Malik Heath was 'skeptical' of making the move to Ole Miss but has since found his footing

There was a little bit of an adjustment period for Malik Heath when he put on his Ole Miss helmet for the first time but now he is extremely comfortable in the red and blue.

Heath made news in Mississippi when the former Mississippi State standout opted to hit the transfer portal and made his new home a couple hours north in Oxford and Ole Miss.

Crossing rivalry lines like the one drawn between Ole Miss and Mississippi State is like a Hatfield deciding to join the McCoys. Now that Heath is a Rebel it is all smiles.

“I just like the offense,” Heath said. “I think (Ole Miss head coach) Lane Kiffin is a great play caller. (Wide receiver) Coach (Derrick) Nix is a great coach. He’s going to push you everyday and that’s something I didn’t have over at the other school.

“At first I was skeptical about it, just committing over here. Because of the rival school, the media and all that. But I just saw a lot of folks doing so I just did it.”

Heath also recently signed an exclusive NIL deal with the Ole Miss Spirit.

There was not a weirdness to making the move to Heath, who officially joined Ole Miss in July and is one of the later transfer additions.

One thing that helped eliminate any strange or weird feelings was the relationship Heath had with Jonathan Mingo.

The two have known each other since their high school playing days. Mingo a standout at Brandon and Heath played in Jackson at Callaway High School.

With Mingo, and other players, already on the roster Heath was familiar with it helped him settle in.

“I think the adjustment is good because me and Mingo have been tight for a long time,” Heath said. “It’s just good having a person that you know coming from another school that you’re a rival of over here. It just gelled together.”

Heath has one week of official practice with his new team under his belt. From the on-the-field perspective there has been a little bit more of an adjustment period.

A Lane Kiffin – Charlie Weis, Jr. offense is a little different to Heath than an offense created by Mississippi State head coach Mike Leach. Through all that Heath is finding his way.

“This system is very hard,” Heath said. “Just got to know the concepts. Once you play a lot of football you’re going to learn concepts. Once you learn concepts you’re learn the plays. It’s about knowing the routes. … At State it was a more quick angle offense. When I got here it was more down the field. Play action, a lot of stuff like that.”

One thing that was not new to Heath is a quarterback battle. Something he was very familiar with during his time in Starkville.

With Luke Altmyer and Jaxson Dart essentially neck and neck in a competition to determine the next Ole Miss starting quarterback, Heath has experience to rely on.

“You got to think like if the quarterbacks are competing then everybody is competing for a spot,” Heath said. “Nobody has a for sure spot if the quarterbacks competing for a spot. That’s just what everybody’s doing. Putting their head down and competing for a spot.”

The wide receivers room is one that is getting crowded after Mingo and Jalen Knox are back from injury along with some new transfer additions like Jaylon Robinson.

Heath is a new guy on the block and is not just using that experience to work through building chemistry with multiple quarterbacks. He is also having to use that experience to find a spot on the field for himself.

“He’s got a very high ceiling. A lot of work left to do still,” Kiffin said.

At the end of Saturday’s practice Heath connected with Dart on a deep touchdown pass to cap his first week at Ole Miss.