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1. Spring football is wrapping up. I do wonder if soon, perhaps as early as next year, the concept of spring football becomes a thing of the past.

Coaches would prefer an NFL-style OTA system, and I suspect they’re going to get their wish in the coming years, perhaps as early as next year.

It just makes sense. College football is going to a professional model; hell, it’s already there. It might as well follow the established professional calendar. Having some OTAs throughout the offseason makes more sense than five weeks of spring practices where a team practices three times per week.

As for observations, I really don’t have any of substance. How could you? We saw very little, and I don’t blame Lane Kiffin for that. Media are obsessed with depth charts, and those “depth charts” based on 30 minutes of access once per week create a week’s worth of fires for Kiffin and Co. to extinguish. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.

It’s a topic for another day, but sometimes, when I think about how much the sport — and the coverage of the sport — has changed in five years, my mind is blown. Nothing has stayed the same. I could write volumes about it, but I’m not sure anyone — self included — would be interested in reading it. It’s just wild to think about.

All in all, I will be curious to see how Ole Miss performs on both lines of scrimmage in the fall. There are whispers that the Rebels need to add another linebacker and pretty clear indications that they might need to add another defensive back or two to the mix before Aug. 30 rolls around.

I used to do a post-spring win-loss prediction in this space, but that feels impossible now. All of the teams are so new and everything is still volatile — see Nico Iamaleava at Tennessee — at this point on the calendar. There’s really just no way to do it with any aspirations for accuracy.

As for Iamaleava, it’s a topic that will be discussed endlessly. Some of the takes from national media are incredible, a revelation that they don’t understand how professional sports truly work and their political beliefs bleeding into their work. It happens, but some of those guys are the first to criticize “the other side.”

Look, the system — or lack thereof — is set up for what happened this week when Iamaleava essentially quit on Tennessee and entered the transfer portal. The people around him believe he can make more elsewhere, so they shopped him around. Tennessee found out and things hit a boiling point.

Ultimately, Tennessee said it didn’t believe Iamaleava was worth his asking price. That’s the Vols’ prerogative. It doesn’t matter how much money the school makes off football, how big Josh Heupel’s salary is or anything else. Ultimately, Tennessee and Iamaleava disagreed as to his value.

Now, Tennessee will have to dip into the tampering portal and steal someone else’s quarterback. Another school, ultimately, will pay the price for this chaos.

I get asked all the time — how can this be fixed? I’m developing a new answer. I am not sure it’s broken. It’s drama, sure, and on the surface, it’s insane. I’m not sure professional sports would resonate with fans if this kind of thing happened routinely in those arenas.

But college sports have proven, at least so far, to be untouchable. The emotional elements around them are so strong that they survive anything and everything. Attendance is up. Viewership is up. Interest seems to be up.

Sure, it’s madness. There’s no way around that, really. A big square peg — a professional model — is being jammed into a big round circle — an amateur concept that operated for decades — so of course it’s going to be a mess.

But watch. Tennessee will find a quarterback. Neyland Stadium will be packed this fall. Iamaleava will find a home and a big payday. This will just be another dramatic storyline for ESPN Gameday in September.

There will be lots of gnashing of teeth this week, but I don’t buy it. It’s a working theory, and maybe I’m wrong, but I’m beginning to believe college athletics are unbreakable.

2. Caleb Odom said this week Austin Simmons has a “lot of zip” on his passes, something Odom has enjoyed.

Odom said he chose Ole Miss after leaving Alabama because he wanted to go someplace where he felt wanted. He had considered Ole Miss out of high school, which made it “an easy transition” when he made the decision to leave Tuscaloosa for Oxford.

Odom appears to be poised to play a big role in Ole Miss’ offense this fall.

“I just want to make plays, honestly,” Odom said. “They talked about how they could use me all over the field. …Ultimately, that’s what I wanted to hear.”

3. Speaking of linebackers, Tahj Chambers transferred to Ole Miss from Missouri State and looks to have a big role in Oxford this fall.

“Pete Golding is a genius,” Chambers said, referring to Ole Miss’ defensive coordinator and his position coach. “He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever had.”

Chambers said he’s using this spring to get used to the adjustment in levels, knowing life in the Southeastern Conference comes at you quickly.

“I feel like the run aspect of the game is pretty much similar,” Chambers said. “I feel like the outside perimeter is different — faster, taller guys out there, more athletes on the field. That’s about it, though.”

