Following Ole Miss’s worst season since 1987, coach Ed Orgeron decided changes needed to be made in order for his team to compete in the Southeastern Conference.
Thanks to a recruiting class ranked 16th in the nation by Rivals.com and several changes among his coaching staff, Orgeron said he expects to have more success his second season.
Orgeron established himself as a capable recruiter at the University of Southern California, where he had a hand in signing eventual Heisman Trophy winners Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart and Carson Palmer.
Rivals.com Ole Miss recruiting expert Grant Gannon said Orgeron has success because he loves to recruit.
“He is such a relentless recruiter that it pays dividends for him,” Gannon said. “When he was at Southern California as an assistant, we named him Recruiter of the Year twice.”
At Ole Miss, Orgeron’s eye for talent will be tested early. He returns only five starters on each side of the ball.
At quarterback, the Rebels turn to junior-college transfer Brent Schaeffer. Now a junior, Schaeffer landed at Ole Miss after spending a year at a community college following his freshman season at the University of Tennessee.
Schaeffer is expected to bring stability to an Ole Miss offense which struggled in the passing game last season. Ole Miss quarterbacks only had nine touchdown passes, ranking near the bottom of the SEC.
Although Schaeffer is still learning the Ole Miss offense, junior tight end Robert Lane said he believes adding Schaeffer is an upgrade.
“With the addition of Brent we’ve really improved there at quarterback,” Lane said. “We needed somebody to come in there with his athletic ability to do the things that we need to do to get where we want to be on offense.”
In the backfield, junior BenJarvus Green-Ellis will start at running back. Green-Ellis transferred to Ole Miss from Indiana University, where he gained more than 700 yards his sophomore season. Orgeron said Green-Ellis won the job because of his ability to convert short yardage situations.
Orgeron said his biggest concern on offense is his wide receivers. True freshman Marshay Green and sophomore Mike Wallace are the projected starters, but Orgeron said his group still has room for improvement. Lane said he expects big things out of the position this season.
“We’ve got some guys who are inexperienced, but I think they’ll step up,” he said. “We’ve got some real athletic kids there right now.”
Orgeron said tight end will become a key position because of the inexperience at wide receiver.
Lane, who became the starter after moving from quarterback last season, said the move is easier than he expected.
“Running the routes and stuff is kind of natural,” he said. “The main thing is learning how to block.”
On the offensive line, the Rebels are also in need of help. They return only sophomore Michael Oher and junior Darryl Harris from last season’s starters.
New offensive line coach Art Kehoe placed an ad in The Daily Mississippian this spring requesting help from young men on campus. After seeing his players during practices this summer, Orgeron said he is optimistic about his line’s play.
“You can expect a more consistent offensive line this season,” he said in a news release.
On defense, Orgeron said he is expecting a great season for senior linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis was a First Team All-American selection last season after leading the SEC with 128 total tackles. Orgeron said he believes Willis is the catalyst for his entire defense.
“Patrick makes the whole team look better,” he said. “It’s just obvious that when he’s in there, everybody is feeling a lot more confident, and he makes a lot of plays.”
The other linebackers projected to start are junior Garry Pack and sophomore Quentin Taylor. Pack had a productive sophomore season, with 61 tackles and five tackles for losses.
While Orgeron is pleased with his linebackers, he said he is uneasy about his defensive line. The Rebels lost all four starters from last season, and Orgeron said he is still uncertain as to who will fill the void.
“We’re still mixing and matching our defensive line,” he said. “We have not found a solid front four yet that we’re happy with.”
In the secondary, senior Charles Clark and sophomore Jamarca Sanford are returning starters at safety.
Clark is the veteran of the Ole Miss secondary, starting in every game each of the past two seasons. Orgeron said Clark will be relied upon to be the leader of the secondary.
“He is kind of like the quarterback of the secondary for us,” Orgeron said. “He is always in the post, ready to play.”
Junior Nate Banks and senior Trumaine McBride are slated to start at cornerback for the Rebels. Both Banks and McBride have seen extensive playing time in the past two seasons, but Orgeron said the two are still competing with the other players.
“Those guys are battling,” he said. “I feel comfortable with the experience we have there.”
At kicker, the Rebels will use both senior Will Moseley and junior Matt Hinkle. The pair split time last season, both connecting on 50 percent of their tries.
Rob Park returns as punter for the Rebels, where he started as a true freshman last season and averaged 38 yards per kick.
Although he only finished 3-8 in his rookie season as coach, Orgeron said thanks to his recruiting class, he now feels the Rebels are capable of having success.
“I feel that we went out and recruited the type of talent we need in the SEC,” he said.
Gannon said what makes Ole Miss appealing to recruits is Orgeron is not afraid to allow players to play early.
“The first thing he was able to do is sell playing time,” he said. “Under David Cutcliff, playing as a freshman was a rarity.”
—–Contact Casey Gisclair at [email protected]