Don’t look now, but the preseason honors continue to roll in for Ole Miss football

College football makes its return this weekend, but the Ole Miss Rebels are still two weeks away from their season-opening showdown with Mercer September 2. 

But that isn’t slowing excitement for what is (potentially) to come. 

Preseason honors on Tuesday continued to roll in for the Rebels, who are now three full weeks into preseason training camp. The Rebels are entering their fourth season under head coach Lane Kiffin, though they’re now under their third defensive coordinator in as many seasons. Pete Golding left Alabama for Ole Miss in the off-season. 

Jaxson Dart — the clear frontrunner in a three-man Ole Miss quarterback battle with a pair of high-profile, off-season transfer additions — was named to the watch list for the 2023 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. Dart enters the season with 4,327 career passing yards, 29 passing touchdowns and 4,984 yards of total offense.

The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. All 10 FBS conferences, as well as a football independent, are represented on the 48-member list.

“I like Jaxson a lot,” Kiffin said of Dart earlier this month. “I think he’s matured a lot, developed a lot (and) his game is a lot better. He’s mature, but he was still young (last season). It was his second year of college his first year (at Ole Miss). 

“He’s really grown into a leader of this team. (The Rebels) vote (with a) leadership group, and he was up there as high as anybody in their opinions. That says a lot, because he’s not real vocal. 

“He won them over by how he invests in them.”

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Ole Miss also landed six on the Coaches Preseason All-SEC team. 

Sophomore running back Quinshon Judkins led the way as a first-team selection. Ole Miss had five on the third team: TEs Caden Prieskorn and Michael Trigg, OL Jeremy James and Micah Pettus and DE Jared Ivey.

Judkins this preseason has also been named to award watch lists for the Maxwell, Walter Camp and Doak Walker. He’s been named a preseason All-American by the Associated Press, CBS Sports, The Sporting News, Walter Camp, Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele. Judkins has picked up All-SEC honors from SEC media, Walter Camp, Lindy’s, Athlon and Phil Steele.

Judkins as a true freshman last season set new Ole Miss single-season records in both rushing yards (1,567) and rushing touchdowns (16). He ended the year ranked Top 10 nationally in rushing yards (No. 7), rushing touchdowns (No. 10) and total touchdowns (17, No. 10).

“We’ll continue to grow our system to find creative ways to showcase him,” Ole Miss co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Charlie Weis, Jr., said recently of Judkins.  “We’ll use him in multiple ways. We have to. He’s our feature back, and we want him to have the ball in his hands as much as possible and in different ways.”

COACHES PRESEASON ALL-SEC TEAM

FIRST TEAM (OFFENSE)

QB – Jayden Daniels, LSU
RB – Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss
RB – Raheim Sanders, Arkansas
WR – Malik Nabers, LSU
WR – Antwane Wells, South Carolina*
WR – Ladd McConkey, Georgia*
TE – Brock Bowers, Georgia
OL – JC Latham, Alabama
OL – Tate Ratledge, Georgia
OL – Will Campbell, LSU
OL – Amarius Mims, Georgia
C – Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia
AP – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M

FIRST TEAM (DEFENSE)

DL – Mekhi Wingo, LSU
DL – Mykel Williams, Georgia
DL – Nazir Stackhouse, Georgia
DL – Maason Smith, LSU
LB – Dallas Turner, Alabama
LB – Harold Perkins, LSU
LB – Jamon Dumas-Johnson, Georgia
DB – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
DB – Malaki Starks, Georgia
DB – Javon Bullard, Georgia
DB – Dwight McGlothern, Arkansas

FIRST TEAM (SPECIAL TEAMS)

PK – Will Reichard, Alabama
P – Kai Kroeger, South Carolina
RS – Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
KOS – Mitch Jeter, South Carolina
LS – Wesley Schelling, Vanderbilt

SECOND TEAM (OFFENSE)

QB – KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
RB – Jase McClellan, Alabama
RB – Kendall Milton, Georgia
WR – Bru McCoy, Tennessee
WR – Evan Stewart, Texas A&M*
WR – Will Sheppard, Vanderbilt*
WR – Jermaine Burton, Alabama*
TE – Mayson Taylor, LSU
OL – Javon Foster, Missouri
OL – Brady Latham, Arkansas
OL – Tyler Booker, Alabama
OL – Xavier Truss, Georgia*
OL – Emery Jones, LSU*
C – Beaux Limmer, Arkansas
AP – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State

SECOND TEAM (DEFENSE)

DL – McKinnley Jackson, Texas A&M
DL – Jaheim Oatis, Alabama
DL – Deone Walker, Kentucky
DL – Justin Eboigbe, Alabama
LB – Nathaniel Watson, Mississippi State
LB – Smael Mondon, Georgia
LB – JJ Weaver, Kentucky
DB – Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
DB – Kris Abrams-Draine, Missouri
DB – Malachi Moore, Alabama
DB – Demani Richardson, Texas A&M

SECOND TEAM (SPECIAL TEAMS)

PK – Harrison Mevis, Missouri
P – Nik Constantinou, Texas A&M
RS – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
KOS – Nathan Dibert, LSU
LS – Kneeland Hibbett, Alabama

THIRD TEAM (OFFENSE)

QB – Will Rogers, Mississippi State
RB – Trevor Etienne, Florida
RB – Jarquez Hunter, Auburn
WR – Luther Burden III, Missouri
WR – Ainias Smith, Texas A&M*
WR – Ja’Corey Brooks, Alabama*
TE – Luke Deal, Auburn*
TE – Caden Prieskorn, Ole Miss*
TE – Michael Trigg, Ole Miss*
TE – Trey Knox, South Carolina*
OL – Layden Robinson, Texas A&M
OL – Eli Cox, Kentucky
OL – Jeremy James, Ole Miss
OL –Kam Stutts, Auburn*
OL – Javontez Spraggins, Tennessee*
OL – Micah Pettus, Ole Miss*
C – Cooper Mays, Tennessee
AP – Dakereon Joyner, South Carolina

THIRD TEAM (DEFENSE)

DL – Princely Umanmiellen, Florida
DL – Tonka Hemingway, South Carolina
DL – Jared Ivey, Ole Miss
DL – Tim Smith, Alabama*
DL – Darius Robinson, Missouri*
LB – Ty’Ron Hopper, Missouri
LB – Jett Johnson, Mississippi State
LB – Chris Braswell, Alabama
DB – Marcellas Dial, South Carolina
DB – Nehemiah Pritchett, Auburn
DB – Jason Marshall, Florida
DB – Greg Brooks, LSU

THIRD TEAM (SPECIAL TEAMS)

PK – Cam Little, Arkansas
P – Oscar Chapman, Auburn*
P – Matthew Hayball, Vanderbilt*
RS – Tulu Griffin, Mississippi State
LS – Slade Roy, LSU