OXFORD, Miss. – Ole Miss football is another week closer to kickoff as the Rebels dressed in full pads for the first time during fall training camp in Thursday morning's practice.
With a Mississippi storm rolling in the night before, a cool front came in to provide the Rebels with some relief from the heat for the transition to full pads. Speaking with the media following practice were senior cornerback Zamari Walton, senior offensive lineman Caleb Warren and junior safety Trey Washington.
Season tickets are still available for the 2023 season, as are the recently announced Party Packs, which features two, three and four-game mini plans.
For all ticket opportunities, contact the Ole Miss Athletics Ticket office at OleMissTix.com, olemisstix@olemiss.edu or 888-732-TKTS. A limited number of season ticket opportunities remain throughout Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Excluding single seats, several sections have sold out, including the south end zone. If inventory is available, single-game tickets will go on sale beginning August 15.
To follow along all camp and all season long, follow @olemissfb on Twitter and Instagram and OleMissFootball on Facebook.
FULL PADS = FULL OUT
The anticipation for the first Saturday in September rises higher every day for the Rebels, and today another mark on the checklist was crossed off as Ole Miss broke out in full pads for the first time – and the players were ready to roll.
"It feels good," Walton said. "It feels really good to be able to hit. It's been a while. It just feels good to be out there with the guys, just the comradery and everything."
For junior Trey Washington, the culture of growth leading to this has been evident since the spring.
"Since spring to fall camp, we've made a lot of growth from day-in to day-out with every practice," Washington said. "That's really the only thing we're focusing on in fall camp is growing on a daily basis. I'm really confident with what we've been doing here."
EXPERIENCE ON THE LINE
One can't discuss the quality of an offense without mentioning the men up front. A veteran of protecting his quarterback, Caleb Warren hyped the importance of having continuity on the offensive front.
"This year I feel like is the most experience we've had on the line since I've been here in my five years," Warren said. "I would say that probably one of the most important things to have on the offensive line is continuity, just having the chemistry. We play tempo offense, so you're not always going to get the most perfect call. If you just know what you've got and what the guy beside you has, you don't even sometimes have to say anything. You're just always on the same page."
Warren is one of four returning starters for Ole Miss on the offensive line alongside the likes of Preseason All-American and Outland Trophy watch list member Micah Pettus and Jayden Williams, the Rebels' top returning pass blockers from a season ago.
"[Jayden and Micah have progressed] tremendously," Warren said. "From on the field to off the field, everything they've done they've progressed in a million different ways. It's been really great to see. I'm looking forward to them having a big year."
Ole Miss is hoping for another big year out of its offensive line, which has paved the way for the Rebels to lead the SEC in rushing in two of the last three years. During the 2022 season, the o-line led Ole Miss to shatter the school record in total rushing yards (3,336) that was previously set in 1957.
LANDSHARK DEFENSE
After the departures of AJ Finley and Otis Reese to the NFL, the Rebels have restocked and reloaded at defensive back, bringing in veteran and transfer players to the secondary position. Defensive coordinator Pete Golding, cornerbacks coach Keynodo Hudson and safeties coach Wes Neighbors III have been putting in the work to lock down the defensive end in their first seasons in Oxford as well.
"Coach [Golding] is coaching us really hard and everyone looks really good so far," Walton said. "We're just all competing every day to be the best."
"I think our coaching staff is more versatile," Washington said. "That's a thing I love. Coach Neighbors is more laid back, so we can kind of chill but we're still working. With Coach Hudson, he's more riled up and can get people going. I think those clashes make a great coaching staff."
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