Preston Cushman will walk across the stage and receive his degree from Calvary Christian High School in Clearwater, Fla., Sunday.

Days later, he'll make the trip west to Oxford to begin his college career. The 6-foot-5 offensive lineman is already up to 300 pounds, and he's got a big summer ahead. Offensive line isn't Ole Miss' deepest position group, and insiders believe Cushman has a real chance to provide depth for the Rebels early in the 2022 season.

"The main goal right now is to go in there and compete," Cushman said. "I'm really trying to get those meaningful snaps and start running with some of those older guys immediately. I'm going in there with a good weight right now and I'm hoping to be able to take advantage of that summer weightlifting program and really be able to go in there and by the first couple of weeks of camp, being able to run with those older guys and see what we're made of."

Cushman ultimately projects as a center, but he said Ole Miss offensive line coach Jake Thornton has told him to be prepared to start out at tackle and learn guard and center as well. Cushman said he's played all five offensive line spots in high school, and that versatility is something Ole Miss is hoping to build on.

"It's just moving in where (Thornton) sees fit and where he needs players," Cushman said. "It's not a dead-set thing. It's going in, probably starting at tackle and see what happens there and moving inside as the year goes on to get those extra reps and move with those other guys."

Cushman said he and Thornton have talked about a utility role where he could help at multiple spots if needed.

"In my case, I feel like it would be easier (to learn) than some would think," Cushman said. "Obviously, there's going to be a lot of thinking that has to go with that, learning playbooks and learning how plays develop, but I've done it in high school and learned positions. I feel like once I get out there and master one thing, I can move on. Obviously, an SEC playbook is really out there and there's a ton of plays, but I think Coach Thornton will put in good places to do that. ...It'll be something that's not totally crazy. We'll see what happens when we get up there and what that entails."

Cushman played his senior year of high school at 275 pounds. He attacked the weight room after that, adding 25 pounds of muscle.

"I feel comfortable at this weight and we're obviously looking to put on pounds as I get to Ole Miss," Cushman said. "That's the goal -- to put on some clean weight and still be able to be athletic."

Cushman said he's been part of a very strict training program that emphasizes eating a high protein, clean diet.

"Being able to eat those three or four meals a day and eat your snacks and keep that metabolism going, not putting on that fat and still being able to be pliable and flexible," Cushman said. "It's an all-day training thing. It's not eating that junk food and putting on clean weight. ...It's really nothing special. It's just doing everything proper and correct."

Cushman laughed, acknowledging that he used to love junk food and fast food. Those days are gone, with the exception of a pizza "every now and then."

That focus and determination is something that hasn't always been part of Cushman's life, he said. However, after he transferred to Calvary Christian, he said he began to realize he had potential to play at the next level. From that point, he focused on his goals. Cushman has been training at the Trench Academy in nearby Tampa for the past two-plus years.

"I think that confidence just drove me to do the little extra things," Cushman said. "Like everyone preaches all the time, the little extra things get you that much further. I know I'm training my butt off right now."

Cushman ultimately chose Ole Miss over Florida.

"It's cliche but it just felt right," Cushman said. "The feeling came from that college town. I've never really felt anything like that, especially in Florida. There's nothing truly like Ole Miss, that college town and that campus. I felt valued, really valued, there. ...Coach Thornton really pursued me from the beginning and that felt good. Ole Miss is definitely a place I would want to go to school even if football was not involved and that was a big part of my recruiting process. That school is seriously the best of everything -- small class sizes. UF, my other school, didn't really compare. It didn't have that feel."

Cushman certainly hopes to get early playing time, as he wants to be part of an Ole Miss offense that he feels will be explosive.

He's followed tight end Michael Trigg, another Tampa-area product, for years.

"Seeing him in high school, seeing how explosive he is and the crazy catches he's able to make and seeing those guys come in, with Zach Evans probably the best running back in the SEC West, in my opinion at this point, I'm just really excited to get out there and see how these guys work and the work ethic and everything they bring to the table," Cushman said. "Because it's going to pretty electric, that offense, with some of the guys we're bringing in.

"The UCF transfer (wide receiver Jaylon Robinson), I know he's going to be a big help for us and I think it's going to be really cool to sit in the meeting rooms and practice with these guys and see what they bring to the table. Like Coach Kiffin said, it will certainly be a show."

Cushman arrives in Oxford later this month.

"There's not really too many nerves," Cushman said. "I think the nerves will start pumping up but I'm excited to move around from tackle to guard and just get reps. That's my big thing. That's what Coach Thornton has talked about, being able to run with the twos (second unit) and with the older guys."