Can Ole Miss Rebels Ever be an SEC Powerhouse?

Defense

This was a Top 40 defense last year, giving up only 23.7 points per game, and it should be loaded this year. Eight starters are back along with plenty of other contributors, and where there are starters gone, Freeze has blue-chip recruits to plug in. This is a star-studded unit that has been the story of Freeze’s first two years in Oxford, and it should be no different this year, starting with the raw talent up front.

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The defensive line in coordinator Dave Wommack’s 4-2-5 system loses both defensive ends, and honestly, there’s no reason to care. Cameron Whigham and Channing Ward were good, but they didn’t do anything special. Seniors C.J. Johnson and Carlos Thompson have lots of talent and should fill those holes easily. They only played four and five games respectively last year, so with full seasons to themselves there’s no limit to what they can do. The middle is set as well. Robert Nkemdiche started as a freshman at defensive tackle last year and put up 8 tackles for a loss and 2 sacks. He’s another guy who could turn into a superstar this year. Junior nose tackles Issac Gross and Woodrow Hamilton are both skilled in different ways and will both see plenty of action. Gross can wreak havoc in the backfield after 9 tackles for a loss and 3.5 sacks last year, but Hamilton can clog up the middle standing at 6’3″ 315 pounds. Behind those five guy, seniors Bryon Bennett and Lavon Hooks along with sophomore John Youngblood all have plenty of experience and should make for a loaded, deep, star-filled line. Sophomore Fadol Brown will step into the rotation this year, and then Freeze brought in four highly recruited freshmen, all of whom could make an impact this year. The recruiting has set this line up for the future as well as being very deep right now.

Senior linebacker Serderius Bryant is the leader of this group and is back after 65 tackles, 12.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, and 3 forced fumbles. Mike Marry is not much of a loss because senior D.T. Shackelford should be fine stepping into the other starting role after 32.5 tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, and 2 sacks last year. Senior Keith Lewis and junior Denzel Nkemdiche both have the experience and talent to be in the rotation as well after combining for 45 tackles and 5 tackles for a loss last year. Sophomore Temario Strong will have a larger role in the rotation this year as well, and look for junior college transfer Christian Russell to make an impact. Freeze also brought in 4-star freshman DeMarquis Gates, so the group is deeper, more experienced, and should be more talented than it was a year ago.

November 17, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Jeremy Hill (33) is tackled by Ole Miss Rebels defensive back Cody Prewitt (25) during the second half at Tiger Stadium. LSU defeated Ole Miss 41-35. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports

The secondary is loaded. Like, really loaded. So incredibly loaded, that the strength of last year’s defense should be able to improve the defense by itself this year. It’ll provide more defensive reinforcement in Mississippi than the Confederates had at the outbreak of the Civil War. In a 4-2-5 defense, it’s only natural that the pass defense will have better numbers. But this was a top 40 defense last year with three starters that were either a freshman or sophomore. Senior safety Cody Prewitt is the star of the defense, as an All-American last year. He comes back after 6 interceptions, 8 passes broken up, 2 forced fumbles, and 4.5 tackles for a loss. He should be able to match his superstar production this year. Moving on to the young guys, nickelback Tony Conner was all over the field last year as a freshman starter, with 5 tackles for a loss, a sack, an interception, and 6 passes broken up. Look for him to become a breakout star this year. Junior cornerback Mike Hilton is also versatile after 5.5 tackles for a loss, an interception, a forced fumble, and 4 passes broken up last year. Wommack is going old school with junior Trae Elston, who plays the rover position and had 6 passes broken up and a forced fumble last year. Senior cornerback Senquez Golson had 2.5 tackles for a loss, 2 interceptions, and 3 passes broken up last year. All five guys will be better as the starters this year, and this should be a shut-down secondary. Junior Chief Brown and sophomore Derrick Jones also have experience in the rotation and will see regular action again this year, and junior Carlos Davis and senior Cliff Coleman will provide depth. If that wasn’t enough, Freeze has three sophomores and a freshman waiting to take over who were 4-star recruits, so this unit is also loaded for the future.

The defense was pretty good last year and should be great this year. Freeze has recruited very well on this side of the ball and has lots of returning starters, so once again it should be the strength of the Ole Miss football team. Continue to Next Slide for Special Teams