OXFORD — Lane Kiffin looked out at Ole Miss’ defense on the first day of preseason camp and noted that only one presumptive starter actually signed with the Rebels out of high school.
Everyone else was a transfer, a player who started his career at another program before entering the transfer portal and making his way to Oxford.
That one player, of course, was Ole Miss senior defensive end Cedric Johnson. Johnson signed with Ole Miss after a stellar career at Davidson High School in Mobile, Ala. Asked what he would’ve thought had someone told him back in 2020 that he’d be the lone original Rebel on the Ole Miss defense three years later, Johnson paused for a thoughtful moment.
“I would’ve told you that you were a liar,” Johnson said. “I wouldn’t have believed you at all. Some of the guys at the time had been here five or six years. I would’ve thought there was no way. How would that even be possible?”
Yet, here we are, 34 games and 19 starts later, Johnson is one of the most recognized names on the Ole Miss roster and an unquestioned leader on the defense and in the program.
“A lot of people have been reminding me that I’m a senior now, the old guy, the old head in the building, so time really does fly,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy. I’m just a freshman, it feels like.”
Johnson was recruited to Ole Miss by former coach Matt Luke and his recruiting coordinator, Tyler Siskey. Siskey had strong Mobile ties and had recruited Johnson’s older brother, Cephus. Ten days after Ole Miss replaced Luke with Kiffin, Johnson took a leap of faith and stuck with the Rebels. He’s glad he did.
“Ole Miss has just been good to me, simply put, honestly,” Johnson said. “The whole community, coaches, Kiffin, it’s just been great to me.”
This preseason, Ole Miss has key defensive players who started their careers at programs such as North Carolina State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, UCF, Miami (Ohio), Auburn, Iowa State, Liberty, Nebraska, James Madison and elsewhere.
“I know a lot of people think stuff like that is hard, having a whole bunch of guys come in,” Johnson said. “Most of the guys just want to win and find new brothers to win with. So it’s really not that hard. New guys come in and just want to know how we do things here, and once they know, they buy in.
“The main thing is when we face adversity, knowing how to push through and finish games. When we hit hard times, it’s about being able to keep going.”
Johnson has played in three bowl games already, including the Sugar Bowl. What’s left is a championship. Ole Miss has never played in the Southeastern Conference Championship Game, though Johnson looks back on the 2022 season and believes the Rebels were awfully close. Ole Miss was at the Alabama 14-yard-line in the final minutes last season, a touchdown away from a 9-1 mark and perhaps something very special. The Rebels didn’t score, however, and closed the regular season with losses at Arkansas and at home to Mississippi State.
“We could’ve been 9-1 in that situation,” said Johnson, who has accumulated 79 tackles and 13.5 quarterback sacks in his Ole Miss career. "We would’ve had way more momentum going into those last few games and possibly could’ve gone to the playoffs. The margin of error is just so much smaller. It’s just crazy to think that one thing — in the red zone, could’ve scored to win that game — could’ve changed the whole season possibly.”
Asked what a conference title would mean to him, Johnson didn’t hesitate. It’s something he’s thought about frequently during the lead-up to his senior season.
“It would mean a lot to me,” Johnson said. “I feel like I would’ve accomplished a lot here, being here all four years. Going from here to the NFL at that point, I would feel great.”
Ole Miss opens the season Sept. 2 versus Mercer in Oxford.
