Ole Miss will hold its Media Day on Thursday. Fall camp begins Friday. The season is getting closer.
After a long, heart-breaking week in Oxford and around Ole Miss, football is a welcome respite from reality. Saturday was a big recruiting day, and we had a chance to visit with Kermit Davis and Breein Tyree late last week.
I'll touch on all of that today.
1. As I said, football begins this week. There is an energy around the Ole Miss football. program I haven't sensed since the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1, 2016.
The offense has an edge to it, per multiple sources. The defense has a quiet confidence. Matt Luke is more comfortable in his role than he's ever been. Recruiting is going well. There is stability now that has been gone since Hugh Freeze was fired in July 2017.
But there are most certainly questions. Matt Corral is the starting quarterback but no one knows if he's ready, as a redshirt freshman, to be the poised, consistent player the Rebels need. Can the offensive line stay healthy? If there are injuries up front, is there enough depth to avoid catastrophe? Is a young but talented wide receiver corps ready to produce immediately?
Yes, it's a new defense but it's mostly the same guys who struggled mightily last season. Are there enough linebackers to survive the season? Are there enough impact players off the edge to get to opposing quarterbacks?
September is so important for so many reasons. Can this team, with new systems, come together quickly enough to stack some early wins? Can it win fans' confidence and fill Vaught-Hemingway or will early losses kill hopes and result in a dead atmosphere and a lot of questions hanging over the program?
Those are all legitimate worries. We'll see answers starting in five weeks or so. All fall camps are important. The one in Oxford in August feels more critical than most.
2. So what will we see?
Not much. All practices will be closed to the public. Those of us who cover the program aren't going to see much. I anticipate seeing very little, if any, of the Rebels' team drills. We'll see enough to update some health. We'll see enough to possibly make some depth chart (!) guesses.
However, take major observation pieces with a grain of salt. For the most part, media are going to see some stretching, some individual work and assorted drills. Friday and Saturday will be helmets only. Sunday is an off day. Monday and Tuesday will see the Rebels introduce shoulder pads. Full pads go on Wednesday.
By the way, don't take that as complaining about access. I don't blame the Rebels for locking things down. Ole Miss is a young team. One of the few advantages it has going into the season is the unknown. Memphis has some guesses about what the Rebels will look like on Aug. 31, but the Tigers don't know for sure. Ole Miss isn't going to help them figure it out.
3. Before turning their full attention to the season, Ole Miss held one more huge recruiting event Saturday. I'll have some content to you throughout the week, but I'll use this space today to get started.
An'Darius Coffey, who committed to Ole Miss earlier in the summer, returned to Oxford for the first time since that commitment Saturday.
"It feels great to be back," Coffey said. "It feels like home. I've been wanting to come back for a long time. It's a good feeling."
Coffey said he's being told to be prepared to play every defensive backfield spot when he gets to Ole Miss.
"I've heard from other coaches how great of a coach (Ole Miss defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre) is and for me to be able to play for him is an honor," Coffey said, adding MacIntyre told him he likes Coffey's versatility and attitude. "He likes my. 42-inch vertical, I guess."
Coffey, who plays quarterback at Winona, said he's been adding defensive back reps to his offseason workouts. He's also been working to get to know his future teammates.
"We have a group text so we talk to each other a lot about anything," Coffey said. "To be able to see them in person is a good time."
4. De'Rickey Wright loved the family atmosphere at Ole Miss when he camped earlier in the summer. Wright, a safety from Gadsden, Ala., flipped from Alabama to the Rebels days later.
Wright is carrying 218 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame, but it's possible _ if not probable _ that he's going to. grow out of the safety position and into a linebacker's body.
"I'm just whatever," Wright said. "I'm just trying to make the team better wherever they put me. I'll still be excited. Just to be able to play college ball is a blessing."
Wright said he's been building relationships with fellow Alabama natives/Ole Miss commitments Kris Draine, Robby Ashford and DaMarcus Thomas a lot over the past few weeks.
Another Alabaman, Cedric Johnson, made the drive up from Mobile Saturday morning. Johnson is up to 6-2 1/2 and 225 pounds, up from 6 feet, 210 pounds last season. Johnson's brother, South Alabama quarterback Cephus Johnson, had a similar late growth spurt. The older Johnson is now almost 6-5.
"I feel like I can get into the system pretty comfortably, coming off the edge," Johnson said. "They believe I'm fast enough to drop into some types of coverages. I think I'll be able to handle it."
5. One of Ole Miss' biggest coups in this recruiting cycle was landing a commitment from four-star cornerback Eric Reed Jr.
"They really wanted me and they had a plan for me to become a better young man," Reed said. "The help here will help me be a better young man."
Auburn offered Reed last week, a development Reed didn't see coming.
"I was like, 'Why are y'all offering me now?'" Reed said, noting the offer came from former Ole Miss defensive back and current Tigers assistant Marcus Woodson. "'How come y'all didn't offer me back then before I committed.' This is home right here."
Reed said knowing the Rebels' lack of depth at cornerback also helped aid his decision.
"I've got a chance to change that," Reed said. "My class has a chance to change that. I just can't wait to get here. ...I think that I can work hard and get wins for them and hopefully get a national championship out of it."
6. Jaycob Horn brought most of his family with him from Tupelo to Oxford Saturday. His dad, former NFL receiver Joe Horn, didn't make the trip, but the younger Horn said his dad is thrilled with his decision to commit to Ole Miss.
"He's happy," Horn said. "He likes it here. He thinks it's a good place to be right now."
Horn wouldn't shut the door on his recruiting. Asked if he was done with recruiting and if his decision was. final, Horn said, "I don't know yet. I'll have to find out."
