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Freeze Frame Photo by Greg Pevey, Rebel Nation Magazineâ&#x201E;¢

CHAD AND THE BOYS

WE ARE FAMILY 2 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

OLE MISS SENIOR DAY

REBEL NATION

THE LYCEUM AT OLE MISS

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 3

Freeze Frame Photos by Greg Pevey, Rebel Nation Magazine™

OLE MISS There is a valid distinction between “The University” and “Ole Miss”, even though the separate threads are closely interwoven. The University is buildings, trees, and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion, and personality. One is physical and the other spiritual, one tangible and the other intangible. The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. For anyone without that love it does not exist. The University is geographical, but Ole Miss is universal. There are many universities, but there is only one Ole Miss. What then is Ole Miss? Ole Miss is intimate and personal with a special meaning to each one. It is as elusive to define as capturing a cloud. Ole Miss is agony and ecstasy, with no middle ground. Anything less than glorious triumph brings sheer misery and utter despair. Ole Miss is the citadel where beauty dwells. Ole Miss is lacy moon shadows on the great white columns of the Lyceum. Ole Miss is the Grove where in the Spring the soft whispering breeze sings through the high lifted branches of the trees its sweetest songs, and where on crisp Autumn Saturdays are lavishly spread the most massive picnics ever conceived. Ole Miss is a six-year-old, proudly labeled with a big “18” on his back. Ole Miss is in Yankee Stadium and Wrigley Field, Atlantic City, and Tulane Stadium or wherever its people are, together or alone. Ole Miss is in a service club in distant Heidelberg where among hundreds more, a young soldier far from home scribbled his name on the wall with the sole identification “Ole Miss, By Damn!” Ole Miss is a lonely white cross in an endless row of crosses on a remote and rocky mountainside at Casino. Ole Miss is an impromptu reunion at a South Pacific crossroad somewhere between Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Ole Miss is a smile of recognition, an excited embrace, a warm handshake, a friend in every town, village and hamlet from Tunica to Tylertown and Pontotoc to Pascagoula. Ole Miss is a quiet little bald man from the red hills of Georgia smiling near the visitors’ gate at Sanford Stadium in Athens wearing a battered old button with wrinkled red and blue ribbon hungry to hear voices and see faces from home. Ole Miss is an eager freshman yelling, shouting and jumping with uncontained excitement in the line ahead of me at Legion Field in Birmingham. I was numb and silent with apprehension. He demanded, “Who are you for?” I said, “Son, I was for Ole Miss before you were born.” Looking at my gray hair, he said, “I guess you are right” and stuck out his hand. We shook and the generation gap dissolved. Ole Miss knows no boundaries of age. Ole Miss is the deep throb of drumming music that beats a battle song—the lithe steps on long young limbs that measure the marching cadence heralding that the Rebels are on the move again. Ole Miss is Bourbon Street at its best, or at its worst. Ole Miss, too, is a quiet meditation under blue skies on Sardis Lake or in an ancient country church at College Hill. Ole Miss is an unbreakable unity, a lasting living bond between those past, and those present, and those to come. Ole Miss is a million memories, a million dreams, a million hopes, a million aims blended into one viable regenerating totality of experience and aspiration. The University gives a diploma and regretfully terminates tenure, but one never graduates from Ole Miss. In short, Ole Miss is us! A poem by Ole Miss alumnus Frank E. Everett Jr.

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SEASONS CHANGE IN THE GROVE

OLE MISS CHEER

REBELETTES

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 5

Freeze Frame Photos by Greg Pevey, Rebel Nation Magazine™

PATTERSON ERA BEGINS It took nine games into Shea Patterson’s freshman year to get his shot behind center. Due to a season-ending knee injury to senior Chad Kelly vs. Georgia Southern, the young freshman was thrown into the fire as he started his frist game for the Rebels on the road at Texas A&M. Trailing by 15 points heading into the fourth quarter, the 6-foot-2, 200-pound Patterson was brilliant, completing 7-of-10 passes for 119 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 24 yards. For the night, Patterson finished with 338 yards through the air on 25-of-42 passing with two touchdown throws and one interception. After the Rebels victory over Texas A&M, Freeze told Patterson, “Dude, this is just the beginning of a journey. Stay humble, stay hungry. Learn from it. Remain who you are.” It didn’t get easier for Shea as the Rebels dropped their next two games on the road at Vanderbilt compeleting 20 of 42 attempts for 222 yards and 2 TD’s; and in the final game of the season vs. Miss. State finishing 27 of 48 attempts for 320 yards and 2 TD’s. - RN SEASON STATS - 3 GAMES

132

Completions

Longest Completion

54.5% 121.0 Completion PCT.

Pass Efficiency

880

Total Passing Yds.

293.3

169

6/0

Total Rushing Yds.

Passing Yards Per Game

Passing/Rushing Touchdowns

SHEA PATTERSON FRESHMAN - Shreveport, LA

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RECORD BREAKER: KELLY STILL “SWAG-TASTIC” Rebel QB Chad Kelly ended his record breaking career at Ole Miss after a fluke injury to his right knee vs. Georgia Southern. Kelly ended his Rebel career vs. GSU by extending his own school record of 22nd consecutive games throwing a TD pass. Kelly’s last touchdown pass late in the 2nd quarter was the 50th of his career and he also moved up to fourth all-time in the Ole Miss record books with 503 career completions. - RN CAREER STATS - 22 GAMES

CHAD KELLY SENIOR - Buffalo, NY

503 Completions

64%

152.3

Completion PCT.

Longest Completion

Pass Efficiency

8600 309.1 Total Passing Yds.

Passing Yards Per Game

832

50/15

Total Rushing Yds.

Passing/Rushing Touchdowns

AKEEM JUDD SENIOR - Durham, NC

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 7

TIME OUT 2017 OLE MISS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE SEPT. 2.................................SOUTH ALABAMA SEPT. 9.............................................UT-MARTIN Sept. 16..............................................@California SEPT. 23........................................................OPEN Sept. 30.............................................. @Alabama Oct. 7......................................................@Auburn OCT. 14............................................ VANDERBILT OCT. 21..............................................................LSU OCT. 28..............................................ARKANSAS Nov. ....................................................@Kentucky NOV. 11...................................... LA-LAFAYETTE NOV. 18.............................................TEXAS A&M Nov. 23........................................... @Miss. State* Dec. 2....................................................SEC Championship Game * - Thanksgiving Night

2018 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 22...........................................LA-MONROE

2019 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AUG. 31..............................................@ Memphis Sept. 14........................................ SE LOUISIANA Sept. 21............................................CALIFORNIA

2020 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 9...............................................Baylor *

At Houston, TX

2021 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 18..................................................TULANE

2022 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 17......................................@ Georgia Tech

2023 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 9.................................................. @ Tulane Sept. 16........................................GEORGIA TECH

2024 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

REBEL NATION MAGAZINE™ Volume 4, Issue 4 January/February 2017 Published by Pevey Publishing, LLC Publishers Greg Pevey, Publisher Mendy Pevey, Chief Financial Office Featured Columnists John Davis, Taylor Quick Contributing Writers Parrish Alford, Collin Brister, John Davis, Jeff Roberson Layout & Design Greg Pevey - Pevey Publishing, LLC/ FinsUp™ Creative Contributing Photographers Angie Ledbetter, Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics, Greg Pevey, Petre Thomas Advertising Sales Greg Pevey, greg@rebelnationmagazine.com Jeff Roberson, jeff@rebelnationmagazine.com Rebel Nation Magazine™ is published bi-monthly by Pevey Publishing, LLC to promote the athletic programs, fans and businesses affiliated with the University of Mississippi in an informative, positive, and entertaining manner. Contributions of articles and photos are welcome. All submissions are subject to editing and availability of space. Rebel Nation Magazine™ is not responsible for the return or loss of, or for any damage or any other injury to unsolicited manuscripts, unsolicited artwork or any other unsolicited materials. Photographs, comments, questions, subscription requests and ad placement inquiries are invited. Return envelope and postage must accompany all labeled materials submitted if a return is requested. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in Rebel Nation Magazine™ are those of the authors or columnists and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, nor do they constitute an endorsement of products or services herein. We reserve the right to refuse any advertisement. Pevey Publishing, LLC is not directly affiliated with any institution, college, university, or other academic or athletic organization. Subscriptions are $24 (1 year, 6 issues) or $40 (2 year, 12 issues). Make checks payable to Rebel Nation Magazine™, and mail to: P.O. Box 5842, Brandon, MS 39047 or subscribe on-line at www.rebelnationmagazine.com. © 2017 Pevey Publishing, LLC

SEPT. 14...................................... @ Wake Forest

2025 OLE MISS NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE SEPT. 13...................................... WAKE FOREST Sept. 20...................................................TULANE

8 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

REBEL NATION MAGAZINE™ PEVEY PUBLISHING, LLC

P.O. Box 5842 • Brandon, MS 39047 Phone: 601-503-7205 • Fax: 601-992-2885 email: greg@rebelnationmagazine.com www.rebelnationmagazine.com

The Roster JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 4

FEATURES 20 - The “Pride of the South” Keeps Things Going During Game Day BY JOHN DAVIS

22 - Aim Small, Miss Small

COMMENTARY

Allion Weisz puts Ole

16 - ATTENTION SWAYZE CRAZIES

Miss Rifle on the Map BY JOHN DAVIS

By Brad Logan

26 - UP CLOSE: C.J. Johnson

52 - Why I do What I do, to Bring What I do...to You

C.J. Talks About his Recruitment and Time at Ole Miss

By Greg Pevey, Publisher

BY COLLIN BRISTER

EXTRAS

30 - Advantage, Jefferson

10 - The Colonel’s Gift Page

Having a Father who Played in the NFL was a big plus for Van Jeferson

12 - FinsUp™ Fan Pics 14 - On Top of Their Game Ross Bjork Named Vice-Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics

BY PARRISH ALFORD

32 - 2016, The Season That Wasn’t

Tasya Cooley Ole Miss Cheer

A look at the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly BY PARRISH ALFORD

34 - Got To Fix It

15 - “Pick 6” Q&A

I’m Mad as Hell and

Q&A with former Rebel LB Cassius Ware

Anymore

I’m Not Going to Take It BY ACEY ROBERTS

20 - FANFARE/ FAN SURVEY • A Look at the Draft Hopes of Three Ole Miss Rebels

THE ACTION STARTS ON PAGE 36

• The 2016 Ole Miss Football “Play of the Year” TO CONTACT REBEL NATION MAGAZINE™ > ADVERTISING, LETTERS, STORY IDEAS AND PHOTO SUBMISSIONS: Email us at

rebelnationmag@gmail.com or mail to Rebel Nation Magazine™, P.O. Box 5842, Brandon, Mississippi 39047. Letters should include writer’s full name, address and telephone number and may be edited for clarity and space.

