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OXFORD | Ole Miss took to the practice fields late Thursday morning for its second workout in full pads and the first one witnessed by media. The media got around an hour of practice observation time. Here are thoughts and notes from that viewing.
Neal McCready's Observations
1. I have to get this off my chest. I overheard the Clarion-Ledger beat writer talking about his story for tomorrow. The topic: Greg Little. From what I could gather, part of the narrative is Little still working with the third-string offense. Listen, I get that life isn’t fair. I do. I really, truly do. However, Little is a freshman. It’s Aug. 11. The first game is still 25 days away. Did I mention he’s a freshman? The narrative that Little must be ready to be a star by Labor Day is ludicrous. It’s profoundly unfair to the kid.
Edited to add: I remember when Coach Bartlett told us in junior varsity football in Ruston never to assume. Well, Coach B, I assumed, and sure enough... The topic being discussed was how being third-team at this point means nothing because virtually all of the freshmen are third-team at this point. The expectation of the Clarion-Ledger (and I think I agree, at least to a point) is Alex Givens will be the starter at left tackle for at least half the season. I stand corrected. My apologies to the C-L and to you, Coach Bartlett. I should've paid more attention.
2. Much of what we saw Thursday involved special teams. Tre Nixon and Jalen Julius were returning punts. Nixon’s hands are exceptional. None of the drills were live, so it’s impossible to say who is ahead in that competition or if that’s the extent of the competition, but Nixon’s hands stood out during the brief period I sawThursday.
3. Will Gleeson looked to be in mid-season form punting the football on Thursday, booming some long ones and hitting others right down the sidelines.
4. Gleeson was also working as the holder on field goals and PATs. Ryan Buchanan handled those duties the last couple of years. Chase Parham remarked to me he was surprised Shea Patterson wasn’t in that role, just for the sake of having a weapon there. Gleeson didn’t do anything noticeable as the holder, which typically means he’s doing the job well.
