🚨 SURPRISE: Ole Miss Football RUNNING BACK CHAOS as Kewan Lacy Faces New Challengers – Major Shakeup? | Ole Miss Podcast

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Spring practice number two is here, and we're going to talk to Daylan Flowers all about

it.

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We're going to talk to Daylan Flowers from Ole Miss 365 about spring practices.

They're getting ready for tomorrow's workout and what could happen, what we're paying attention

to, what we're talking about going into the practice of stick around for that.

All of that and more on today's Lockdown Ole Miss Podcast.

All right, Daylan.

One thing's interesting, you're going to go out and you're going to get laysimized on

spring practice.

I've heard a lot of good things that these guys are just as talented or more talented they

were a year ago.

What are you looking forward to in practice?

Man, I'm excited just to be back in general, but I think that there are a lot of things

that I'm kind of looking forward to see.

There's obviously been a lot of moving pieces within the offense that I'm very excited

to kind of look forward to and seeing the new, I guess, new faces, but also new environments.

I'm just wanting to see what JDB is going to be doing and how he's going to be interacting

with his players at this point of spring ball.

Also, I'm very interested to see how the offensive line is looking.

Jayden Williams, Diego Pounds, two vital pieces of the team last year are now gone and

placed their names in the NFL draft.

Also Bryce and Sanders, I don't think a lot of people really even know that he's been

out with the injury since the end of the season.

I'm really excited to see who or someone going to be the new guys obviously delaying on

towns and impactor kudos are the two returning starters on the line, but how are some of the

transfers looking in terms of Tommy Kinsler and Troy Everett from Oklahoma and how are

some of maybe the new guys really taking advantage of these opportunities right now to make

a name for themselves.

So come the fall time.

Maybe they're competing for a starting spot or really just providing competition to

keep other guys when they're told.

The offense is very, very interesting and I also want to see just what Frank Wilson is

going to be doing with his new squad and the running backs here and how his staff and

his group are really reacting to one another.

So I'm excited about this offense and defensively.

I'm really excited to see what Marcus Woodson is going to be doing this quickly.

Obviously he was just hired recently, but I'm really excited to see the energy he's going

to be bringing to the defense if any changes at all compared to what they were doing in

fall camps and practices last year.

And really just excited to see some of the new guys on the defensive line.

I think that that is going to be a point of emphasis, especially how does this defense

change the run game that they saw last year and how there were so many holes in the run

in the wrestling defense last year.

And so I'm excited on both instances, a lot of new faces, new staff members and as well

just to overall energy for the players.

Yeah.

And you have an article coming out on tomorrow's morning news newsletter in the morning

about Kiwan Lacey.

So we won't talk about him.

But the other running backs in that room is interesting to me.

You have Makai Frazier, you have Josh Dye, you have JT Lindsey, Shikai Mills Knight,

the two true freshmen, which in any other year, those two guys would be counted off

for playing time because they're that good.

What are your expectations of this running game and I'll give mine after you talk?

I think that my expectation for this running game is high, but also as we've seen before

in previous years here at Ole Miss, that you could have a lot of depth in your running

back room.

But if you're not utilizing it properly, it doesn't really matter.

And so I want to see just how well guys are actually competing at this point of time.

I think that I think from a notion of standpoint that sometimes we get into the spring ball

and you see guys, I guess not always giving it 100% and understanding that there's more

to come and I guess trying to protect their sales.

But I really just want to see who are the guys in the running back room, Josh would

die and other guys who transferred in as well that maybe just are really competing higher

than other guys.

I think right now competition is going to be at his highs.

And if you're bringing the energy, if I'm noticing that you're giving every rep you're

all, I think those are going to be things to stand out to me.

But as well, I think what makes a running back good is being able to be a really coachable.

And obviously, Frank Wilson has a great resume for the guys that he's been able to coach

and put in the NFL and then have had success.

I think right now, Ole Miss, the blueprint is there for the running back room.

Obviously, you have Kiwan Lacey who's going to be a high-spin candidate, but you have guys

around him this year that I think if utilized properly and are coachable and follow the process,

they can be really successful.

So I think it's just who's doing things in the trenches that may not show up on the

stat sheet throughout spring practice or throughout the games that really are going to step

up, who's really a tentative one coach Wilson is talking, who's a tentative when they're

in group projects, who's a tentative when they're doing passbock and drills and maybe

not slouching out.

So I'm really just interested in the small things.

I think right now, you can't think too much about the larger broader things, especially

with this being the first viewing practice for the media.

We also, we get those short little viewing portions.

But I'm just really wanting to see who's really giving the edge and the smaller things

that are really making me stand out.

Yeah, one thing that's interesting, the way I look at it, there are several tiers in

the running back room.

Number one is the starter, that's Kiwan Lacey, you had 300 carries a year ago, but that's

too many carries, of course, of the season.

