Dayton Wade is paving the way for the next walk-on

Wide receiver Dayton Wade has always bet on himself in his collegiate career. When he arrived in Oxford in early 2022, he continued with that mentality to high effect.

The latest episode of the Ole Miss in-season YouTube series named ‘The Season’ aired yesterday. The main focus was regarding walk-on wide receiver Dayton Wade.

Jumping back to 2019, Dayton Wade enrolled at Western Kentucky on scholarship. In his two seasons, he had 22 receptions for 190 yards.

Wade hit the transfer portal in 2021 and despite other teams showing interest, decided to walk on in the SEC with Ole Miss. It was a big decision, saying no to a scholarship and betting on himself to make an impact in the best conference in college football.

A big part of his decision was due to a conversation with then Ole Miss wide receiver Jachour Pearson. Both he and Wade played together at Western Kentucky.

In the YouTube episode, players such as Jordan Watkins and Jaxson Dart talked about the mentality Wade gives off. It strived them to work harder and bring the same energy to practice and gameday.

Despite only being 5’9, Wade has some top-level spring off the ground. It has been on show with some highlight reel grabs since he arrived in Oxford. None were more impressive than the one we witnessed this weekend against Georgia.

His work ethic and attitude since walking on did not go unnoticed, with Lane Kiffin giving Dayton Wade a scholarship at Mississippi University.

As well as that, it is showing other college kids that hard work and having the right mentality can take you places.

It’s also a positive for Ole Miss Football, with Dayton Wade paving the way for the next walk-ons to “bet” on themselves.

You can catch the latest episode of “The Season” on the Ole Miss Football YouTube channel.