‘This is what you come here for’: Ole Miss players are as hyped as anyone for the SEC opener
Ole Miss starts five defensive backs on its defense.
Two are first-year, plug-and-play transfers signed in the off-season. Another is John Saunders, a converted cornerback now at safety and one-time transfer from Miami (Ohio). Jadon Canady is in his second Ole Miss season after coming over from Tulane.
Then there’s Trey Washington.
Washington signed with Ole Miss, played in 26 games as a true freshman and sophomore, and has started every game at safety the last two years. He was All-SEC last season.
He’s pretty much seen it all as the lone constant in the secondary and in a day and age in college football when chaos seemingly reigns. But he’s never seen anything quite like the Ole Miss defense — and, quite frankly, program writ large — he’s now a part of.
“It’s been a gift seeing the growth,” Washington said after practice on Tuesday.
Washington’s been there in the good and the bad. He’s one of the sport’s now-endangered, multi-year veterans. He’s still solid as they come, too, and despite all the new. Washington’s played the fifth-most snaps of all defenders so far, as well as the fourth-most of Rebel defensive backs.
Cornerback Trey Amos, a transfer from Alabama, has the most (70). Amos and Isaiah Hamilton were off-season transfer additions. Hamilton came from Houston. He’s starting opposite Amos.
“Meshing really well,” Washington said of the new-look secondary. “Everybody’s grabbing the concepts. Daily we’re all getting better together. There’s not division or anything like that. That’s exceptional for new guys coming together. That’s good to see.”
RELATED: Ole Miss has been dominant but also quite sloppy. The Rebels are working on it.
No. 6 Ole Miss (4-0) opens SEC play against Kentucky (2-2, 0-2 SEC) Saturday at 11 a.m. CT on ABC.
“The competition keeps getting better,” Amos said. “That’s when the challenges become harder. We’ve got to mesh together even better throughout the week. It’s been great seeing that throughout the season.”
Ole Miss currently boasts the nation’s top-ranked scoring offense AND scoring defense. The Rebels are third in tackles for loss. They’ve won three straight in their series with Kentucky, as well as six in a row against the Wildcats at home, where they’re 9-2 all-time.
The teams have played twice since Lane Kiffin took over as Ole Miss head coach in 2020. The Rebels won both games.
“This is what you come here for — for games like this and the games we’re going to have later in the season,” Washington said. “We’re really excited.”
Kentucky is led offensively by Georgia transfer quarterback Brock Vandagriff. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye is 11th in the SEC in rushing. Dane Key is 11th in receiving yards per game (66.0).
“You can tell (Vandagriff’s) really smart,” Washington said. “He gets through his progressions really well. He does a good job of controlling the offense, taking his check-downs and reading defenses. I’m excited for Saturday.”
Washington and the secondary will also have to contend with former Ole Miss recruiting target Barion Brown, the star Kentucky wideout.
“He’s an explosive player,” Washington said. “He does a good job pressuring DBs to open their hips and stuff. We have to trust our technique and our eyes and be patient.”