So I figure you're fighting on the second tier for those 75 carries.

I think McCuy Frazier and Josh Dye are in the second tier right now.

Then you have Shikai Mills Knight and JT Lindsey in the third tier and you have the true freshman

in the fourth tier.

I'm telling you, it's going to be a knife fight trying to get those 75 carries.

You have two hot shots and Shikai Mills Knight and JT Lindsey trying to force their way

up.

Guys that have been pretty successful and they're all fighting for those 75 carries.

I love that point because although Ole Miss obviously was very successful in the run game

last season, like you said, Kiwan just simply can't have that many touches and not just

saying it's not going to be a moment where you feel like he's not going to be beneficial.

Obviously, he's the superstar talent.

He showed this past season.

But if you're investigating in terms of thinking about having a long season again, like Ole

Miss just once did going to the college football playoffs in my finals, that should be the

expectation moving forward for this program.

With that, you have to be able to rotate properly, especially at the running back room.

You need Kiwan Lacey healthy throughout the majority of the season.

Although he wasn't out at any point of the season through injury, you could definitely

tell he was banged up.

I remember this was the two lane game.

He went out with the injury and then came back and got injured again in the playoffs.

Those are things you want to avoid with great rotation and great competition.

Like I said earlier, it starts right now.

Who are the guys who are going to be willing to do the small things, the dirty things, the

things that are really going to get their coaches' trust?

So when the fall comes, when the playoffs come, when those last regular season games come,

they have trust in their coaches that they're going to be able to give in those moments

because they show right now they're willing to do anything to be successful in being those

moments.

So I would love for Chicago Mews Knight to get that opportunity.

Obviously, you know a lot about him and from his high school tape, he is one of a kind

as a running back.

And he does the things that, again, don't show up in the statute necessarily, but I think

he's a really good run blocker.

I think he's very elusive and can be utilized in the past game as well as we saw how effective

that can be for Kiwone Lacey and Trinidad James Lashier.

So I love the running back room because I think no one's going to be able to just be

like, oh, this is my set spot other than Kiwone Lacey.

So there's going to be a lot of competitiveness and a lot of aggressiveness to, I guess, you

know, there's a room and they're together and they're family, but at the same time, trying

to take each other's spot at the same time.

Yeah, it's going to be absolutely weird.

And we're going to talk about the wide receiver position in the next segment as soon as

we come back.

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When we come back, we will talk today on about the wide receiver room and what is going

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We don't have pads on yet.

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That's coming up next.

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All right, Dale.

So the wide receiver's interest, we were talking off air about, hey, Caleb Cunningham just

appeared two or three times on the social media video.

Anytime Ole Miss is picking out players like that, you should pay attention last year.

At this time, it was key one Lacey that was showing up all over the place on social media.

So Caleb Cunningham is obviously turning heads in camp.

But there's other weapons to deal with as well.

You have Duce Alexander, who is going to be the number one for the Ole Miss Rebels, how

to diving catch in the first practice.

You have Horatio Fields, who's another big receiver like Caleb Cunningham.

You have John Tay Cook and Darryl Gill, two guys from Syracuse that made her name for

themselves.

And you have Traylor and Ray, and you have Isaiah Hartrup, two guys that have been through

the wars for Ole Miss.

This broad receiver group is kind of sitting pretty right now.

Yeah, I think I like the versatility within the wide receiver room.

Some of the guys you just mentioned, I think that myself included, I've kind of allowed

myself to let Isaiah Hartrup and Traylor Ray go a little bit under the blinders as of

late.

And I think that they deserve their flowers as well.

Isaiah was really beneficial for Ole Miss in the special teams last year in Traylor Ray.

He was actually doing really well in fall camp last season.

I remember him having a couple of good practices and obviously just behind a really talented

receiver room last year really never got that opportunity.

But same thing with Caleb Cunningham, from a peer size stance, excuse me, I thought he

stood out last year with a great frame, really good hands.

I thought he could have a little bit more progression in his route running, but obviously

that will take time and getting more reps and getting more time and feel will help with

that.

I think within a year under his belt, he's learning his body more, he's learned the system

at Ole Miss and obviously with JDB is going to be a similar thing to what it was last

year.

I would expect him to be competing in that wide receiver three, wide receiver four range

and really be beneficial for Ole Miss in terms of being a big playmaker.

I love the tarantial poor what they did Ole Miss because they got speed from the guys

from Syracuse.

They got a big playmaker in Horatio Fields from Auburn.

I think Isaiah Spencer as well can be a big playmaker but also can be very beneficial

in the slot.

As well as something that Isaiah Spencer does really good that I thought DeShon Shribling

did really well last season was past blocking.

When guys are maybe catching a ball in the middle of the field and you have a defender

coming at you, DeShon Shribling was always good at getting a guy out of the way and blocking

him.

