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Ole Miss Football: Top 5 spring 2019 breakout candidates

By Connor Muldowney

OXFORD, MS - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels takes the field before a game against the South Alabama Jaguars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - SEPTEMBER 02: Head coach Matt Luke of the Mississippi Rebels takes the field before a game against the South Alabama Jaguars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 28: Octavious Cooley #15 of the Ole Miss Rebels has the ball stripped from him by Santos Ramirez #9 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Hemingway Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS – OCTOBER 28: Octavious Cooley #15 of the Ole Miss Rebels has the ball stripped from him by Santos Ramirez #9 of the Arkansas Razorbacks at Hemingway Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

Out of high school, Octavious Cooley was one of those guys who was expected to have an immediate impact as a four-star tight end, ranked No. 6 at the position in the 2016 class.

Cooley didn’t play in 2016 and saw action in just three games as a sophomore, catching four passes for 66 yards. He didn’t quite break out like everyone expected, but he showed glimpses of that future stardom as a junior.

In fact, he caught eight passes for 172 yards and a touchdown in his third season with the Rebels and set himself up for potentially a monster senior season in Oxford.

Dawson Knox is gone which means that the starting duties should be Cooley’s to lose. He has the talent, he has a world full of potential, but he needs to realize that. Not many tight ends have the rare blend of size and athleticism that he has and he must take advantage.

No, he’s not going to be the next Evan Engram overnight, but he can approach the 300-400 receiving yards range with a good spring under his belt and added confidence.

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