46 - BASEBALL SPOTLIGHT: Rebel 2nd Baseman Tate Blackman BY JEFF ROBERSON

48 - BASEBALL SPOTLIGHT: Baseball Recruiting Class Ranked #1 in the Nation JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 9

E COLONEL’S TH

THE COLONEL’S

GIFT GUIDE A SELECTION OF OLE MISS GEAR FROM STORES AND LOCAL CRAFTSMEN AND WOMEN

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Email greg@rebelnationmagazine.com to get your items placed in the March/April Issue’s Colonel’s Gift Guide.

4 // Rebel Nation Magazine Subscriptions $24 1-Year / $40 2-Years. Order online at www.rebelnationmagazine.com

3 // OLE MISS CAPS - College Corner Multipe styles $18 and up. 500 Hwy 51, Suite V / Ridgeland, MS / Rebel Owned & Operated / www.collegecorneratore.com

6 // ORCA COOLER - College Corner - Red/Navy Orca Insulated Cooler, $250. 500 Hwy 51, Suite V / Ridgeland, MS / Rebel Owned & Operated / www.collegecorneratore.com

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 11

REBEL FANS, THIS PAGE IS FOR YOU! SUBMIT YOUR FINSUP™ PHOTOS: If you would like to submit your photos of you and your friends and family throwing up the “Fin,” to be published in a future issue of Rebel Nation Magazine™; you can tweet them to us @RebelNationMag, post on the Rebel Nation Magazine™ Facebook page or email them to info@rebalnationmagazine.com. Please include names of each person in the photo, location the photo was taken, and hometown(s).

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 13

REBELS

ACCOMPLISHMENTS, ACCOLADES, AND RECOGNITION

On Top of Their Game Ross Bjork Named Vice-Chancellor for Intercollegiate Athletics Ole Miss also announces athletics director’s contract extended through 2020

“I am a big believer in being fully intele Miss Athletics Director Ross Bjork has been named vice chancellor for grated with the university and will continue intercollegiate athletics at the Uniforward with a great sense of responsibility.” versity of Mississippi. As a result, Stephen Ponder, the senior exIn announcing that Bjork had been givecutive associate athletics director for exteren the new vice chancellor title, university nal relations, will be promoted to the title of officials also noted that an agreement was deputy athletics director. reached this summer to extend the athletics “Stephen has shown great leadership in director’s contract to June 30, 2020. so many areas since his arrival four years Ole Miss’ request to give Bjork the title ago,” Bjork said. “His energy level and ‘can of vice chancellor for intercollegiate athletdo’ attitude have allowed us to grow our enics was approved Thursday by the Board of tire athletics program physically, financially, competitively and emotionally. Trustees of the State Institutions for Higher “This promotion to deputy athletics direcLearning. tor is well-deserved and fitting for Stephen The new title, as well as the extension as my right-hand person. I am grateful for of Bjork’s contract to reach the four-year Stephen’s leadership and blessed to work maximum allowed by the state, reflects the with the best coaches and athletics staff in university’s appreciation and support of the the country.” athletics director’s exemplary work since Bjork’s direction of the Forward Togethcoming to Ole Miss, Chancellor Jeffrey Vitter er campaign has garnered more than $170 said. million in donations, resulting in the con“Athletics serves an important role at our Photo courtesy Ole Miss Athletics struction of The Pavilion at Ole Miss, the university as our ‘front porch’ – capturing Vaught-Hemingway Stadium expansion and the renovations of the the hearts and minds of people and bringing them to campus so Gillom Center, Track and Field complex and the Olivia and Archie that they can experience the full richness of our great university,” Manning Athletics Performance Center. Vitter said. “Athletics has played a big role in elevating the Ole Miss Ole Miss student-athletes and fans have witnessed immediate brand to its strongest point in school history. success in competition under Bjork’s leadership. The Rebel football “The success of our athletics program is unprecedented and is team appeared in post-season bowl games for the last four consecdirectly attributable to Ross’ leadership. Naming him as the vice utive years, reaching the Allstate Sugar Bowl last season for the chancellor for intercollegiate athletics will continue that momenfirst time in 46 years. Ole Miss soccer reached the Sweet 16 of the tum. I expect under Ross’ leadership that athletics will continue to NCAA Tournament last season for the first time in program history. be an integral part of our growth and increased visibility.” In 2014, the Ole Miss baseball team competed in the College Ole Miss is the fifth school in the SEC to give its athletics director World Series in Omaha for the first time in 42 years, and Ole Miss the vice chancellor designation, which more accurately reflects the men’s basketball claimed the SEC Tournament Championship in all-encompassing role of the position. 2013. Ole Miss softball reached the NCAA tournament for the first “The idea is that this puts the AD at the table with the provost time in program history. and other academic leaders on campus on a regular basis,” said Men’s and women’s tennis, women’s golf and track and field Ron Rychlak, Ole Miss professor of law and faculty athletics reprehave also reached post-season play, with pole vaulter Sam Kensentative. “That facilitates communication between athletics and dricks claiming back-to-back NCAA championships in 2013 and academics, which is good for all parts of the university.” 2014 and a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Track and Bjork has led Ole Miss athletics programs to unprecedented sucfield athlete Raven Saunders brought an NCAA Championship to cess since his arrival in 2012. Under his guidance, support has inOle Miss for shot put. creased with record private donations and record attendance numBut Bjork’s commitment to success reaches well beyond the bers in football, basketball and baseball. The athletics budget has field of competition. His strong emphasis on academics has led increased from $57 million upon his arrival to $105.5 million for the student-athletes to a record average GPA of 3.0, and the graduation 2016-17 season. success rate has increased from 72 percent to 81 percent. “My family and I are very grateful for the support and confidence His active involvement in other university programs, including shown by Dr. Vitter and the entire university community with a the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, led to his renewed long-term commitment to continue leading Ole Miss athrecognition by the NCAA as a Champion of Diversity in 2015. He letics,” Bjork said. “Holding the title of vice chancellor for intercolleand former Ole Miss Chancellor Dan Jones were the first individugiate athletics is not only symbolic of the department’s core values, als highlighted with this designation for their work to support the but also solidifies our role in the university’s overall mission of educating the next generation of America’s leaders. SEE ROSS - Continued on page 15

14 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

rebelnation

RN: As a former Rebel linebacker, one of the weaknesses for the Rebels this year was that position. In your opinion, what has been the issue with the Rebs signing a couple of solid LB prospects? CW: For linebackers, size doesn't matter you just have to make plays. Tackle, tackle, tackle. That's the key. I would always have one or two JUCO linebackers on the team to give you that leadership you need on defense. The JUCO kids play really hard. The linebackers are the quarterback of the defense. So they need to be smart enough and know about the game of football so they can direct traffic out here and get eveyone lined up where they need to be. I think the scheme they've been using may be a little too much for the guys they had running the defense on the field this year.

FANFARE +

PICK

SIX QUESTIONS WITH... CASSIUS WAre - one of the

TOUGHEST linebackers in ole miss history - 1992/1993

RN: So what was your take on the Rebels 2016 season as a whole? CW: This season was not what we had hoped for. We had a lot of injuries to several key players; that really put a lot of pressure on those young guys filling in for them. But those guys gained tons of valuable experience in seasons yo come. Another thing we can't afford to have are those 2nd half lapses. In the games vs. Florida State and Bama, we started off really hot, then faded in the 2nd half. I hope in the future; Coach Freeze learns no lead it too big and to never take your foot off the gas.

RN: In your opinion, what was wrong with the Rebel D? Was it youth, talent, coaching? CW: In the SEC you need big 300-pound lineman, and you need about 10 of them to rotate in and out. They'll have to address that in recruiting. Again, those injuries hurt us bad and prove how important quality depth is in the SEC. The linebacker position

is really big need as well. Those guys have to be sure tacklers and able to shed their blocks, and make plays. We didn't have that this year. Being a linebacker myself, I was disappointed. They need some guys

with a mean streak like I had. RN: Coach Freeze is currently looking for a new defensive coordinator. What type of guy should Freeze be searching for? CW: Look, Wommack is a great coach. Regardless of the numbers, I thought our defense did the best they could do. No coach can coach injured players. Our defense was great, fast; they need to get a little bigger though. I know I keep saying this, but we a had too many injuries on defense this year and those young guys that played, probably before they were ready, will be so much better in 2017. Sometimes you just have a season where the injury bug spreads through the whole team. That doesn't happen all the time. We'll have a great defense and team next year.

On Top of Their Game - Continued ROSS - Continued from page 14

interests of ethnic minorities and underrepresented populations. Bjork encourages community involvement among student-athletes as well. Under his leadership, athletics programs and their members have participated in more than 50 service projects. Additionally, he’s traveled the country over the last five

years, speaking to more than 19,000 Ole Miss alumni and fans on the Rebel Road Trip. “We are extremely proud of what our team has accomplished over the past fourand-a-half years, and I truly believe the best is yet to come for the entire university and our athletics program,” Bjork said. “We are Ole Miss!”

