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LOOK: Ivey praises Lawrence and Golding; Ole Miss cleans up nice at SEC Media Days

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•07/16/24•

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Jared Ivey, Ole Miss star defender and host of OMSpirit's 'Ivey League' podcast (Photo credit: USA Today Images)

Jared Ivey has had an accomplished, three-year Ole Miss football career. He’s pretty much seen it all.

But Ivey has never played an Egg Bowl on Black Friday. Or faced off against new SEC members Oklahoma or Texas.

The annual in-state rivalry game between his Rebels and those hated Bulldogs from Mississippi State is moving off Thanksgiving for the 2024-25 season. The SEC has also expanded to 16 teams, as officially unveiled this week at SEC Media Days in Dallas, Texas.

Ole Miss took its turn on Monday. Ivey was one of the four program representatives.

“It’s unbelievable,” Ivey, a one-time transfer from Georgia Tech, said. He was describing the Egg Bowl to an Oklahoma reporter. “The town shuts down. I remember Tom Luke, he used to play quarterback at Ole Miss. He told me a story about how he got hurt in the Egg Bowl one of the years playing. He was listening to it on the radio, and he just wanted to know if they won. That was the only thing he was worried about. He wasn’t worried about his injury.

“He gets up, gives a really emotional speech every year, just that Thursday before the game or that Wednesday in the meeting room before the game, just so that we kind of understand the gravity of it. And being in the city and going to Walmart or going to get something to eat, people, the fans, they come up to you and they let you know they’re behind you and how much they care about it. 

“It’s just an exciting game.”

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The game has a fresh, post-holiday primetime slot.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State will kick off on November 29 at 2:30 p.m. CT.

The Rebels don’t draw the Longhorns in the regular season. However, they welcome the Sooners to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium October 26. Key Lawrence told the Spirit he has the game circled.

Lawrence was a multi-year starter for the Sooners at safety but transferred to Ole Miss in the off-season. The Rebels signed the nation’s No. 3 overall class out of the portal.

“He’s a stud player,” Ivey said. “He’s a really smart player, and he’s a really big communicator. So, I think just that room really coming together and gelling, we’ve had a lot of new guys in that position. Every year we’ve got a new guy coming and playing that star, nickel, strong-safety-type position. (We) have such a big group of elite guys in that room: Key, Yam (Banks), John (Saunders), Tre (Amos). 

“They all stand out as just elite communicators and students of the game.”

Ole Miss is entering his second season under defensive coordinator Pete Golding, formerly of Alabama. 

Assisting Golding this season as co-defensive coordinator is Bryan Brown.

Brown is a one-time Rebel defensive back. He came over from Cincinnati in January. He previously served as DC at Louisville and Appalachian State as well.

“If you met the cool frat dude that everybody rocks with, he just has that vibe about him,” Ivey said of Golding. “He has a certain level of confidence I feel is contagious and infectious. It makes you feel that type of confidence.

“On top of that, his ability to simplify such a complex defense and such a complex game is second to none. His ability to just take what he’s trying to get done schematically and explain it and bottle it up into these little categories that he does and make it easy for us to understand, I think, is elite. 

“It’s truly a skill.”

The included photos were provided by the SEC and Ole Miss Athletics.

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