There were lofty expectations around Trey Amos once he transferred to Ole Miss from Alabama. Those come with defensive backs who spent time under Nick Saban.
Through 10 games of the season, Amos has likely exceeded what was expected of him, and he's a big reason why Ole Miss' defense has the Rebels poised to be a College Football Playoff participant with two more wins to close the regular season.
The CFP committee ranked Ole Miss 11th in its latest poll on Tuesday, and multiple matchups remains between teams slotted ahead of the Rebels. Ole Miss is off this week before a road game at Florida and a home date with Mississippi State.
The Rebels (8-2) are trying to win 10 games for the third time in four years.
Amos started one game for Alabama a year ago but played in every contest, including more than 20 snaps on nine occasions. He would have been a starter for the Crimson Tide this season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pounder spent his first three seasons at ULL.
The New Iberia, Louisiana, native has shrunk the field for the Ole Miss defense, routinely neutralizing the opponent's best outside threat. Opponents have only a 55.7 NFL passer rating when throwing at Amos -- down from 77.3 in 2023.
"We had looked at him before and really thought he was a special and unique player, well before Pete's background with him," Lane Kiffin previously said about Amos. "This time around, having Pete here and a relationship played into that, but I think he is a really good player. Phenomenal work ethic, phenomenal culture guy.
"I think, too, just like we hire assistant coaches from Alabama, you know what you're getting from Coach Saban. I think when you get players, but especially DBs, you know how they've been trained and what they're used to."
Amos has given up 28 catches in 53 targets with three interceptions. He hasn't committed a penalty or given up a touchdown since week five. Opponents are averaging 26 yards per game against him. He also forced a fumble against Georgia.
LSU threw at Amos nine times but only picked up two completions. In the three weeks since then, opponents have targeted him eight total times, reversing a trend from early in the season when teams tried to go after him.
Amos has also been a sure tackler once opponents catch the ball. His 6.7 missed tackle percentage in pass coverage is the second best on the team behind TJ Dottery's 3.8 percent.
Jadon Canady, in a position switch this season, has been a nice complement to Amos at the other corner spot, as well. Despite a 91.8 opponent passer rating, Canady is allowing a fewer than 50 percent completion rate and has been targeted only twice in the past three weeks. He left the game in the second half against Georgia.
Canady committed six penalties in the first six games but hasn't had one since LSU.
Amos leads Ole Miss in pass breakups, interceptions and opponent passer rating (among defensive backs). Early projections have him as a second-day NFL Draft selection.
Amos is second nationally in pass breakups and also second nationally in PFF College coverage grade among full-time cornerbacks. He trails Nevada's Michael Coats in both categories.
He's sixth nationally among corners in opponent NFL passer rating.