Chambers said his goal is to get to the NFL. He said that was a key part of his decision to leave Missouri State. Simply put, he wanted to get in front of more scouts on a daily basis.

4. Patrick Kutas transferred to Ole Miss from Arkansas in January.

He said he chose Ole Miss because of “culture” and the opportunity to work with Rebels offensive line coach John Garrison.

Kutas said Ole Miss made quite an impression on him last November in Fayetteville. He’s one of three former Razorbacks on the Ole Miss roster this spring, joining tight end Luke Hasz and cornerback Jaylon Braxton.

Kutas can play center or guard and might play both at times this season. Playing both this spring has helped Kutas learn Ole Miss’ offensive system.

“I think this offensive line can be great,” Kutas said. “We have a bunch of great pieces. We’re getting a bunch of young guys reps right now, but once we put it all together, I think we can be something special.”

5. Kapina Gushiken is new to the South.

The Hawaii native spent the last two seasons at Washington State before jumping into the transfer portal. Ole Miss moved quickly, and it didn’t take Gushiken long to make a decision.

“I think it was just the coaches, the defensive prestige, I guess,” Gushiken said. “I could see myself growing on and off the field, increase my draft stock. The list goes on and on.

“I really wanted to just go somewhere that would increase my draft stock. I wanted to go to a Power-4 school, so when Ole Miss showed interest, I was definitely hyped about it.”

As Michael Katz of the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal wrote last week, all five members of the secondary who started the Gator Bowl win over Duke are no longer on the roster, including safeties Trey Washington and John Saunders. The Rebels have added reinforcements through the transfer portal, including former LSU safety Sage Ryan, former Arkansas cornerback Jaylon Braxton and Gushiken. Gushiken said he primarily played nickel back at Washington State.

“We have a very hungry group,” Gushiken said. "It’s a young group, too. …It’s like we’re all in the same boat. We’re all in similar situations.”

Gushiken will face his former teammates in Oxford in the fall. He was asked Thursday if that would make for a weird day.

“I don’t think it’s going to be weird,” Gushiken said. “I think it’s going to be great. I wish we could go there, honestly, but it’s cool they’re going to come here. I’m excited.”

6. Ole Miss lost two of three at home to Tennessee over the weekend, losing a pair of games in the late innings on Friday and Sunday.

From afar, the series looked more like a Super Regional than it did a weekend SEC series in April. The Rebels are now 9-6 in SEC play at the midpoint of the conference season. They’re tied with Auburn for sixth, a game ahead of Alabama and Vanderbilt and one game behind Georgia and LSU. If the season ended today, the Rebels would be an NCAA Tournament regional host.

Given the expectations coming into the season after two disappointing years, that’s a win. Now Ole Miss has a chance in the next five weeks to make a run. Repeat the first half and there’s a chance the road to Omaha goes through Oxford in June.

Texas was a 15-inning loss to Kentucky away from a sweep in Lexington. Arkansas lost two one-run games at Georgia. LSU was swept at Auburn.

The league is as volatile as ever. At this point, for Ole Miss and everyone else, it’s all about consistency. The most consistent teams will be the ones that accumulate the most wins.

Ole Miss has had some late-inning struggles. Getting that resolved might be the difference between this being a good season or a great one.

7. The NBA Playoffs are set. Here are my sure-to-go-incredibly-wrong predictions for how things will play out over the next two months:

Eastern Conference:

Play-In Tournament:

Orlando over Atlanta

Chicago over Miami

Atlanta over Chicago

First Round:

Cleveland over Atlanta in 5

Boston over Orlando in 5

New York over Detroit in 7

Indiana over Milwaukee in 7

Semifinals:

Cleveland over Indiana in 5

Boston over New York in 5

Finals:

Boston over Cleveland in 6

Western Conference:

Play-In Tournament:

Sacramento over Dallas

Golden State over Memphis

Memphis over Sacramento

First Round:

Oklahoma City over Memphis in 5

Houston over Golden State in 7

Lakers over Minnesota in 7

Clippers over Denver in 6

Semifinals:

Oklahoma City over Clippers in 7

Lakers over Houston in 6

Finals:

Lakers over Oklahoma City in 6

NBA Finals:

Boston over Lakers in 7

8. Speaking of the NBA, I watch far more than I should.

I watch enough, frankly, that I should get a ballot. I don’t, obviously, but if I did, mine would look like this:

Rookie of the Year: Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs

Coach of the Year: Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland Cavaliers

Defensive Player of the Year: Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers

