What’s in a number? For Ole Miss EDGE Cedric Johnson, motivation in his money year
Ole Miss defensive end Cedric Johnson changed jersey numbers on Tuesday, exchanging the No. 33 of his previous two seasons for No. 2.
He said he’s honoring his brother, who wore it, according to Johnson, “for the longest.” Mostly, though, he just wanted a single-digit, as is the case with most every top player at any FBS school of consequence.
But Johnson is also drawing inspiration from Sam Williams with his jersey swap.
Williams, who was a second-round NFL Draft selection of the Dallas Cowboys in the spring, wore No. 13 for two seasons before going with No. 7 in his money year. He led Ole Miss and tied the school record with 10.5 sacks.
Even more, his 57 total tackles were the most by an Ole Miss defensive lineman since 2018, and Williams ranked No. 10 nationally with four raced fumbles. He was a second-team All-American and a first-team All-SEC honoree.
“Sam, last year, he had a big year after he switched,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to doing the same thing.”
Johnson was second only to Williams in sacks last season.
Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 265-pound EDGE, appeared in all 13 games (11 starts) and had 33 tackles, eight tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He was third in quarterback hurries (7).
Johnson is eligible for the NFL Draft for the first time, and he’s already been elevated by his teammates and coaches as a team leader. Johnson was one of three player representatives for Ole Miss at SEC Media Days in July.
He’s been named preseason All-SEC by Athlon and Phil Steele, and The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman placed Johnson on his Top 50 Freaks List.
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“I’m very confident in all the guys we have, the depth we have,” Johnson said of the Ole Miss defensive line. “The culture we’ve built is very solid. It’s going to be a fun year for us.”
Of course, team chemistry is a big question mark for the Rebels, considered by many a sleeper contender in the SEC West.
Ole Miss had some 20 players leave via the portal, however, none were considered major contributors.
The Rebels, in response, signed one of the top transfer classes in the country: Jaxson Dart (QB, USC), Zach Evans (RB, TCU), Jaylon Robinson (WR, UCF), Jordan Watkins (WR, Louisville), Jared Ivey (DE, Georgia Tech), Michael Trigg (TE, USC), Mason Brooks (OL, Western Kentucky), Khari Coleman (LB, TCU), JJ Pegues (DT, Auburn), Troy Brown (LB, Central Michigan), Isheem Young (DB, Iowa State), Malik Heath (WR, Mississippi State), Ladarius Tennison (DB, Auburn) and Danny Lockhart (LB, USC).
Despite the influx of new faces, Johnson has been impressed how the Rebels have come together over fall camp. Ole Miss opens the season against Troy September 3.
“We have a lot of new guys,” he said. “It’s basically like a fresh, new team. It was a little challenging; new guys had to get used to the atmosphere.
“But everybody brought everyone together. We had open arms for everyone, just welcoming them to the team.”
