Randall Joyner’s persistence was key in bringing LSU EDGE Da’Shawn Womack to Ole Miss
Kam Franklin has seemingly seized control of one of Ole Miss football’s two starting defensive end positions.
There’s a battle going on opposite him, however.
In the thick of the action is LSU transfer EDGE Da’Shawn Womack. Womack and Nebraska’s Princewill Umanmielen were Top 10 EDGE transfers signed by Ole Miss in the off-season.
Womack is a former 5-star recruit. He played in all 12 games as a Tiger freshman and had 13 total tackles. Womack appeared in eight games this season.
“What brought me here was basically the defense — how impactful they were last year and how they were like No. 1 in sacks and TFLs and stuff like that,” Womack said Thursday. “Ole Miss was one of my first offers
“(Defensive line) Coach (Randall) Joyner’s been recruiting me ever since then, and he’s always been on the hunt for me to come to Ole Miss and play for him. The relationship we had, it was just like, I’m going to come play for coach Joyner at the No. 1 defensive school.”
Every starting defensive lineman save for Suntarine Perkins is gone following last season’s 10-win campaign, the third in four years for the Rebels.
Ole Miss is in its fourth full week of spring practices. Perkins has sat out as he recovers from surgery to repair a labrum injury.
His absence has allowed plenty of evaluation time for the Rebel defensive staff, led by co-coordinators Pete Golding and Bryan Brown. Ole Miss is replacing nine starters on defense.
“He’s great. He’s been on my tail,” Womack said of Joyner. “He just always wanted me to play fast, physical and relentless.
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“We’re disruptive. We’re just all getting a bond together and basically learning each other and learning how to play with each other. Just make sure we go out there and be dominant.”
Womack has been reunited as teammates with Sage Ryan and Logan Diggs.
Ryan and Diggs, like Womack, came to Ole Miss from LSU. Ryan arrived in the same off-season class ranked No. 2 nationally by On3. Diggs spent last season with Ole Miss recovering from an ACL injury suffered in his final game as a Tiger.
Ryan is penciled in as a starter at one of the Rebels’ three safety positions. Ole Miss runs a base 4-2-5 defense. Diggs is currently atop the depth chart at running back.
“It’s a pretty cool thing,” Womack said. “I still have people on the team that I knew previously. It’s great to see those guys out here with me. Me and my guy (Princewill), me and him been tight ever since we came in tougher. That’ just my road dog.”
But Womack is also developing strong bonds and relationships with new teammates, such as Franklin and others, as Ole Miss builds out its next great defense.
“That’s my brother,” Franklin said of Womack. “We just got done talking about just imagining the vision for the season. No matter who’s first, who’s second, it doesn’t matter. We’re both coming.
“We could be a dynamic duo for sure.”