RN: You played in 1992 with Abdul Jackson and Dewayne Dotson, what are some of your fondest memories with those guys and can you tell us some interesting things about playing in a Joe Lee Dunn defense back then. You guys were all over the place, in probably the most aggressive defensive scheme of its time. CW: We just had lots of fun and loved playing together. That was a big part it for my group. Joe Lee just let us play the game. We studied the teams and got on the field and had fun. I was out of position most of the time, but no one could tell because I played my heart out and took on the best offenses in the SEC. That was a challenge for me and I never shook off a challenge. We had lots of fun on the field. If the guys on defense are not having fun, then they will not be as successful.

RN: What are some things you miss about playing at Ole Miss? CW: I lived for game days. I still get chills thinking about walking through the Grove. Seeing all my family and friends from home there to cheer me on. As I got closer to the field and game time, the more excited, I got. I was always prepared and ready to win. That's just how I play the game, to win on every snap. It was so loud on the field; the crowd noise actually made me play better. I love it. That motivated us to fly all over the place. We played like wild men out there. I miss it a lot except the hits. I'm ok if I don't get hit that hard anymore in life. I 'm getting old now. (Laughing)

Xtra Point: Do you still keep up with some of the guys you played with? CW: To this day Dewayne is a great friend and like a brother to me. He's family. Maybe the most amazing thing I found out years later, that blew my mind; Gary (Abide), Dewayne and I were all born the same week and the same year. We were pretty much the same person. We always got along and always wanted to win and make each other better. I Love all my teammates and try to stay in touch as much as I can.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 15

REBEL NATION

Follow Brad Logan on Twitter @BradLoganCOTE

commentary

ATTENTION SWAYZE CRAZIES: Baseball is Back in Oxford! BRAD LOGAN

Guest Columnist, Ole Miss and SEC contributor for GridironNow.com

he Ole Miss baseball team will have plenty of questions coming into the 2017 season. Head coach Mike Bianco, now in his 18th season, will have an answer for most of them. The winningest coach in Ole Miss baseball history enters the season with the top-ranked recruiting class in the country according to Baseball America, the first top-ranked class in program history. The Ole Miss program has excelled under Bianco, with 14 postseason appearances, five of the NCAA Regionals reaching the field of 16 and one appearance in the College World Series. As for last year, Ole Miss started out hot, posting a 17-1 record before heading into SEC play. The lone loss, coming to Louisville, saw the Rebels win the series and it would prove pivotal for the Rebs landing a slot in the NCAA Regionals. Ole Miss finished the season with an overall record of 43-19 and 18-12 in the SEC. Offensively, of the top five hitters from last season, only Will Golsan returns. Gone are catcher, Henri Lartigue, center fielder J.B. Woodman and shortstop Errol Robinson. Holt Perdzock and Cameron Dishon, both are gone and will be missed in a platoon role. Colby Bortles, Michael Fitzsimmons, and Ryan Olenek return and will be leaned upon heavily for offensive firepower. As you will see below, the upcoming signing class will fill in nicely with the scary number of departures. Judging by the results we’ve seen in the fall season, the transition has not been an issue. All five of the players selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft elected to attend Ole Miss. While not unprecedented, it was a fortunate chain of events for the Rebels. INFIELD: Senior Colby Bortles is back for his senior season and the power hitter on the team. Bortles, who can play either first or third base, led the Rebels this fall and played third base primarily. Will Golsan returns at first base and will be 16 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

pushed by newcomer Chase Cockrell from Bastrop, La. Tate Blackman, the teams returning leading hitter from last season, returns at second base. The junior hit .322 last season and started in all 62-games. Kyle Watson has proven to help at second as well. Errol Robinson, one of the most decorated shortstops to ever play for Ole Miss, is in the professional ranks. His suitor appears to be incoming freshman Grae Kessinger. The grandson of former head coach Donnie Kessinger and son of former player Kevin Kessinger, the Oxford, MS product has a few things to prove at this level. While the fielding appears to be game ready, his bat at the plate has been in question. He answered his critics on the final practice of the fall going 3-for-3 from the plate. A name to watch is true freshman Bryce Blaum. The Sugar Land, TX product hit .410 his entire career and stole 41 bases. He could be a perfect fit at the lead-off position. The problem, where does he play? Mike Bianco has a battle on his hands at catcher. Talented incoming freshman Thomas Dillard comes to campus with the intention of taking the first pitch as the starter. Dillard hit .438 last fall while leading his Oxford Chargers to a 4A State Championship. Bianco also landed the best player in the state of Illinois in catcher Cooper Johnson. The Mundelein, IL native was named 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game first team All-American. While one is behind the plate, the other looks to be the designated hitter. The Rebels also return Carson Klepzig and Nick Fortes, who played in 17-games last season. OUTFIELD: The only position player in the outfield currently is sophomore Ryan Olenek. The Winter Springs, FL native came to Ole Miss in hopes of playing in the infield, but Mike Bianco had other ideas. He excelled in right field last season. With the departure of J.B. Woodman, Olenek could move to center-field if needed. It looks to be a pleasant situation for Bianco as he has plenty of talent to pull from to play the other two slots. Kyle Watson, the backup second baseman, can play in the outfield as well and could be the opening day starter in left field. Freshman Bryan Seamster has turned heads this fall and will play early. The Roanoke, TX freshman, was named one of the Top-50 players

in the state of Texas. Sophomore D.J. Miller spent last season learning and will be ready. Juco transfer Tim Rowe will be tough to keep off the field, hitting .418 last season for Itawamba Community College. The MACJC All-State selection will try and stove off Watson for the opening day start. PITCHERS: James McArthur and Sean Johnson are the only returners with extensive experience as a starter. I’m not sure Mike Bianco is terribly worried. The incoming class is eye-popping with talent, led by Greer Holson from IMG Academy. He posted a 12-1 record his senior season with a 0.91 ERA. Another signee that will get a look at the starting rotation is Ryan Rolison. The Jackson, TN native was named Mr. Baseball in the state of Tennessee by the USA Today and posted a 0.12 ERA his senior season with a record of 9-0 in 58.0 innings. Freshman Will Ethridge and Juco Brady Schanuel will provide added depth. From the bullpen, David Parkinson returns, along with Will Stokes, who saw action in 30-games last season with a 2.93 ERA. Andy Pagnozzi who finished last season 8-2 looks to take the hill more, along with Dallas Woolfolk, who led the team last season with a 2.55 ERA. Another bright spot last year was Brady Feigl. Appearing in 26-games, Feigl only allowed 14 walks and finished with a 3.76 ERA. Midweek starter James McArthur returns and look for freshmen Jason Barber and Houston Roth to start a few midweek games as well. Both are highly decorated and played together on last year’s Oxford High School State Championship squad. SCHEDULE: Ole Miss hits the ground running, as it welcomes former head coach Cliff Godwin back to campus and East Carolina, who is fresh off a trip to the NCAA Regionals. Also, Ole Miss will face Baylor, Texas Tech, and TCU in the Shriners Children College Classic in Houston, TX. The home SEC slate will have Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Alabama, Missouri and Texas A&M visiting Oxford. Ole Miss will travel to Kentucky, LSU, Arkansas, Florida, and Auburn.

REBEL NATION FANFARE

FORWARD REBELS

AND THE WINNER IS...

AFTER BEING SHUNNED BY THE JOHN MACKEY AWARD, EVAN ENGRAM WINS CONERLY TROPHY, OLE MISS PLAYER CLAIMS AWARD FOR 7TH TIME CLARKSDALE, MISS. - OLE MISS TIGHT END EVAN ENGRAM won the C Spire Conerly Trophy award on Tuesday, November 29, as the Magnolia state’s most outstanding college football player in 2016. A senior from Powder Springs, Georgia, Engram is one of the top tight ends in the nation and the best in school history. He joins five other Ole Miss Rebels as former winners of the coveted award - quarterback Stewart Patridge (1997), running back Deuce McAllister (1999), quarterback Eli Manning (2001 and 2003), linebacker Patrick Willis (2006) and quarterback Bo Wallace (2012). Engram received the trophy during a special awards program Tuesday night in Clarksdale at the Clarksdale Country Club. He beat out nine other finalists, representing each of the 10 football-playing

universities and colleges in the. The other finalists were Alcorn State LB Darien Anderson, Belhaven QB Hunter McEachern, Delta State RB Chris Robinson, Jackson State DE/LB Javancy Jones, Millsaps DL Alex Foust, Mississippi College WR/KR Marcel Newson, Mississippi State WR Fred Ross, Mississippi Valley State QB Austin Bray and Southern Miss RB Ito Smith. Engram, who started 11 games as a team captain before missing the Egg Bowl with a hamstring injury, is the nation’s leading tight end with 5.9 catches per game and 84.2 receiving yards per game. He ranks top three among all Southeastern Conference players of any position in both catches and yards per game. His eight touchdowns are tied for second nationally among tight ends. Engram holds Ole Miss records for most catches, yards and touchdowns in a sea-

Evan pictured with Perian Conerly - Photo by John Elliott Studios

son and a career by a tight end. He is the nation’s active leader among tight ends with 2,320 career receiving yards. In 2016, he racked up 65 catches for 926 yards and eight TDs. Now in its 21st year, the Conerly Trophy presented by C Spire Wireless is named after the late Charlie Conerly - the only football inductee in the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame who was an All-American at a Mississippi university, an NFL rookie of the year and NFL All-Pro member and quarterbacked a team to a world championship.

THEY SAID IT... ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, Athletic Director Ross Bjork released a statement addressing the results of the 2016 football season, possible football coaching staff changes, as well as the status of the NCAA case. This was an open letter to everyone in Rebel Nation to inform them of several pending concerns by fans. The quote below is a reasurance to everyone that Bjork is on top of everything and it displays a snapshot of his commitmemnt to the success of Ole Miss Athletics.

