Ole Miss Spirit.

AJ Brown, hamstring
Javien Hamilton, hamstring
Jason Pellerin, dislocated finger
DaMarkus Lodge, ankle
Ken Webster, hamstring
Vernon Dasher, groin
Sincere David, MCL sprain

According to Rounsaville, it is likely Brown and Hamilton should be back to full practice status later this week. Dasher should only be out a few days and Webster in looking at about a week out. David will likely be out the better part of two weeks as a result of the sprained MCL. We hope these players recover fully and quickly and get back in the grind as soon as possible. Of course, injuries are a part of the game and it does allow younger players to get valuable reps with the starters and second team.

Burning Questions.... dark. Next

So there are the latest updates from Ole Miss football fall camp and Rebels practices. As we get closer to the season Ole Hotty Toddy will do our best to keep our readers updated on the latest news from around the program. Please be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Hotty Toddy!

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