Sixth Man of the Year: Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics

Most Improved Player: Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons

Clutch Player of the Year: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks

Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

All-NBA First Team:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City

Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland

Nikola Jokic, Denver

Jayson Tatum, Boston

Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee

Second Team:

Jalen Brunson, New York

Cade Cunningham, Detroit

Anthony Edwards, Minnesota

Evan Mobley, Cleveland

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City

Third Team:

Stephon Curry, Golden State

LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers

Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis

Karl-Anthony Towns, New York

Alperin Sengun, Houston

All-Defense Team:

Lu Dort, Oklahoma City

Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City

Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis

Evan Mobley, Cleveland

Dyson Daniels, Atlanta

*This Draymond Green love for DPOY is clinically insane.

9. It’s time to eat. Here’s our resident Parisian chef, Burton Webb, with Taste of the Place, Lesson Lesson 283 — Pan-Seared Marinated Steak with Green Pea, Mint & Peanut Salad (With a creamy green pea and herb purée underneath)

This dish brings together the bold, meaty flavor of seared marinated steak with a bright, crunchy salad full of herbs, fresh peas, and toasted peanuts. A smooth pea and mint purée anchors the plate for a springy contrast—cool, creamy, and full of zip.

The Chef’s Tidbits

— Split the Peas: Use half for the crisp salad, half for the creamy purée. Texture is everything here.

— Steak Marinade Magic: A simple lime, soy, and garlic marinade gives depth without overpowering the fresh herbs.

— Crunch + Cream = Balance: Bacon bits and peanuts bring texture, while the purée ties it all together like a spring-forward sauce. Things You Will Need:

Servings: 4–6 People Prep Time: 25 minutes

Marinating Time: 30 minutes – 2 hours Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Utensils Needed:

Large skillet or grill pan

Food processor or blender

Mixing bowls

Sharp knife

Slotted spoon or spatula

Ingredients Needed:

1 ½ lbs (700g) flank steak or sirloin, cut into bite-sized pieces 2 tbsp soy sauce Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp olive oil 2 garlic cloves, grated ½ tsp black pepper

For the Salad:

1 ½ cups green peas (fresh or thawed from frozen) 1 shallot, thinly sliced ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped 3 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves Juice of 1 lime 1 tbsp olive oil Salt & pepper, to taste

For the Green Pea Purée:

¾ cup peas (from the salad portion) ½ shallot 1 tbsp mint 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp water (adjust for consistency) Pinch of salt Mise en Place:

— Marinate the steak – Mix soy, lime juice, garlic, oil, and pepper. Toss steak pieces and let sit in the fridge for 30 min to 2 hrs.

— Blanch peas (if using fresh) – Boil peas for 2 minutes, shock in ice water, and drain.

— Chop shallots, herbs, and peanuts. Cook and crumble bacon.

Cooking Instructions:

Step 1: Make the Pea Purée

— In a blender or food processor, combine ¾ cup of the peas with ½ shallot, mint, olive oil, water, and a pinch of salt.

— Blend until smooth and creamy. Adjust water if needed for a spoonable consistency. Set aside.

Step 2: Make the Salad

— In a bowl, combine the remaining peas, sliced shallot, chopped mint, cilantro, peanuts, and bacon.

— Add lime juice and olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Toss and taste.

Step 3: Cook the Steak

— Heat a skillet over high heat. Drizzle with oil and sear steak pieces in batches for 1–2 minutes per side until browned but still pink inside.

— Rest briefly on a plate.

Final Step & Presentation:

Spoon a generous layer of pea purée onto each plate. Top with a scoop of the pea salad, then pile seared steak on top. Garnish with extra herbs, lime zest, or a few more peanuts for crunch.

From the Mississippian in Paris! Bon appétit!

10. We’ll have coverage of Ole Miss baseball, football, football recruiting, basketball recruiting and whatever else may pop up this week on RebelGrove.com. Until then, here are some links of interest to me — and hopefully, to you — for your reading pleasure:

Saints need to pass on taking passer in Round 1 of NFL draft - NOLA.com

‘It’s a unique landscape’: College football’s transfer boom transforms NFL Draft evaluations

Inside Nuggets’ ‘cold war’ that led to firing both Michael Malone, Calvin Booth

Suns are NBA cautionary tale, and Devin Booker trade is the only card left to play

Luka Dončić’s Dallas return reminds us that some things are bigger than titles

Rayan Cherki has always been special. Now there are goals and assists, too