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Teja Young and DeShawn Gaddie transferred to Ole Miss for two very different reasons

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•08/05/23•

SpiritBen

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Ole Miss safety Teja 'TJ' Young

Teja Young didn’t need long to figure out his transfer destination. 

He went online and pulled up his profile once his name officially hit the NCAA Transfer Portal. Ole Miss was among the schools already expressing interest. Young needed just one call from Lane Kiffin years ago to flip his high-school commitment from Colorado State to FAU. 

Kiffin is now entering his fourth season at Ole Miss. Young is entering his final college season after graduating from FAU, where he was a co-captain last season and posted 142 tackles and seven interceptions over three seasons and 31 combined games. He set an FAU record for interceptions returned for a touchdown (4). He’s two away from setting the NCAA record.

“When I got in the portal (and) they came on the screen, I shut it down. Boom, I know where I’m going,” Young said, in a one-on-one sit-down with the Ole Miss Spirit this week. 

Young chose the Rebels over North Carolina and Florida State. 

He added, “I’ve been playing football for a long time. I’m about to break the NCAA record for pick-sixes here at Ole Miss. I need two more. For me, it’s just completing my tape. I was a (Pro Football Focus)  first-team all-guy at my last school. I’ve got the school record for interceptions. For me, now it’s time to put it on a bigger stage. 

“That was my thing coming here — being able to put my talent on a bigger stage.”

Young was one of nearly 30 transfers brought in by Ole Miss in the off-season. 

Thirteen came on defense, which is now under the guidance of Pete Golding. Golding has had a Top 30 defense at every school he’s been the defensive coordinator. He spent the previous three at Alabama. 

The secondary received the biggest injection of transfer talent. Young is joined by DaShawn Gaddie (North Texas), Chris Graves (Miami of Florida), John Saunders, Jr., (Miami of Ohio), Jadon Canady (Tulane) and DaiJahn Anthony (Liberty).

UCF corner Justin Hodges was another. However, and as first-reported by the Ole Miss Spirit, he won’t be transferring in after all. Graves is one of three transfers the Rebels have committed just this month. The others are linebacker TJ Dudley (Clemson) and running back Jam Griffin.

Griffin entered this week and popped for Kiffin and Co. on Friday. 

“New coordinator, a lot of new staff and a lot of brand new players,” Kiffin said this week of the defense. “I’m excited about the pieces — the coaches and the players. But that’s a long way from them playing really well together, knowing what to do, not blowing coverages and fitting every run right.

“But I’m very excited about that. It just is what it is. I looked out (at the practice field) at one point (and) it’s so new, especially on that side of ball. There were a lot of defensive players out there and only one signed here out of high school.

“It is what it is.”

Unlike Young, the presence of Kiffin wasn’t the primary reason Gaddie ended up a Rebel.

“I played four, five snaps of press last year,” Gaddie said. He, too, talked exclusively with the Spirit.

“And I had 600 coverage snaps in 1,000 snaps played. A lot of NFL scouts were saying what they want to see from me to get to the next level (was) press. Coming here, you have a (coordinator) from Alabama (and) that’s what they base out of — press align. You’ve got a corners coach from Western Kentucky (Keynodo Hudson) who just led the nation in takeaways. 

“Coming here, I know exactly what I need to do, and if I do it, I’m going to get to the next level, for sure.”

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