“All of us who work for your athletics program embrace high expectations - we signed up for this, and it is what makes Ole Miss a special place. We have all come to expect excellence, and that’s a game changer for our culture and fanbase.” JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 17

rebelnation

draft STOCK

out Kelly and Engram (both obvious + Throw draft picks), who else on the 2016 football team is looking for a future in the NFL?

APRIL 28-29, 2017 Philadelphia, PA

DAMORE’EA STRINGFELLOW

DRAFT STOCK

6’2” / 211lbs. / WR / JR.

Believe it or not, Stringfellow was Chad Kelly’s 3rd favorite target in 2016. String was 2nd in the WR corp with 46 receptons (Van Jefferson was 1st with 49) for 716 yards and the top WR with 6 TD’s. So what makes the Junior so special? His size. At 6’2”/211lbs. String is a huge target, built in the mold of another Rebel WR you’ve probably heard of. Does Laquon Treadwell ring a bell? String made big catch after big catch in 2016, none more miraculous than his one handed, drive-saving grab vs. Texas A&M. Spingfellow officially announced for the NFL Draft on Monday, December 5.

FADOL BROWN

6’4” / 273lbs. / DE / JR.

DRAFT STOCK

After missing the first half of the season with a foot injury, Fadol Brown returned and made a big splash at his defensive end spot. With his size, speed, and ability to shed blocks, Brown will have a good shot at making an NFL roster. He has some abilities you just can’t teach. After Brown’s return this season, he accumulated 39 tackels (13 solo), 2.5 sacks, and 5.5 TFL’s. Not bad for a guy with his foot taped up to his knee each game and sitting on the sidelines at practice so he could rest up for game day. Brown was a leader on the defensive line and took several of the younger guys under his wing.

MARQUIS HAYNES

DRAFT STOCK

6’3” / 222lbs. / DE / SR.

In a defense that fell apart during the 2nd half of the 2016 season, Haynes continued to be a shining star. After throwing his name in to the draft ring after the season, Haynes is recently declared that he WILL be back for the 2017 season. I’m sure the experts told him he would benefit with another year of college ball. Haynes will play a huge role in 2017 and continue to help revamp the Landshark Defense. His speed coming off the ends in 2016 was always a threat to opposing quarterbacks but most NFL scouts feel Marquis would benefit from adding more weight and another year of college football to improve his numbers.

FA N S U R V E Y

OLE MISS FOOTBALL PLAY OF THE YEAR We asked our Twitter followers what they thought the “Play of the Year” was for Ole Miss Football this past season. Here is the result.

Photo by Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics

18 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 19

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Follow John Davis on Twitter @oxfordcitizenjd

FANFARE +

the “pride of the south” keeps things going during game day B Y J O H N D AV I S

CONTRIBUTING WRITER - OXFORD CITIZEN PHOTOS BY GREG PEVEY

THE PRIDE OF THE SOUTH band is where Randy Dale is supposed to be. The Ole Miss graduate from Olive Branch played in the band as a student and for the past seven years, he’s served as the assistant director of bands. Dale has been a huge football fan his entire life, so Saturdays in the fall are very special to him. When Dale matriculated from the university in 2001, he spent eight years teaching high school students in DeSoto County. He got the opportunity to return when applied for the

20 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

opening he now holds. “I thought I had no shot but here I am,” Dale said before talking about how much work the students put in to get the band sounding just right. “We open the doors to this building about six hours before kickoff. Our staff has got a lot to do as far as getting our equipment over to the stadium and getting water ready for the students. We also play in the Grove, so there is a set up for that. Certain pieces of the uniform that they don’t use until game day, we keep it and pass it up. Most of that takes place in the Grove, so we have staff that take vans and golf carts

everywhere on game day.” Some students have their instruments with them, while others store them in the music building. There is a pep band in place for the Rebels when the do the Walk of Champions. “After that, you can see our drummers playing on the stage in the Grove and that happens about an hour and 45 minutes before kickoff. Then you will see the entire band by the stage and that goes along with the cheerleaders and Rebelettes,” Dale said. “That’s something that has been going on since the early ’90s. It’s a lot different now because of how crowded the Grove is now, but it’s a special day for our students. They really enjoy it.” There was a time when Dale was a student when he could tell just how many fans gathered up close to the stage. Now, when he looks out, he can only really see tailgate tents. The band congregates and then marshals on University Avenue in order to parade the band into Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Once they arrive there, they kill some time before getting prepared for the pre-game show.

“That’s another big component of game days. That’s undergone changes over the years, but it’s still a unique thing to Ole Miss. It’s really a good way to set the tone and it’s very neat for the band students,” Dale said. “We start off with the fanfare and then we march from south towards the north with the fight song and then we play something called Swing Low Ole Miss which has components of Swing Low, Sweet Chariot and I Saw the Light. We play something that the Ole Miss crowd loves which is Rock and Roll where the Hotty Toddy cheer fits in two times, and that helps elevate the stadium. Then we make the tunnel for the team.” Being a part of the pageantry of college football is a highlight for Dale, who added he was more of a Rebel fan than Ole Miss employee. “Just getting to plug in a tiny little way is just amazing,” Dale said. “We tell our students that they must strive to be the center of school spirit of Ole Miss Athletics and I think we achieve that for the most part. We try to engage the crowd as much as possible. We try to fill

in any kind of open space with cheers or some kind of music, anything we can contribute.” Jason List, who is the assistant athletics director for marketing and fan experience, raved about the role of the band before and during games. “Our relationship with The Pride of the South has grown every year,” List said. “They are integrated into our overall strategy on game days to provide the best game-day experience for our fans as possible. We communicate almost daily and both sides are always looking for new ways to capitalize on the excitement that is Ole Miss football.” Everything the band does is scripted before a game, but there is also constant communication with the press box for

game-day experience and just elevating the fans. They appreciate what we do, and it’s a big plus.” The band is located in a new part of the stadium, close to the newly enhanced North End Zone. Dale said it was a great place to sit, and how it shapes the band with a natural curve. “I think the band looks and sounds good. There are some components that are a little bit difficult, just getting up there because there is no direct field access,” Dale said. “It does take some time and it’s heavily crowded through the one or two staircases that are up there for us to get up. Also in the middle of the day, the position of the sun can be a little bit tough. However, athletics has been terrific. They have

TIME OUT “I’m blown away everyday by our students. I’m almost intimidated and it’s certainly motivating. We want to do our job well for them just because of how well they want to do for Ole Miss.” - Randy Dale the times when the piped in music fills the public address system. “It doesn’t always go perfect, but it does have a pretty good flow,” Dale said. “Ole Miss Athletics considers the band to be a big part of the

bought us all the band students really good looking Nike hats to wear and shield their faces a little bit. They buy whatever, however many bottles of water we say we need in a day. Sometimes we will go through 1,000 bottles of water

for the band on a game day.” There are times when a fan would like the band to play a specific tune but most of the interaction is very positive. “They appreciate what we do. As long as the atmosphere is right, they participate with our cheers and stuff, so it’s neat thing to see,” Dale said. “One of the best moments I saw that happen is when we played pre-game this past year at the Sugar Bowl. Just the way the Superdome lit up with the Hotty Toddy cheer and Ole Miss fans really getting behind the band at that moment was pretty remarkable.” The band plays the same halftime show two times, and sometimes three in a row. The Pride of the South was unable to play at halftime of the Wof-

ford game due to a lightning threat, so the same James Bond routine was played for both Alabama and Georgia. Dale said that for the Auburn game, there will be a Halloween based show. “You will hear a couple of classical sounding things but you will also hear Thriller by Michael Jackson. The formations on the field will be Halloween themed,” Dale said. “For the homecoming show, we did something different. We featured the Rebelettes toward the student section and played a very contemporary, Latin sounding show by an artist called Pit Bull. It was called Fireball.” The students in the band do offer up suggestions for the halftime routine, but Dale said

everything revolves around what they are legally allowed to play. “All music has copyright ownership by somebody. There are many different obstacles to go through to get clearances and permissions to play the music,” Dale said. “A lot of times, you have to deal with a lot of different contracts, a lot of different checks to be written to be legally arrange and then perform. It can be a long process that takes up to six months.” The James Bond arrangement was completed in May for example and the show that will be played for the Egg Bowl and Georgia Southern will be a tribute to recently passed artists such as David Bowie, Maurice White from Earth, Wind and Fire and Prince. “That was a little difficult getting clearance on that music, especially Prince,” Dale added. “We were able to get something for one his songs.” There are currently 315 members of the band, and that includes the Rebelettes, who are always with the band. The biggest band Dale was a member of when he was in school was just under 300. “That’s kind of where we stay these days is just over the 300 mark and that’s a good size band for Ole Miss,” Dale said. “Mississippi is just a different place. We don’t have a metropolis like Atlanta where the University of Georgia is just an hour out. And we don’t have a 40,000 student campus. We also 15 community colleges in the state all with huge bands and another SEC school in the state and another Division I football school in the state, so the fact that any of us have a band bigger than 200 is pretty remarkable.” On a game week, the students spend about 25 hours working on their craft. Dale said the students love Ole Miss and they love being a part of things. “Their morale is delicate, but from looking at them, you would never know that just because they represent this university so professionally,” Dale said. “I’m blown away everyday by our students. I’m almost intimidated and it’s certainly motivating. We want to do our job well for them just because of how well they want to do for Ole Miss.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 21

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Follow John Davis on Twitter @oxfordcitizenjd

AIM SMALL, MISS SMALL.

rebel junior sharpshooter alison weisz putting ole miss rifle on the map B Y J O H N D AV I S

