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2016 Ole Miss football depth chart, updated during spring practice

Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2016 11:14 am
by rebeljim
A couple weeks of practice may have given us new starters at safety and offensive tackle.

Spring workouts are taking a break, so it's time to revisit the Ole Miss depth chart. There's only so much that can happen in a couple weeks, but there are a few minor shakeups.

Note that a lot of the guys on this chart didn't take part in spring practice, either because of injury or because they're incoming freshmen. This is a projection of what things will look like on opening day, not necessarily how they sit at this moment.




Offense

QB Chad Kelly Shea Patterson Jason Pellerin
RB Akeem Judd Jordan Wilkins Eric Swinney
TE Evan Engram Octavious Cooley (signee) Gabe Angel (signee)
WR Damore'ea Stringfellow A.J. Brown (signee) D.K. Metcalf (signee)
WR Quincy Adeboyejo Damarkus Lodge Derrick Jones
Slot Markell Pack Van Jefferson Tre Nixon (signee)
LT Greg Little (signee) Bryce Mathews (signee) Talbot Buys
LG Javon Patterson Daronte Bouldin Tyler Putman
C Robert Conyers Eli Johnson (signee) Sam Johnson
RG Rod Taylor Jordan Sims Michael Howard
RT Alex Givens Sean Rawlings Jeremy Liggins

Defense

Strong DE Fadol Brown John Youngblood Garrald McDowell
Weak DE Marquis Haynes Victor Evans Charles Wiley (signee)
DT Breeland Speaks Issac Gross Austrian Robinson
NT D.J. Jones Benito Jones (early enrollee) Ross Donelly
MLB Rommel Mageo Detric Bing-Dukes Terry Caldwell
OLB DeMarquis Gates Tayler Polk Tariqious Tisdale (signee)
CB Kendarius Webster Kailo Moore Carlos Davis
CB Tony Bridges Cam Ordway Jalen Julius
Rover Zedrick Woods C.J. Moore Deontay Anderson (signee)
FS C.J. Hampton Armani Linton A.J. Moore
Husky Tony Conner Jaylon Jones (signee) Myles Hartsfield (signee)

What changed during spring practice?

Zedrick Woods moved to rover and could very well be the starter.

Woods came on strong late in his freshman season, filling in at husky after Tony Conner was shelved for good. But with Conner expected to be ready to go by fall practice, the coaches moved Woods to rover safety (Ole Miss' version of strong safety), where the competition to replace Trae Elston is wide open. Armani Linton, who we previously had projected as the starting rover, spent spring training at free safety behind Hampton. That seems like a strong indication that its Woods' job to lose.

Other shakeups included moving C.J. Moore to rover and A.J. Moore to free. I expect the safety spots won't start to settle until the coaches get four-star signees Deontay Anderson and Jaylon Jones on campus.

Alex Givens may be making a move on a starting tackle spot.

Givens, a former three-star who redshirted last season, got No. 1 reps at both tackle spots in the spring. Once super recruit Greg Little gets on campus, we'll have he, Givens and sophomore Sean Rawlings, who started seven games at RT while Laremy Tunsil was suspended, competing for two starting spots. But O-line coach Matt Luke told the Ole Miss Spirit that Rawlings has been working at both tackle and center, which makes me think they're grooming him for a flexible reserve role like they did with Robert Conyers a couple seasons ago. If they thought Rawlings was the guy at right tackle, why would they have him messing around at center?




"Alex is a very talented kid for where he is as a redshirt freshman," Luke said of Givens. "He's still inexperienced with no game reps, so these spring reps will be important for him." Depending on how quickly Little assimilates, Givens may end up being the opening day starter at LT.

Hellooooo linebackers

The Rebs picked up not one, but two late linebacker transfers: Mageo Rommel, a graduate transfer who led Oregon State in tackles last season, and Detric Bings-Duke, a three-star JUCO. They weren't at spring practice but should immediately fill in at the Mike spot when they arrive.

"I expect Rommel Mageo and Detric Bing-Dukes to come in and compete right away for the mike linebacker spot," Hugh Freeze said a couple weeks ago. "We feel like [Mageo] may be the guy. We don't know that for sure. He has to come down and earn it like everyone else, but you guys know that that is the place that we need help the most."

Also joining the middle backers is Willie Hibbler, who's switched over from tight end. He won't crack the top three until he adjusts to the position, but at 6'3, 240 and good athleticism, he could develop into a contributor.

http://www.redcuprebellion.com/2016/1/1 ... -patterson