DeSanto Rollins, meanwhile, is done. Texas is recruiting him, still, but Rollins said his mind is made up.
"I'm ready to become a Rebel," Rollins said, adding he can't wait to work with Ole Miss defensive line coach Freddie Roach. "I found my home. I'm done."
7. Eli Acker has been a huge Ole Miss target for years. He was in Oxford Saturday, excited for a number of reasons.
One, the Columbus, Miss., offensive linemen was happy to meet some future teammates. Two, he was recently cleared from offseason labrum surgery to resume full-contact drills.
Acker isn't closing the door on other schools, either. Mississippi State will get a visit. So will Miami. Alabama might, also.
"(Miami) is special," Acker said. "It's unlike any other and it's real special and I can't wait to get back for an official. If (Alabama) offers me, I'll definitely take an official there. They just told me they want to see the first three games of the season."
Josaih Hayes is also hearing from Mississippi State and Georgia, but he said Saturday he's more focused on becoming more explosive than he is on looking around. Ole Miss, Hayes said, liked Hayes' strength and hand placement and his ability to play anywhere along the defensive line. It's one of the reasons Hayes kept coming back to Oxford to camp in June, even when there was little left to prove.
"It was good," Hayes said. "I liked working with Coach Roach. He's a good coach. He taught me a lot of drills that I can take to (Horn Lake) and show our guys."
8. I posted video interviews of Kermit Davis and Breein Tyree earlier in the week. You can see those here and here. There was more information in those interviews that I didn't video. Such as:
-- Tyree said he's been impressed with the Rebels' freshmen. Austin Crowley has been "really, really good," adding that the "freshman class is going to get a whole lot better as the season goes on and even before it starts when we have real practice."
-- Tyree said the new 3-point line will impact the game and create more spacing. "It should help guards get into the lane more," Tyree said.
-- Davis said Terence Davis' signing with Toronto will help his program, long-term and immediately. It also, Davis said, is a testament to Terence Davis' perseverance. After playing sparingly as a freshman, Terence Davis, Kermit Davis said, "went to work. He didn't blame anybody. He didn't blame (Andy Kennedy). He went to work and said, 'I've got to get better.' That's a cool story."
Tyree, Kermit Davis said, has taken his former teammate's success as "great motivation. I think it's great motivation for Luis Rodriguez. Shoot, it doesn't matter where you start. Don't worry about what happened last year. Let's move forward. I think it's a great story for everybody in our program and people we recruit."
-- Davis said Rodriguez is "maybe the most physical guy on our team right now," adding he's on his way to a big role.
-- Davis said Ole Miss' team is going to be very young. Without the benefit of an offseason trip to Canada, it's going to be something the Rebels are cognizant of in the preseason.
9. Here's Jonathan Howard with the drink of the week:
I’ve been in New Orleans the past week leading educational seminars and events at the yearly cocktail bash Tales of the Cocktail. This was the first time where I truly missed being behind a bar since stepping away. To see all my colleagues and friends made for a very special, though exhausting, week.
The week ends with the Spirited Awards, which are the Oscars of the cocktail world. This year my mentor, Naren Young, and his bar, Dante in NYC, took home the prize for World’s Best Bar. To celebrate him, and also make life simple after a long week, let’s take look at the Garibaldi as your drink of the week.
The Garibaldi might be the simplest cocktail I will every bring to this space. It consists of 1.5 ounces of Campari, and three ounces of freshly squeezed orange juice. I am sure you are asking how in the hell is that considered a cocktail? Well, here is a little background.
The Garibaldi is an “aperitivo,” which comes from the Latin word meaning “to open.” In Italian, when something is appetizing you say that it “opens your stomach.” That's the idea behind the Italian aperitivo; it's a little something to stimulate the appetite before dinner.
And drinks with bitter elements are sure to get the mouth watering. Take the Garibaldi. Its name comes from the fact that Campari comes from the northern part of Italy near Milan and oranges come from the south near Sicily. What does that have to do with the name? Garibaldi was one of the central figures in the Italian resurgence, which led to the unification of the country in 1871. Thus, the drink represents the coming together of the north and south of the Italian peninsula. Aperitivo drinks are amazingly simple yet somehow incredibly complex of flavor. I might also add, this is a hell of a hangover aid.
The drink was lost to time for a number of years until my mentor, Naren Young, brought the drink back as his signature pour at Dante NYC. For his version, Naren drops an entire peeled and chilled orange into a high rotation Brevile juicer, which greatly aerates the juice making it "fluffy" and giving it a head like a beer. He then pours the juice over 1.5 ounces of Campari. It's delightful, and you should always order two beause the first is never enough. CHEERS!
The Garibaldi
1.5 oz. Campari
Juice of one whole orange
Directions: Add two ice cubes to a glass. Add Campari and a little of the orange juice. Stir well to combine. Add one more ice cube and fill remainder of glass with orange juice. Garnish with an orange wedge resting on rim and a plastic stirrer.
10. We'll have coverage of Ole Miss football, football recruiting and whatever else might develop this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me _ and hopefully, to you _ for your reading pleasure:
As Houston learns to embrace Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City struggles to let go – The Athletic
How a season at Kentucky prepared Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for what lies ahead in OKC – The Athletic
A top MLBPA official’s firing sparks a blame game as the union seeks solidarity – The Athletic
Is The NBA’s Small-Ball Revolution About To End? | FiveThirtyEight
Meet the Superstars of Youth Basketball Instagram - WSJ
How Sam Presti’s 3-part plan for a Thunder return to relevance will take shape – The Athletic
Why Cristiano Ronaldo Won't Face Charges and What Comes Next in Rape Case
One Thousand Ways: Ryan Zimmerman’s place in Washington baseball lore can’t be denied – The Athletic