CONTRIBUTING WRITER - OXFORD CITIZEN PHOTOS COURTESY OLE MISS ATHLETICS

t was a fantastic season for Ole Miss junior Alison Weisz. The rifle standout earned honorable mention honors in the Great America Rifle Conference. She also placed third in air rifle at the GARC Championships by recording a career-best 595. She also competed in the NCAA Championships in Akron, Ohio for the second time in her career. Not bad for the blonde from Belgrade, Montana who started her shooting career in competitive BB gun. “That sounds funny because most people just use a BB gun to plink cans. It was a gun safety program, and there was a flyer at my school,” said Weisz, who has only hunted once in her life. “My dad didn’t trust me to go with all the boys. And he wasn’t a big game hunter himself. He did some bird hunting. He is from South Dakota. I was born in Rapid City, and then we moved to Montana when I was 3.” Weisz, a self-described “super tomboy” asked her parents if she could take part in the event. Her parents thought it would be a good way for her to learn some gun safety and when they walked down the stairs, there 22 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

were targets to shoot. “We sat through classes and then they taught us how to shoot just like what we’re doing now but at a much lower level,” Weisz said. “Somebody came up to me, somebody I still talk to today, one of my mentors, and said that I was a natural and something I needed to stick to. And that I could go far with. I was only 9-years old.” Women shooters often turn out to be very good at the sport because they take instruction so well. Weisz laughed about that and added that men don’t realize that women can

often shoot better. She doesn’t have the best memory, but Weisz felt like shooting came naturally to her, just like her mentor said. “I don’t know what makes me pretty good because honestly, I don’t think I have good balance,” she said. “It is an escape for me. When you’re up there, it’s super calming.” Squeezing the trigger the way she does ultimately led Weisz to Oxford and Ole Miss on scholarship. She is from a small town like Oxford, but the culture isn’t as close some might think. “It’s pretty different (Oxford). The landscape is a lot different and then culture-wise; the Southern hospitality thing was real when I came down here,” Weisz said. “There are plenty of nice people, and obviously I love everyone up there (home) and love everything up there, but down here, it’s just so welcoming. It’s as if you were from here the entire time.” Competitions that the Rebels take part in last all day and Weisz said they can get exhausting. “People don’t realize that you’re in one position or just a couple of positions the entire time rather than moving and running,” she said. “It’s kneeling, prone and standing with the .22 rifle. Then it’s just standing in our air rifle. I’m more comfortable in standing. I like standing a lot more.” All the positions are done while wearing a

“It’s pretty different (Oxford). The landscape is a lot different and then culture-wise; the Southern hospitality thing was real when I came down here...There are plenty of nice people, and obviously I love everyone up there (home) and love everything up there, but down here, it’s just so welcoming. It’s as if you were from here the entire time.” – ALISON WEISZ

REBEL NATION MAGAZINE™ NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2016 - 23

“Other times people will be like ‘Oh, you go on the football field and twirl all the guns and stuff?’” Weisz said. “That always confuses me because Ole Miss doesn’t even have that in the band. So I don’t know why they even think that.” heavy shooting suit. Weisz wasn’t sure why wearing a suit became a part of the sport, but she did say that it was a form or support. “I think because we are in positions for so long, it really helps keep your muscles and your body from fatiguing,” she said. There are questions when Weisz tells her fellow students that she is part of the rifle team. Some had no clue the Rebels even had a team, she said. “Other times people will be like ‘Oh, you go on the football field and twirl all the guns and stuff?’” Weisz said. “That always confuses me because Ole Miss doesn’t even have that in the band. So I don’t know why they even think that. So we always correct them. We tell them we actually shoot them and they are just amazed. They want to know what we shoot at. They don’t move, but the ten that you’re trying to hit is like a period at the end of a sentence.” For the record, Weisz is constantly challenged to shooting matches by the guys. She hasn’t taken part in any dares locally but back home; she used to tell people to come 24 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

by practice. “They usually gained a lot of respect after that,” she smiled. “I don’t get hassled about it anymore.” As for the season, Weisz said she felt “decent” about her performance heading into the GARC Championships.

“I’m more hard on myself so I felt like this was a more mediocre, moderate year for me,” Weisz said. “I did hold with my averages most every single match. So you can’t complain too much. I would have like to have done a lot better, but it is what it is.”

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Photo by Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics

A Life Changing Experience C.J. Johnson Wouldn’t Trade his Time at Ole Miss for Anything BY COLLIN BRISTER CONTRIBUTING WRITER COLUMBUS DISPATCH

.J. Johnson was committed to Mississippi State in January of 2011. He had been committed to the Bulldogs for a long time and was only months away from signing a letter of intent to spend his college years in Starkville. Then, one afternoon at the Army All-American game in Texas, the Philadelphia, Miss. native changed his mind, as all 17-year-old kids are allowed to do. Then MSU defensive coordinator Manny Diaz had taken the job at Texas. Then MSU wide receiver’s coach Mark Hudspeth went to Louisiana-Lafayette. Johnson de-committed from State. He wasn’t going to spend his college years in Starkville any longer. He wasn’t sure where he’d spend them yet, but it wasn’t going to be Starkville. The kid that was committed to MSU for more than two years no longer was. The kid that got in trouble at the 2010 egg bowl, and had his lanyard ripped from his neck in Oxford was no longer interested in MSU. “I went out to the US Army All-American game, and things started to change,” Johnson said. Then it happened. He said that he wanted to stay in the state to play football, and he stayed true to that word. He signed with Ole Miss on signing day. A kid that that had for so long intended to play football at Mississippi State was going to go 90 miles north and play for their hated rival. 26 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

“I took a lot of heat for going to Ole Miss,” Johnson said. “People at home weren’t necessarily mad that I de-committed from Mississippi State, but they were mad when I signed with Ole Miss.” He went to Ole Miss in the fall of 2011. He didn’t start his first few games as a Rebel. Ole Miss went 2-10. The dream of coming in and building a championship program in Oxford for such a heralded 2011 recruiting class looked bleak. It looked dim. It looked, frankly, unrealistic. “We just didn’t have any answers,” Johnson

said. “We thought it was the end of the world because it was all we had seen. We just thought that there was no way that we were going to be able to do anything.” Johnson said he, among others in that recruiting class including Donte Moncrief, thought about transferring after the horrific 2011 season that led to the firing of Houston Nutt. “Coach Nutt told us to go through the spring to see if we liked it, and if we didn’t like it then to transfer,” Johnson said. “We had a good spring. We

Photo Courtesy East MS Community College Athletics Photo by Angie Ledbetter for Rebel NationMagazine™

all just gutted it out.” After the 2011 season, Ole Miss wasn’t where they needed to be on the field or off the field. There was a serious talent gap between the Rebels and their rivals. There were off

the field issues that included severe academic problems throughout the roster. Hugh Freeze changed that. He recognized, and addressed, the problems that had plagued Ole Miss off

the field, and the Rebels only lost two players to grade casualties going into the 2012 season. That, in and of itself, was a minor miracle. “Guys felt like they had to be more accountable under coach Freeze,” Johnson said. “When Coach Freeze got there he held everybody accountable and made sure that everybody was doing what they were supposed to do.” Freeze addressed the severe academic issues and didn’t allow attrition to plague his football team. The reality was, however, Ole Miss wasn’t talented. They weren’t supposed to be a good football team. At its core, it was the same team that had won two games the year before and lost 30-7 to Vanderbilt. They were picked to finish last in the Southeastern Conference. They didn’t finish last. They won six games, including a victory over Mississippi State that propelled them to their first bowl game since 2009. They beat Pittsburgh in the Birmingham Bowl, a win that put the bow on top of a season that rejuvenated an apathetic fan base. “We just wanted to play hard that year,” Johnson said. “We were just happy to get to a bowl game. Everybody was pissed off about the year before, and we had to do something about it.” Johnson missed the 2013 season and received a medical redshirt. He was coming off a stellar 2012 season where he had 55 tackles and 6.5 sacks. He admitted that he expected 2013 to be his last season at Ole Miss, as he expected to head to the NFL after that year. That wasn’t how his fate would go. “It was tough to sit and watch the guys go out there and play,” Johnson said. “It did make me get my life together off the field in case football didn’t work out. Up until then, I didn’t have a backup plan.” Ole Miss put itself on the map in

the 2014 season when they beat number one Alabama 23-17, but the Rebels would suffer heartbreaking losses to LSU and Auburn to put themselves on the outside looking in for the SEC Western Championship. In 2014, rival Mississippi State’s chances for the Western Division Championship were alive and well. However, the Rebels were mathematically eliminated from winning the West the week before the Egg Bowl. Ole Miss made sure the Bulldogs didn’t reach their goal, as they beat State 31-17 to move to 2-1 in Egg Bowls under Freeze. They contained and harassed Mississippi State junior quarterback Dak Prescott, and State was never able to get anything going. “That was awesome for me,” Johnson said. “They may not have won the SEC Championship, but if they had won, they would have had a shot at going to the playoffs. To be able to knock them out of playoff contention after our heartbreaking losses, and for us to go to New Year’s Six Bowl with that win, that was special.” Ole Miss finished off the 2014 season with a loss in the Peach Bowl, but the Rebels had the pieces coming back in 2015 to make something special happen. The third week of the season, the Rebels went to Tuscaloosa in search of their first win in Bryant-Denny since 1987. They got it. They beat Alabama 43-37, and Johnson had an interception in the fourth quarter that essentially thwarted Alabama’s chances of winning. “That was the biggest play of my career,” Johnson said. “When we got that interception, and went down and scored that was pretty much it. We knew then we had the ability to do something special.” Ole Miss’ 2015 season went up and down. They recorded their first victory in Auburn in 2003. They also lost to Memphis and Florida. The Rebels, however, with three games remaining, were still in control of their own destiny for the SEC West. They were leading Arkansas 52-45 in overtime, and the Rebels had put the Razorbacks in a fourth-and-25. Arkansas converted after a crazy backward lateral that bounced right into the hands of an Arkansas running back who ran for the 1st down. They scored two plays later, and then added a two-point conversion. It was over. Ole Miss was no longer in control of their own destiny for the SEC JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 27

