

Clowney, after notching one sack in six appearances last season, and the fellow returners will lean heavily on all Williams taught them as they enter the 2022 campaign.

Williams racked up 22.5 sacks and 33.5 tackles for loss in his collegiate career before moving on to the NFL.Ĭedric Johnson, along with returner Tavius Robinson, Georgia Tech transfer Jared Ivey and others, are expected to fill that role on the edge. Despite having plenty of viable candidates, the 2022 group will have its hands full replacing one of the best pass rushers ever to wear the Rebel red and blue, Sam Williams. On the defensive front, Ole Miss boasts more size, talent and athleticism than ever before. Being able to have the depth now is going to be a great thing for us." "Not having that depth hurts you on the back end. He's going to be a great asset to our team as well," Battle said of Igbinosun. "You don't really see many freshmen play like he has this fall camp and this past spring. Deantre Prince returns as well, and the two have already been joined at the top of the rotation by true freshman Davison Igbinosun, who has been arguably the most-talked-about player on the Rebel roster this fall. However, Battle will be back for his third full season at corner after coming to Oxford as a receiver. With them rushing the passer and us covering the receivers and running backs and everything, I feel like it's going to be something great."īattle leads a cornerbacks room that must replace its top cover man from a year ago in Deane Leonard. They've made that a big emphasis this past spring, this fall camp and this upcoming season. "That means, with the coverage that we have on the back end, we know that our D-line is going to get to the quarterback. "One of our mottos here is 'coverage and rush.' And we say 'one unit,'" Battle said. On the defensive side of the football, one word has been thrown around more than any other during fall camp: depth.Īsk any Rebel on the defensive line or in the secondary, and they'll happily report that this team-more than any in Oxford in recent memory-has the depth on both the front and back end to succeed in the Southeastern Conference. As the season draws near, the hope is that the new-look Rebel squad will coagulate as well as they did a year ago.ĭefensive back Miles Battle, running back Kentrel Bullock and defensive lineman Demon Clowney met with the media after Wednesday morning's practice to provide the latest on how the 2022 Rebel squad is coming together. – Now less than a week removed from the start of classes, the Ole Miss football team continues to squeeze every drop of progress it can from each practice.

