Jared Ivey is looking forward to his last time to suit up with Ole Miss
In this day and age of “me first” college sports, it is refreshing to see older players who have their eyes set on a professional football career stick with a team through the entire season rather than opting out of postseason play, which many do these days it seems.
Ole Miss All-American defensive tackle Walter Nolen recently kept his explanation simple, stating he had never played in a bowl game and wanted to have that experience before lumbering off to the NFL.
We’re sure a hefty NIL payment has something to do with their sticking around as well, but it’s cool to hear there is more of a motive than dollar bills.
Senior defensive end/defensive tackle Jared Ivey is another who could have easily jumped off the Rebel ship and hardly anyone would have said anything about it, but instead of opting out of the January 2 Gator Bowl against Duke, Ivey has opted in.
“Bowls are fun. This is my last shot at a bowl and I’m excited about it,” said Ivey. “The seniors want to finish what we started and get that 10th win of the season. I’m very ready to play.
“It’s very important to go out strong. We are not quitters. We are winners and finishers. We didn’t get what we wanted out of this season, but we still want to go out the right way with a win in the bowl game.”
Ivey, who came to Ole Miss three seasons ago from Georgia Tech, has been a key component to the Rebs winning eight games in 2022, 11 games in 2023 and shooting for 10 wins in 2024.
He came into the Rebel program with players like QB Jaxson Dart, WR Jordan Watkins, LB Khari Coleman and DT JJ Pegues.
“It’s special to be a part of that group. A lot of great guys came in with me and a lot of great guys were already here and that allowed us to build on what Matt Corral and that senior class did in 2021 with 10 wins,” Ivey stated. “We wanted to carry on that culture and become the brand.
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“We want to be the guys who the program is modeled after, and we want to be the guys who leave a mark so the coaches can go get more guys like us. It means the world to me to do that for the team and the university.”
Jared, at 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, has been the beneficiary of some outstanding coaching from defensive line coach Randall Joyner.
“He’s a great coach and has a great set of drills for indy (individual work). He provides great insight and coaching points. To be able to learn from that just adds a lot to my games,” Jared continued.
Ivey had some advice for recruits – young and older – about the recruiting process.
“I wasn’t sure if I would like to be in Mississippi, but when I came on my visit, it totally changed my mind about how I felt about the state and the city,” he said. “I would tell young players and players in the portal to take their time and vet potential destination schools carefully.
“Once you visit here, meet the players and the coaches and look at the schemes, Ole Miss is a place that works for a lot of guys,” he closed.
Ole Miss certainly “worked for” Jared Ivey. He’s had a stellar career at Ole Miss and was certainly one of the building blocks to a program that wins consistently.
Thirty-eight games down for Ivey as a Rebel. . . . .
. . . . one to go.
He wants to make it a good one.
