OXFORD — When John Saunders Jr. entered the transfer portal, the first school to reach out to him was Ole Miss.

Saunders saw the 662 area code on his phone and “was a little thrown off.”

“I’d never seen a Mississippi area code before,” Saunders said. “When I picked up, I was like, ‘Yeah, this could be a very good move.’ Then I started watching film on Ole Miss and I was like, ‘Yeah, this could be a very good fit.’”

On the other end of the phone was Ole Miss assistant Maurice Crum, who has since moved on to SMU. On Dec. 23, Saunders announced his intention to transfer to Ole Miss. Weeks later, Ole Miss hired former Alabama defensive coordinator Pete Golding to take over the Rebels’ defense.

“It’s been amazing. I’m just grateful our coaches have this great pedigree,” Saunders said Thursday, following Ole Miss’ final spring practice preparing for Saturday’s Grove Bowl game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. “Coach (Wes) Neighbors, he’s been a great coach showing me the ropes. (Defensive assistant) Coach (Jay) Shoop, his assistant, has been doing a great job showing me the ropes and then Coach Golding knows the whole defense, so it’s a perfect fit, the ability to learn from all the coaches.”

Saunders had 52 tackles and two interceptions at Miami (Ohio) last season. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound North Carolina figures to play a prominent role at Ole Miss, though he’s likely making the move from cornerback to more of a safety position. Saunders said he’s gone through a little culture shock but his mind was much more on acclimating to a new position in a new scheme than he is a new part of the country.

“They’re going to see a lockdown defensive back,” Saunders said. “I’m going to come up and hit, too. I’m not afraid to put my nose in, make some plays and force a lot of turnovers. I’m going to force a lot of turnovers this year and get the ball back to the quarterbacks and (Lane) Kiffin on the other side.

Saunders said the Rebels’ defense has “transfers from everywhere,” noting that the new players are building a bond on and off the field.

“We have the same common goals — to win the (SEC) West and be the best players we can,” Saunders said. “We have good camaraderie. We’re enjoying each other, joking around. We’re talking about football but we’ve still got an off the field bond also. We’re still getting to know each other and becoming friends. It’s a brotherhood. It’s more than football.”

Saunders said he used to study NFL cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Xavien Howard. Now he’s studying defenders who guard slot receivers primarily. He said he’s focusing on NFL safeties such as Tyrann Mathieu who are around the ball a lot.

“I’m dealing with a lot of motion,” Saunders said. “Safeties deal with a lot of motion. Now I’ve got to communicate to the whole defense. At corner, there wasn’t as much talking. I just guarded the guy across from me. But now, I’ve got to communicate to the linebackers, make sure everybody relays the call and make sure we’re all on the same page.”

Ole Miss opens the season Sept. 2 in Oxford versus Mercer.