I've seen some film Isaiah Spencer from Virginia Tech in Jackson State.

He does that tremendously well too.

He will be really pivotal in the success for the team as well.

I think all around there may be a lot of guys that are also unproven and I think right

now again this spring time is the time to prove yourselves where you're going to be able

to fit in and how successful you can be.

But Ole Miss, man, the expectation is high to be a wide receiver at this program.

You've seen the guys that are in NFL and recently two guys in terms of Harrison Traywas

and DeShon Shribling who just left.

But man, it's a high expectations but I have no doubt that this group will be successful

again.

And I just think once again, when you're putting those positions, you just have to have

trust in your abilities.

You have a quarterback that is the world's saw last year is going to be able to get you

the ball who's going to be able to make plays happen for you.

But if you have trust in your abilities, if you follow the game plan, then this group

while receivers can be something really special.

I don't, you know, off the top of my head, I don't know who there's going to be like

that guy yet.

I think that when you're looking at it, there are a collection of guys that may be able

to prove that they can be successful and may be being the number one.

But I'm very excited to see in as well the tight-in room, Caleb Odom, Lukas, obviously

going to be the two number one guys.

I don't know how that's going to really work, but Lukas missing so much of the season

last year.

I really don't know.

Ole Miss Finns really got to understand how really good this guy is.

I know he made that solo touchdown catch in the Sugar Bowl in Georgia, but other than

that, wasn't really able to showcase things outside of being kind of really prominent

on fourth downs and on the line of scrimmage.

So Lukas is going to be big for this team and this always Caleb Odom, but as well, don't

forget about Brady Priskorn and Michael Smith in the turn supporto.

I love Brady's size and being able to come in like a trace brookler, what we saw him

do last year.

I would kind of expect Brady Priskorn to be a narrow on Michael Smith is unproven, but

from a high school point, we've really recruited it heavily out of high school and I think

if given the opportunity, if he works hard enough in stays, you know, level head, it can

be really something special too.

Yeah, Michael Smith, as far as skill set wise, is similar to what Declan Wright could

do.

That's probably his ceiling of what's going on now.

He's not there yet or else he wouldn't have been getting in the transfer portal when

he did.

So he's going to have to develop also Hayden Bradley, who came from different high school

in Georgia.

He's another player to pay attention to that has spent a year in the system as well.

So that is interesting and I heard about Brady Priskorn.

You're dealing with a tight end that's more athletic than his brother was.

Now I have not laid eyes on him myself.

That's all things that I've heard.

But Hayden was a fairly athletic dude and made plays, if that's true, you got yourself

a pretty good one.

Yeah, obviously, I'll be able to get a taste of that this week and moving forward.

He saw limited action in Michigan, but I'm excited to see just how he's used and utilized

it within the offense.

Again, competition is real and again, I say Caleb Odomeluk has there, you know, Michael

Smith and Brady Priskorn could really spark up over the spring and compete for, you know,

maybe a starter role in the tight end room.

So you never really know.

But overall, I think that in terms of retaining the guys that Ole Miss was able to, was

huge and also replenishing in the transfer portal will be beneficial.

And so I'm really excited just to see how these new guys fit in in the system.

Big shoes to feel with Dayquan right leaving and obviously big shoes to feel with Traywall

is in the challenge sibling being gone as well.

Yeah, if you go to practice, keep an eye on Caleb Odom, check out his hands and all

that because if he gets his hands figured out going into the season, he has a chance

to be really special because John David Baker is big on tight ends and he is a mismatched

problem for anybody in the front seven.

Yeah, and Caleb Odom as well with Luke has also dealt with injuries last year.

So like I think another thing for I guess my standpoint is the season is the off season

goes on and just keeping guys healthy, you know, that's really beneficial, especially

on the side of the ball, it's on the wide receiver in tight end room, but as well,

the offense aligns.

So just being healthy, I mean, I personally kind of view Caleb Odom really highly and

I don't know Ole Miss fans really were able to grasp how good he is last year, made

some big plays in the in the role Georgia game.

I think he also had a two-point conversion in the Miami game, but he's really, really

good.

I think in terms of being a versatile headache for opposing defenses, Caleb Odom can

be a problem solver for this Ole Miss offense this year if healthy.

Yeah, he's a red zone weapon and a lot of that gets masked because Kiwan Lacey was so

good in the red zone a year ago, but he is somebody that in the red zone is going to be

a problem.

Now, I will say this going into and we're going to take a break in just a second, Trinidad

had trouble with the pop passes.

Maybe it's because of his height or anything like that.

Maybe that hurts Caleb Odom and the red zone maybe Trinidad gets a little bit better

at that, but I think you're going to see teams kind of leave that open as an option until

he hits it if that makes sense.

Yeah, I think that's another portion of him being around his spring ball this year and

he wasn't last year.