“That was so big (2015 Egg Bowl) because we knew we could get to the Sugar Bowl with a win,” Johnson said. “I knew for a fact we weren’t losing that game. I told everyone to do what they have to do because we weren’t losing that game.” championship. They were out of the playoff race. “That was our chance to get to Atlanta. It was just a weird play,” Johnson said. “Our coaches always taught us to run to the ball. I tried to tip the lateral, but (Dan) Skipper is about seven-feet tall, and he got a hand on it. The next thing I knew they had converted the first down.” Ole Miss beat LSU two weeks later, and they travel to Starkville with the Sugar Bowl on the line. The former Mississippi State commit would play his final regular season game at a place that for a long time he expected to play his college football. He would win, and play in the Sugar Bowl, or he’d lose, and the bowl game would, frankly, be meaningless. They won. Johnson carried the Egg Bowl trophy around Davis-Wade Stadium. He showed it off to the Ole Miss fans. He showed it off to the Mississippi State student section. With him being almost five years removed from the recruiting hoopla that followed him, Johnson and Ole Miss had made

themselves relevant on the national college football landscape. “That was so big because we knew we could get to the Sugar Bowl with a win,” Johnson said. “I knew for a fact we weren’t losing that game. I told everyone to do what they have to do because we weren’t losing that game.” They didn’t lose that game. They even didn’t come close to losing that game. They dominated from the kickoff to the final whistle and walked out with a 38-27 victory over Mississippi state. They went to the Sugar Bowl. Ole Miss was just four years removed from going 2-10. They were four years removed from losing 16 straight SEC games. They were four years removed from one of the worst seasons by SEC standards, but on January 1, 2016, Ole Miss played in one of the more historic bowl games in the country. “To be able to increase the legacy that we could leave at Ole Miss was special. That game was just

FA N S U R V E Y

what we had worked for our whole career,” Johnson said. He’s now coaching at East Mississippi Community College as a defensive assistant. The Lions played for and won the Mississippi Bowl this season. Johnson, however, hasn’t given up on his playing days just yet. “Coaching is what I want to do for the rest of my life, but my playing window isn’t closed yet,” Johnson said. “I’ve gotten a few calls, and I may give it another shot. If my playing career doesn’t work out, I plan on coaching for a long time.” People in Philadelphia that knew him growing up still won’t talk to him for a decision that he made as a 17-year old. He doesn’t care. He doesn’t hold grudges about the past. The decision he made, to him, was the right one. Ole Miss changed every aspect of his life. He’ll readily admit that his time at Ole Miss impacted his life more than he ever expected it to. It made him grow. It helped make him into the person, coach, and man that he is today. “That changed me so much. Everyone stopped me and told me how much they appreciated me, and I just wanted them to know how much I appreciated Ole Miss. That place means a lot to me,” Johnson said.

WHAT DO I WEAR THIS WEEKEND? We asked our Twitter followers what color shirt they thought fans should wear to homes games in Oxford. Here is the result.

Shades of blue (above) and a sea of Red fill Vaught-Hemingway. - Photos by Greg Pevey, Rebel Nation Magazine™

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SWAYZE FIELD AT OXFORD/UNIVERSITY STADIUM For Sales in the Oxford area and North MS, call Kevin McGee at (601) 278-5112.

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Follow Parrish Alford on Twitter @parrishalford

Advantage, Jefferson Having a father who played Wide Receiver in the NFL was a big plus for Van Jefferson BY PA R R I S H ALFORD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER - DAILY JOURNAL PHOTOS BY GREG PEVEY

AN JEFFERSON EMERGED FROM THE WOMB with an advantage that many college wide receivers would never have. He turned that into a successful debut season with Ole Miss and in doing so sets himself up as a guy who will climb high up the school’s career receiving charts if he stays healthy. That’s the way it works when hungry young players start all 12 games and catch 49 balls as redshirt freshmen. Before they reach the college level some players may say they learned a lot from Dad, but that really hits home for Jefferson. His father, Shawn Jefferson, was an AllAmerican wide receiver at Central Florida, played in the NFL and now coaches there. It was an ace in the hole that other players Van Jefferson’s age couldn’t claim. Van Jefferson grew up in suburban Nashville as his dad coached with the Titans. Shawn Jefferson is wide receivers coach at Miami now. “Learning from my dad, he taught me everything I know. Going into the season I just harped on what he told me and used it in the games,” Van Jefferson said. The points didn’t come only from dad. As Van Jefferson hung around at NFL practices, he got to know many of those players. He watched their practice habits and work ethic. Shawn Jefferson put his son’s sponge-like tendencies to good use. After those NFL practices, Van would get some one-on-one time with dad, and Shawn could see the impact of Van’s practice attendance. 30 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

BY THE NUMBERS - 2016

543

11.1

REC. YARDS YDS/ LONG. REC “It’s amazing the stuff kids pick up by watching other guys do it. I would always tell Van to watch those guys and if he saw something he liked to put it in his back of tricks and pull it out and use it later.” Those tricks helped Van Jefferson learn route-running discipline and find ways to gain separation off the line of scrimmage. That led to consistency in practice, and Jefferson, having not set foot on a game-day college field, was able to unseat a returning

45.3

TD RYDS/G

junior starter in Markell Pack. Jefferson shied away from depth chart talk before the season began. “You know we don’t look at (the depth chart) that way. We are just two competitors. That’s one of my good friends. We go out and compete every day, so I don’t get into any of that. I just go out there and play,” he said. The numbers, though, would go on to support coaches’ August conclusions – Jefferson finished the season as the team’s second-leading receiver

Shawn Jefferson In his career, Jefferson appeared in 195 games (along with 12 postseason games), and two Super Bowl appearances (Super Bowl XXIX and Super Bowl XXXI). He finished his career with 470 receptions for 7,023 yards and 29 touchdowns. He was the Detroit Lions wide receivers coach, after serving as an offensive assistant for the team in 2007. In 2013 he joined the Tennessee Titans coaching staff and would serve as wide receivers coach until the 2015 NFL season. On January 12, 2016, Jefferson was named wide receivers coach of the Miami Dolphins under head coach Adam Gase.

behind tight end Evan Engram, who would go on to win the Conerly Trophy as the top college football player in Mississippi. Jefferson had 49 catches for 543 yards and three touchdowns to wrap up his debut season. Damore’ea Stringfellow had more total yards and yards per catch, but it was Jefferson who had the most catches of any wide receiver. Laquon Treadwell was clearly the No. 1 target in 2015, a role that passed to Engram -- who had 65 catches and narrowly missed 1,000 yards in 11 games – for 2016. Using this season as a measuring stick both Jefferson and Stringfellow, different styles of receivers, looked comfortable in that role. Down the stretch with Chad Kelly shelved by a torn ACL Jefferson seemed to work well with new starting quarterback Shea Patterson. Patterson went to Jefferson early in the Egg Bowl, and Jefferson would end the Mississippi State game with five catches for 47 yards. “He’s the best route runner we have as far as getting in and out of breaks, and his hands are very, very steady,” Freeze said. “He’s got adequate speed to stretch the field, and in tight quarters, when he gets out of his break, his separation is as good as any I’ve coached here. That’s his gift.” Jefferson stretched the field in College Station, and his 32-yard touchdown catch with 5 minutes, 17 seconds left drew the Rebels to within two points and put them in the positon to topple thenNo. 10 Texas A&M on Gary Wunderlich’s 38-yard field goal with 37 seconds left. While Jefferson has a solid season of starting experience under his belt he’s still relatively young and sets up for a nice future with

Patterson. Since Jefferson redshirted in 2015 both will be sophomores in 2017. Jefferson had 154 catches totaling more than 2,400 yards in his last two years at Ravenwood High School in Brentwood. He and DaMarkus Lodge were ranked among the top 15 wide receivers in the country when they both signed with Ole Miss in the 2015 class. Lodge did not redshirt but played just a little. The redshirt season admittedly left Jefferson “pretty upset,” but he soon began to see its benefits. “I talked to my mom and dad. My mom was telling me to be patient, that ‘this is God’s plan for you. Just wait for it.’ That’s what I did, and now it’s all working for the better.” While he quickly earned the trust of coaches and quarterbacks, Jefferson isn’t the only youthful wide receiver. Quincy Adeboyejo was the only senior wide receiver on the roster for 2016. In addition to Stringfellow, who has one year of eligibility remaining, freshman A.J. Brown began to emerge at the end of the season as he became the Rebels’ best yards-after-contact receiver. DK Metcalf had already established himself as the Rebels’ No. 1 end zone target when he was injured in the second game. He is expected to regain the year of eligibility and be a freshman again in 2017. The sudden end of the season for Kelly left Jefferson and all the receivers in a bit of transition mode as they learned to catch balls from Patterson. They’d had some contact with Patterson but not as much. There was a time of adjustment. It was an obvious problem that had not sorted out by the end of the Egg Bowl, but it’s one that doesn’t concern Freeze much either. He believes time and practice reps will produce the same chemistry between Patterson and the receivers as Kelly had with the group. “He has a lot of zip on the ball. He throws it very well. That’s just timing and us getting work together. We’ve just got to catch it. That’s the main job,” Jefferson said. Another big adjustment for receivers has been the idea of continuing to work to get open when a play breaks down. While Kelly’s tendency once he started to leave the pocket was to fully commit to the run, Patterson is more likely to throw. There was no clearer example of that than Patterson’s first touchdown pass. He ran right, met a Texas A&M defender face to face, reversed his field and found Stringfellow wide open in the end zone. “They’re both different, but She did a great job. When he gets out of the pocket, he likes to throw. That means the receivers have to run around with him and get open so he can see us down the field. There are things we have to know and work around on his scrambles. For the most part, he’s been doing a great job. We trust him.” JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 31

rebelFOOTBALL

Follow Parrish Alford on Twitter @parrishalford

looking back at the 2016 season The Rebels were what their record said they were; the Good, the Bad and the Ugly BY PA R R I S H ALFORD

