Otis Reese has "a lot to prove" to himself entering his final season at Ole Miss

Ole Miss Safety Otis Reese now has two years and 16 starts as a Rebel under his belt, but he feels he has a lot to improve on and a lot more to show as he enters his final season.

There’s very little he hasn’t encountered, so what’s happening in spring football is nothing surprising or new to him.

Reese, an exclusive NIL partner of The Ole Miss Spirit, likes what he sees so far after two days of spring training.

“It’s been great, really good. There’s a whole lot of new faces out there who are trying to get the plays down and all of us getting our assignments down,” said Reese, a 6-3, 215 pounder. “It’s been good to have new coaches and new players – a lot of good players who will come in and help right away.

“We’re just attacking everything. The season will be here before you know it so we are working hard to build chemistry with the staff and the players among ourselves. The new guys have come in with a great attitude and work ethic. It’s been great. I’m excited to have them on this team. The pieces that the coaches brought in this time around are going to keep us on top.”

Otis, who had 90 tackles last year playing a free safety-type position, said chemistry starts when you walk in the Manning Center.

“You have to have a vibe of togetherness,” Reese said. He’s sponsored by Millette Beach Condo Rentals. They can be reached at 850-424-5061.

“It’s not about ‘I’ it’s about ‘we.’ You are not playing for yourself, you are playing for your brothers on the field and your loved ones back home. That’s how you win games.

“It’s about respect in the locker room and respect of one another. That plays a big role in success.”

Reese was asked which newcomers impressed him.

“A lot of them. I could go on and on, but there are some really good players the coaches have brought in here, as I said, and I couldn’t just stop at one,” he explained. “The coaches brought in a couple of safeties and that’s been good for us and for the competition.

“We play a three-safety kind of system, so we need all the good players we can get there and we want out backups to be as good as our starters. We trust our coaches to put us in the right positions and roles and we trust each other to go out there and execute to the best of our ability.”

Otis calls himself an “old head” now and says it’s part of his responsibility to mentor the new players and young players.

“It’s my job to help these new and young guys feel comfortable here and to make sure they know all the ropes,” said Otis. “So far, everything has gone smoothly in that regard.”

Reese played a part in getting LB Troy Brown to Ole Miss after Brown entered the portal.

“My brother plays at Central Michigan and he would always tell me about Troy and how good he is. I wanted him here badly,” Reese smiled. “Troy is special – a real ballplayer.”

Another player who has caught his eye is Cedric Johnson.

“Ced is a freak. He’s put on weight and he shows up every practice. He’s someone who is going to make an impact in this program,” Otis continued.

Reese was asked about the strength and conditioning program under Nick Savage now that Wilson Love has moved on to Oregon.

“Those guys have a lot of energy. We are definitely doing good things under them,” he noted. “We are embracing what Coach Savage and his staff are teaching and I can tell we are getting bigger, faster and stronger as a team.

“We trust those guys and we are all ears on what they are telling us. They gained our trust quickly and we like how they grind.”

Otis said he as not pleased with his play last year, but he plans on changing that this season.

“I’m going to change from last year. I’m going to go back to being me,” he said. “I’m blessed to be out here with my team and I plan on making the most of my final year.

“I have a lot to prove to myself and I plan on getting it done.”