Obviously, it was able to do different things in fall camp, but I think those are things

he can now say I have on film within this program and within this level football and those

are things he's probably working with his QB coaches and his staff here now, just saying

I need to get better.

I'm excited to see how that connection was because we saw last year just how important

the tight end room was for him and being successful for Ole Miss.

I mean, Dayquan Wright really, really made some big plays last year in a lot of games.

If Ole Miss can utilize that properly again and use the middle of the field properly,

it will open up the offense for a lot of other guys to be successful as well.

Yeah, the play that made Dayquan Wright the sell route that they kept hitting against

Miami and that was open all the time.

I can see Caleb Odom just doing that on repeat.

Absolutely.

Remember, we're free and available on all the podcast apps and on YouTube, so especially

although, to the everydayers who make this show what it is your team every day, we are

going to come back with Daylen Flowers, one more segment to talk about spring practice

tomorrow should be pretty interesting to see if Ole Miss can make the adjustments necessary.

We'll talk to you next coming up right after this.

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All right, Dale.

Real quick before we get out here, let's look at the other side of the ball.

Now, since they're not putting pads on and they haven't put on pads, we're going to

stay away from the trenches for the time being because there's not really much you can

tell about that.

But so the next place we stop, I think it's going to be the DBs because some people think

hey, the linebackers needed to be better because of last year and teams ran the ball, but

I don't think that's the case.

I think the defense skimmed up to where you were dropping eight and you were have to

do that to because the secondary was a liability.

So bringing in Jay Crawford, number zero, Jay Crawford, to go with Antonio Kite, where

he gets to be a number two corner now, instead of the number one, that frees up the defense

to kind of be much more aggressive and Pete Golding is an expert.

If not for scheming up defense events, Will Anderson, Marcus Davenport.

He's done his whole career.

I think the cornerback position, and specifically we're going to get to the safeties in a second,

there's three positions, they're going to make it to where the front seven can finally

get aggressive and it's going to look a lot more like 2024.

Yeah, I think that last year, the defensive side of the ball was an experimental year,

is what I would want to call it.

You lost so much from the year before and you weren't necessarily saying, oh, these guys

had to prove themselves, but you were, you know, in a stance where you were learning

more about your guys every week and the defense also battle with a few injuries, especially

Jalen Braxton, who was someone that I think you saw how beneficial he was for the success

of the defense as the later parts of the season came on and he got 100% healthy.

But Pete Golding is a guy that, you know, wants to send a little bit more pressure towards

a quarterback than maybe the average defensive coordinator.

He wants to see more man on man, man on man coverage.

He wants to make things a little bit hectic in the backfield for opposing quarterbacks

to see more success.

And last year, you had to kind of move away from that just because of different speeds

on the edge, you know, in his well, different guys in the secondary that were unproven, but

also kind of, you know, couldn't find their fitting into the middle parts of the later

parts of the season.

So I think, multiple Ole Miss successfully, if they can be great, you have a safety

back there that can come downhill and stop and help the run game.

But can also, you know, be really beneficial in dropping back on the outside parts of the

field and helping cornerbacks and stopping, you know, plays on the outside.

But from a Pete Golding perspective, I think he did everything that he wanted to do in

his transfer quarter.

You got guys that stack up in size, but also played with the ball really well.

And as well, I think, you know, from a perspective of looking at this defense and some people

can say they underperform or they just didn't perform at all, I think that they just shot

themselves in the foot a lot last year.

There were multiple games that you look back on and this Ole Miss defense simply just

dropped wide open interceptions or they got in the back field and couldn't finish the

sack and get the composing quarterbacks.

Those are little things that working on within this portion of the season and the off-season

can be beneficial for the success of the Ole Miss defense in 2026.

I think that the portal really helped Ole Miss get more speed on the size, on the outside

excusing with the edge rushers, but also in the secondary.

When you're looking at guys that I remember this point last year in the fall camp and even

in the spring camp, we were really high on Ricky Fletcher and it just seemed like he

never was able to get that thing going and also just when he was out there was never

really, you know, seeming confident.

So I think at this point, at this spring portion, can you find guys that are confident in

their size and their abilities, but also use their size and abilities to make things happen?

So I love what Ole Miss did in the transfer portal and as well, the market's widths and

higher is something you're going to see Simmons be going.

He's an aggressive three-four guy.

He likes to put pressure on the opposing quarterbacks and likes to play man-to-man coverage.

So I'm expecting a bit more of aggressiveness, obviously like you said, there are no pads

right now, but I think you can see that to be true when the season starts for Ole Miss.

All right.

Dale and Flowers joining us from Ole Miss 365.

Thank you so much for joining us, Dale and we'll talk to you later, buddy.

Appreciate you, man.

Take care, everyone.

All right.

Thanks for tuning in today to the Lockdown Ole Miss podcast.

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