CONTRIBUTING WRITER - DAILY JOURNAL PHOTOS BY GREG PEVEY & JOSH MCCOY

F CLINT EASTWOOD WERE TO OFFER HIS ASSESSMENT of Ole Miss football in 2016 he’d have no problem spotting good, bad and ugly. It’s all there. Going from ranked as high as No. 11 nationally, a team that many observers gave an outside shot at winning the SEC West, to finishing last in the division. It was the worst SEC finish under Hugh Freeze, which is hard to imagine considering the train wreck he inherited in 2012. For Ole Miss fans, the disappointment of lopsided losses to Vanderbilt and rival Mississippi State will be lasting images, but amid the chaos, there were bright spots too. In honor of Clint Eastwood and his timeless mid60s epic, we look at the good, the bad and the ugly of 2016.

to a 10-3 Sugar Bowl-winning season in 2015. Yes, he was losing the hands and physicality of Laquon Treadwell and the protection of Laremy Tunsil, but there were weapons returning. Kelly did not disappoint. At times you could see him learning to trust different receivers, and you could see him occasionally press too much when things weren’t going great. He finished with 2,758 yards, 19 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Though he played only nine games that was enough to qualify for a spot in the statistical categories, and he led the SEC in passing yards per game (306.4) and total offense (343.3). He was second in efficiency with a 147.4 rating. Engram had a phenomenal year. With Treadwell in pocket, he was not the focal point in 2015, but that changed this season. He became the focal point. He finished 65 catches for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. Had he not sat out the Egg Bowl GOOD: KELLY & ENGRAM with an injury he almost certainly would have Chad Kelly and Evan Engram. The reason there surpassed 70 catches and 1,000 yards. He had four were those outside division championship hopes is games this season of 100-plus yards and two more because of the quarterback position. with 95-plus. His absence against the Bulldogs was The Rebels returned the SEC’s best. Kelly passed evident. for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns with 65.1 Engram would go on to win the Conerly Trophy PHOTOaccuracy BY GREGasPEVEY, NATION MAGAZINE™ percent a juniorREBEL while leading Ole Miss which is presented to the top college football 32 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

player in Mississippi. He became the sixth Ole Miss player to win the award joining quarterbacks Stewart Patridge, Eli Manning, and Bo Wallace, running back Deuce McAllister and linebacker Patrick Willis. The disappointment in Engram’s season is that he was not among the three finalists for the Mackey Award which goes to the nation’s top tight end. That was in spite of the fact that he led the nation’s active tight ends in receiving yards.

BAD: INJURIES They came early; they came often. Cornerback Kendarius Webster tore his ACL in the first half against Florida State, and Ole Miss never really settled at the position. The absence of Webster subtracted a player that defensive coordinator Dave Wommack believed would do his job. As simple as that sounds it would have been huge for the secondary had Wommack been able to trust one corner to lock down on his assignment. Webster had committed himself to a great offseason in the weight room, and he looked much different physically in August than he had the previous season as a sophomore. Also gone for the season on the first carry of his college career was redshirt freshman running back Eric Swinney.

Photo by Josh McCoy, Ole Miss Athletics

It’s hard to say exactly what Ole Miss lost with Swinney’s ACL tear because he had not played college football. There was no production to measure, but the potential was enormous. Swinney was rated the nation’s No. 10 running back in the 2015 class. He had a foot injury that forced a redshirt season, but there was a crowded group of running backs for Ole Miss that season anyway. Swinney had a big spring, and after the loss of Jordan Wilkins to an administrative error was clearly the No. 2 back behind Akeem Judd. Swinney ran with strength and power in the spring and showed an ability to win the collisions. From the sideline in the indoor practice facility, you could often hear Swinney’s runs as well as see them. The Rebels would suffer another season-ending injury in Week 2 against Wofford when wide receiver DK Metcalf sustained a broken foot. With a nice collection of talent coming back at wide receiver it was the 6-foot-4 Metcalf who emerged early as Kelly’s favored target on end zone fade routes. He had caught two touchdowns on such routes before the injury. Metcalf is expected to use his redshirt season and regain the year of eligibility. Eventually, the injuries settled down. That is to say for a while they became injuries that caused players to miss games – like offensive linemen

Rod Taylor, Robert Conyers, Jordan Sims, Sean Rawlings, Engram, and others – and not seasons. Finally, the Rebels had another devastating season-ender when Kelly tore his ACL against Georgia Southern. Solid till the end of his Ole Miss career, Kelly had just passed for a school-record 465 yards the week before in a 40-29 loss to Auburn. He completed 36-of-59 passes with three touchdowns and one interception in the game. He had rallied Ole Miss from a disappointing start to reclaim the lead against Georgia Southern, and the Rebels held on to win 37-27. Kelly’s injury will now keep him out of pre-draft workouts. He had been projected as an early or mid-round pick. Now one at least one analyst has him slipping to the seventh and final round.

UGLY: RUN DEFENSE I didn’t leave the Florida State game in Orlando with an overwhelming sense of alarm. The Seminoles rushed for 161 yards, not great but not terrible. For most of that game, Ole Miss did a very good job of containing Dalvin Cook, their stud running back. The first sign of real trouble was in Game 2 when Wofford rushed for 233 yards. Yes, there was only five days rest. Yes, the option is difficult to prepare for. But it was Wofford.

Some figures might have adjusted slightly once bowl games were complete, but the Rebels concluded their season having allowed 246.3 rushing yards per game. That’s giving up on average almost 200 yards more than Alabama’s national-leading 68.7 yards per game allowed. By those numbers, it would have taken Alabama more than four games to allow as many rushing yards as did Ole Miss in four quarters. The Rebels were a distant last in the SEC in rushing defense, No. 120 out of 128 FBS teams. It’s hard to imagine worse run defense than I saw this year, but eight teams had it. They were Oregon, San Jose State, Fresno State, Buffalo, my alma mater Louisiana-Monroe, Rutgers, Cal, and Nevada. The main issues for Ole Miss were run defense and tackling. There was a talent problem too. When Freeze arrived for the 2012 season with Wommack, it was Wommack who told us candidly that spring that he felt like he had inherited about eight SEC players. Not All-SEC players, just SEC players. It turns out that defense did have better tacklers and went on to average 129.3 rushing yards per game allowed. That would have ranked fourth in the SEC this season. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 33

rebelFOOTBALL

Two Steps Back?

What does the Future hold for Ole Miss Football? BY ACEY ROBERTS

CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTO BY GREG PEVEY

LE MISS FOOTBALL IS A LABOR OF LOVE for so many of its fans. Not many of us choose to be fans of Ole Miss it is more like an inheritance. We love the school because we are all deeply invested in Ole Miss both financially and emotionally. This is not an uncommon situation in the SEC. This deep rooted love for your home state and school is what makes this conference the best in college football. We all care a great deal about our college football, and it matters to us. So, I won’t tell you to calm the hell down and just enjoy a five-win season. I won’t tell you to let Hugh Freeze and Ross Bjork do their jobs and stop freaking out on social media. I won’t tell you this because you, as fans, are the program. Without you, there is no program. Coaches will come and go, even big money boosters will come and go. What lasts are the season ticket holders and the tailgaters. The folks that show up on Thanksgiving, in the rain, in 35-degree weather. You guys are the program. So feel free to write letters and argue and fight with other fans and get it out of your system. In this article, I will try to address (from my perspective) some of the biggest questions Ole Miss fans have after a

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disappointing 2016 season. Why are you not mad as Hell, like me?! I am not that concerned, not because I know how Freeze’s tenure will work out. I have some insight into the program, but I can’t predict what the NCAA will do. We have all seen they are unpredictable in their rulings and enforcement of their own rules. I am not concerned because Ole Miss is greater than one coach or athletic director. Hugh Freeze was hired at Ole Miss in 2012 and promised to lead Ole Miss out of the wilderness. A football coach with only one year of head coaching experience at the Division 1 level was able to take one of the lowest funded programs in the most difficult college football conference (at one of the lowest points in our history),

and he did what he said he would do. He turned Ole Miss around. He took a team with only 60 scholarship players in 2012 and went to a bowl. He took this downtrodden program that was decimated by Houston Nutt to the point of collapse and won the Sugar Bowl in just three years. Something that hasn’t happened around Oxford in 50 years. Perhaps winning ten games a year so quickly is not sustainable. Coach Freeze may have outkicked his coverage, and that’s ok. He deserves a down year or even two. But what has everyone most upset is that 2016 doesn’t feel like a down year. It feels like the end of a cycle. It doesn’t even feel like we have hit bottom yet. It’s easy to imagine that 2017 will be even worse with the loss of Chad Kelly and other key contributing seniors. So I will be fine and will support the

Follow Acey Roberts on Twitter @aceyrob

FLIM FLAM, BIM BAM! ery week. You also need a marketing genius and a motivator that can somehow focus teenagers and keep them out of trouble and in class every day. The guy that would fit all these criteria is hard to find. Ole Miss has been looking for that coach since 1973 when Johnny Vaught walked off the field for the last time. The closest thing we have found so far is Hugh Freeze. He has proven he can win at a high level at Ole Miss. Can Hugh Freeze survive 2016? I think that answer will largely be answered by you, the fans with a little in-

peal this ridiculous 5-year investigation). If you as a fan can’t stomach any NCAA bad news then maybe Freeze should go and maybe we should prepare ourselves to be the Vanderbilt of the West. That’s just the reality of college football. I believe Hugh Freeze can survive and win at Ole Miss going forward. Over the last four years comparing the other programs in the SEC West, Ole Miss has averaged eight total wins and four SEC wins per year. Good enough for 5th in the SEC over that period. While that is not great, it is better than Bielema and Mullen and very close statistically to the top of the

