Notes: Confident Rebels blocking out expectations talk

DALLAS — High expectations were one of the biggest storylines around the Ole Miss program on Monday when the Rebels made their way through the press gauntlet at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas.

Lane Kiffin calls the hype “rat poison,” and that’s a term the trio of Ole Miss players in Dallas Monday — Jaxson Dart, Tre Harris and Jared Ivey — are more than familiar with from the countless hours they’ve spent around Kiffin in the Manning Center and on practice fields.

“‘Rat poison’ has been one that has gone around our facility,” Dart said. “You see Coach Kiffin tweet about it all the time. I think the biggest thing is the expectations of the preseason doesn’t matter. Results, at the end of the day, matter. We are focused on being where our feet are. We’re trying not to look too far ahead and just live in the moment.”

“We don’t really talk about it too much,” Harris added. “For us, it’s really getting better and building relationships on and off the field. With expectations, we’re not too worried about them. We’re going to go in each week and try to play to the best of our ability.”

“It’s impossible not to see, but it’s something that we actively block out,” Ivey said. “We’re so internally focused and I’m worried about myself and the guy next to me and the guy next to him and when you’re that obsessed with your own process, it’s easy to block all the outside stuff up.”

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NEW LENGTH A MAJOR BENEFIT FOR REBELS: Kiffin talked about the Rebels having new length on both the offensive and defensive lines this fall. Ivey said he can see the increased size making a real difference for Ole Miss, a marked improvement from that five-touchdown loss last November at Georgia that exposed the Rebels’ lack of size up front.

“Obviously that wasn’t a performance that we felt was indicative of us as a team,” Ivey said. “It was a tough one to go through. We finished the season in a great way after taking a loss like that and kind of turning that into something great, I feel like that’s a philosophy of our team.”

Ole Miss added Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen and Chris Hardie, among others, to their defensive front-seven.

“We’re excited about those guys,” Ivey said. “On top of them being good players, they’re good dudes. They fit into the culture.

“(The increased length) changes the way you reset the line of scrimmage, having that type of length. Being able to get off the ball and use your hands with that length, I think you’ll see pictures of us this year really moving the offensive line back in unison.”

Speaking of offensive lines, Ivey said the Rebels’ revamped offensive front is a massive group to work against in practice.

“(Washington transfers) Juice (Julius Buelow) and Nate (Kale) are huge. Nate is 6-6 and Juice is 6-8, so you can obviously see it. It’s apparent and they play with that length, too. It’s one thing to have it but it’s another thing to be able to utilize it and continue to be elite. Jeremy (James) is 6-5. Jayden (Williams) is 6-5, Micah (Pettus) is 6-7. That’s a huge group. That’s going to really show up this year.”

PRAISE FOR WELLS: South Carolina transfer Juice Wells, who missed most of last season with a leg injury, has been turning heads this offseason. He’s made quite an impression on his offensive mates in Oxford.

“Juice is a monster,” Dart said. “I’ve never seen someone who attacks the day like he does, whether it’s him getting treatment in the training room or just running routes. He wants to be the best in everything he does. He’s been kind of battling some injuries in this last year and a lot of people forgot about him. I think he’s real excited to get people to remember who he is. He’s going to have a monster season for us.”

“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Harris said. “Me and him have actually (formed) a really close relationship just in these few months where we’ve bonded with each other on and off the field. I’m super excited to see him play. One thing is for sure: We’re definitely going to feed off each other’s intensity.”

SWAGGER APPRECIATED: Harris said one of the things that makes Kiffin such an elite coach is his understanding of players’ need to express themselves. Kiffin, Harris said, knows when to demand full attention and when to let his players let their proverbial hair down.

“He’s going to tell you what he needs to tell you when it needs to be heard,” Harris said. “He’s always trying to instill confidence in you that you can go out there and perform to the best of your abilities. I think another thing he does is let us, each and every game day, be ourselves. When we go out there for the Walk of Champions in the Grove, we’re able to wear what we want to wear and show our swagger. There are a lot of guys when we’re on that field who play with that swagger. That’s one thing he allows and that’s something all players want — they want a coach that allows them to be themselves and play to the best of their abilities and that’s what he does.”