Lane Kiffin updates the playing status of running back Jerrion Ealy

Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss rebels are hopeful for the return of running back Jerrion Ealy this weekend versus Tennessee. Ealy suffered a concussion versus the Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 5 and had to miss the Arkansas game in Week 6.

“We hope that he plays,” Kiffin said on Monday. “Credit to the players who stepped up and scored 52 points against what I consider a good defense.”

The Rebels escaped Arkansas without Ealy suited up, winning 52-51 as the Hogs failed to convert a two-point play.

Before exiting the Alabama game in Week 5, the junior running back posted 16 yards on nine carries, as well as two catches for one yard. Kiffin and the Rebels fell to the Tide, their first loss of the 2021 season, 42-21 in Tuscaloosa.

Despite leading the team in rushing last season, Ealy is just one part of a more balanced Ole Miss attack in 2021. The Walnut Grove, Mississippi, native has 204 yards rushing and one rushing touchdown, as well as eight catches for 79 yards on the season.

However, the Rebels have four players with over 200+ rushing yards, led by sophomore running back Henry Parrish Jr. with 334 yards and a score. Junior running back Snoop Conner has just 43 more total rushing yards than Ealy this year but he’s the go-to red zone rusher with seven scores, compared to Ealy’s one. Quarterback Matt Corral also has 255 rushing yards and eight scores on the ground.

This weekend, the Rebels take on 4-2 Tennessee in Knoxville. The Vols have given up just 112 rushing yards per game while Ole Miss averages a 5th-best 259 ypg. The kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET. The Rebels are three-point favorites in Vegas.

More on Jerrion Ealy

Ealy finished his sophomore season with 745 yards rushing and nine scores on the ground. His yards-per-game total was 46th amongst all D-I running backs and eighth in the SEC. His performance earned him a second-team All-SEC selection.

Jerrion Ealy’s freshman season was explosive as well. He earned All-SEC freshman honors after rushing for 722 yards and six scores for Ole Miss behind only John Rhys Plumlee.

Coming out of high school with more than 5,000 career rushing yards, Ealy was a consensus top-100 recruit. Not only was he a top football prospect, he was also drafted in the 31st round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He had to miss the 2021 baseball season due to shoulder surgery but he started six games in center field for Ole Miss in 2020.