OVERALL/SEC WINS 2016 ................ 2015................. 2014...................2013.................. Total Alabama – Saban ...... 12-0 / 8 SEC....11-1 / 7 SEC.....11-1 / 7 SEC......11-1 / 7 SEC..... 45 – 29 SEC LSU – Miles ................. 7-4 / 5 SEC..... 9-3 / 5 SEC..... 8-4 / 4 SEC...... 9-3 / 5 SEC......33 – 19 SEC Auburn – Malzhan ..... 8-4 / 5 SEC..... 6-6 / 2 SEC..... 8-4 / 4 SEC.....11-1 / 7 SECc.....33 – 18 SEC Texas A&M – Sumlin .8-4 / 4 SEC..... 8-4 / 4 SEC..... 7-5 / 3 SEC......8-4 / 4 SEC......32 – 15 SEC Ole Miss – Freeze ........ 5-7 / 2 SEC..... 9-3 / 6 SEC..... 9-3 / 5 SEC...... 7-5 / 3 SEC......30 – 16 SEC MSU – Mullen ............. 5-7 / 3 SEC..... 8-4 / 4 SEC.... 10-3 / 6 SEC.....6-6 / 3 SEC......29 – 16 SEC Arkansas - Bielema ...7-5 / 3 SEC..... 7-5 / 5 SEC..... 6-6 / 2 SEC......3-9 / 0 SEC......23 – 10 SEC

Rebs no matter what happens going forward. What kind of coach do we need after Freeze? If you are interested in looking for a new coach you have to think about who can be successful at a school like Ole Miss. This is a small school, with a small stadium and little national success. It will always be a struggle to recruit at Ole Miss against the Alabama and LSU type programs. You better find a coach that can take less talented kids and beat those top programs. You need an innovative, exciting, high scoring offense in order to outscore the minor league NFL teams you will play ev-

put from the NCAA. The NCAA is going on five years of looking at the books in Oxford, and they have found a few violations like they would anywhere over five years. Over the period in question that basically spans three coaching staffs and two athletic directors, the NCAA found 13 violations against the football program which amounted to monetary benefits of $15,608 total over eight years. No matter your opinion on NCAA rules violations, $15,608 over eight years is hilariously minor compared to violations with Albert Means at Alabama, Reggie Bush at USC or Cam Newton at Auburn. But just because Ole Miss didn’t commit egregious rules violations doesn’t mean the NCAA won’t penalize Ole Miss egregiously. We just won’t know until the NCAA Committee meets, makes a ruling and they go through the appeals process (Ole Miss most likely will and should ap-

SEC. Hugh Freeze is competing and holding his own, even with a down year. Everyone wants their team to be successful losing games is very frustrating, but it’s important to have a little perspective on how Hugh Freeze stacks up against the rest of the league’s coaches, some of which have a lot more resources than Ole Miss. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know that Hugh Freeze is very capable of leading this team. And if it doesn’t work out for Freeze, the current SEC salaries are really nice and will attract a long line of qualified coaches putting Ole Miss in a better position for success than any time in the past. So, let’s all pull the rope together, because it’s up to us, the fans if this program sinks or swims.

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Photo by GREG PEVEY, REBEL NATION MAGAZINEâ&#x201E;¢

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SP ONS OR E D BY

F L OWO OD, MS

2016 RECORD OVERALL: 43-19 HOME: 26-8 AWAY: 11-9 NEUTRAL: 6-2 SEC: 18-12

COACH: MIKE BIANCO - 17th Season OVERALL: 630-370-1 (.630)

STADIUM:

Photo by Angie Ledbetter, Rebel Nation Magazine™

OXFORD/UNIVERSITY STADIUM - SWAYZE FIELD CAPACITY: 9,500

TATE BLACKMAN

BY JEFF ROBERSON CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS BY GREG PEVEY AND BOBBY MCDUFFIE

ASEBALL, AS MUCH AS ANY SPORT, is about timing and timeliness. For Ole Miss, a couple of successful seasons in 2015

and 2016 ended too early. In both cases the Rebels went 0-2 in NCAA Tournaments, this coming after a 2014 trip for the program to the NCAA’s biggest stage – a third place finish in Omaha at the College

#38

- REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

World Series. The 2017 edition of Rebel baseball will attempt to go farther than its most recent two predecessors. This time Ole Miss wants to win deep into June. If they can do just that, it will be with one of the youngest teams in recent Rebel history. Talented, yes, but young nonetheless. There are almost 30 freshmen and sophomores on the roster of 35 players. Veterans include seniors Colby Bortles, who will likely for the third straight season be manning third base, and Sean Johnson, who

was just coming off arm surgery and rehab before pitching last season and is set to be ready to help the team, even more, this season. They are the only two listed as seniors on the roster. The junior class has some familiar names with Tate Blackman, the second baseman entering his third season at Ole Miss, leading the way. Pitchers David Parkinson and Will Stokes return as do utility player, versatile and athletic Kyle Watson, and newcomer Tim Rowe, an outfielder from Itawamba Community College. Beyond that, the squad is relatively new faces, including an incoming class that was ranked No. 1 in the nation by two outlets – Baseball America and D-1 Baseball. Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco’s veterans are led by Bortles and Blackman, who were selected in the fall by their teammates as captains. Both were solid in the fall ball sessions, both on and off the field. “They played at a high level and with a lot of confidence, just as you would expect veteran players to do,” Bianco said. “They are guys that have established themselves in this program. The thing that’s great is to watch how Colby continues to be a leader and has a presence on the field, in the dugout, and in the locker room. Tate has taken that on as well this fall. We don’t have very many older guys, but the ones we do have on the team have certainly played huge roles the last few years. None more than those two guys. It’s great that they not only played well this fall but also showed a lot of leadership that we’ll need.” Bortles is fitter than ever, with a visibly leaner physique that perhaps will make him an even better player. He’s excited about that. “I’ve been working hard in the weight room,” Bortles said. “I’ve lost some weight. That was the goal, and I’m still working on it. I’m more mobile. I feel better. When you feel better, you have more confidence. That’s a big thing.” The second-year players will provide a needed lift for the team and had significant playing time last season. Ryan Olenek could potentially be an outfielder for the team. But perhaps it’s on the mound that the sophomores will have the most impact. Andy Pagnozzi, Dallas Woolfolk, James McArthur and Brady Feigl all logged major innings for the Rebels in 2016. All are right-handers. Stokes, Woolfolk, and Feigl actually didn’t pitch in the fall as they got rested and ready for the spring season. “They pitched so much as relievers last year, and they all pitched this summer,” Bianco said. “They really hadn’t gotten a break. Rather than them push through the fall, I thought it was smarter to let them rest. We know what they can do.” Much of the attention since the season ended in the Oxford Regional last June has

2017 SCHEDULE DATE..........................OPPONENT / EVENT................LOCATION............................. TIME 02/17/17.....................VS. EAST CAROLINA..................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 02/18/17....................VS. EAST CAROLINA..................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 02/19/17....................VS. EAST CAROLINA..................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 02/21/17....................VS. ARKANSAS STATE..............OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 02/24/17....................VS. UNCW.....................................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 02/25/17....................VS. UNCW.....................................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 02/26/17....................VS. UNCW.....................................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 02/28/17....................VS. MEMPHIS..............................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT

SHINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN COLLEGE CLASSIC

03/03/17....................vs. Baylor............................... Houston, Texas...........12:00 p.m. CT 03/04/17....................vs. Texas Tech...................... Houston, Texas...........12:00 p.m. CT 03/05/17....................vs. TCU................................... Houston, Texas.............2:00 p.m. CT 03/07/17....................VS. GEORGIA STATE...................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 03/08/17....................VS. GEORGIA STATE...................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 03/10/17....................VS. FURMAN...............................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 03/11/17.....................VS. FURMAN...............................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 03/12/17....................VS. FURMAN...............................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 03/14/17....................VS. NICHOLLS...............................BILOXI.....................7:00 P.M. CT 03/17/17.....................VS. VANDERBILT .......................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 03/18/17....................VS. VANDERBILT .......................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 03/19/17....................VS. VANDERBILT .......................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 03/21/17....................... at Memphis...............................Memphis, Tenn............... 6:30 p.m. CT 03/23/17...................... at Kentucky ...............................Lexington, Ky................. 6:00 p.m. CT 03/24/17...................... at Kentucky ...............................Lexington, Ky................. 5:30 p.m. CT 03/25/17...................... at Kentucky ...............................Lexington, Ky..................1:00 p.m. CT 03/28/17....................VS. AR-LITTLE ROCK.................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 03/30/17....................VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE............OXFORD...................7:00 P.M. CT 03/31/17....................VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE............OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 04/01/17....................VS. MISSISSIPPI STATE ...........OXFORD.................. 4:00 P.M. CT 04/04/17...................... vs. Southern Miss....................... Pearl, Miss................... 6:30 p.m. CT 04/07/17....................VS. ALABAMA ............................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 04/08/17....................VS. ALABAMA ............................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 04/09/17....................VS. ALABAMA ............................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 04/11/17....................... at Southern Miss......................... Hattiesburg.................. 6:30 p.m. CT 04/13/17...................... at LSU........................................ Baton Rouge, La.............. 6:30 p.m. CT 04/14/17...................... at LSU........................................ Baton Rouge, La.............. 7:00 p.m. CT 04/15/17...................... at LSU........................................ Baton Rouge, La.............. 2:00 p.m. CT 04/19/17....................VS. AR-PINE BLUFF...................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 04/21/17....................VS. MISSOURI .............................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 04/22/17....................VS. MISSOURI .............................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 04/23/17....................VS. MISSOURI .............................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 04/25/17...................... vs. Mississippi State.................. Pearl, Miss................... 6:30 p.m. CT 04/27/17...................... at Arkansas ............................ Fayetteville, Ark.............. 6:00 p.m. CT 04/28/17...................... at Arkansas ............................ Fayetteville, Ark.............. 6:30 p.m. CT 04/29/17...................... at Arkansas............................. Fayetteville, Ark.............. 2:00 p.m. CT 05/02/17....................VS. ULM........................................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 05/03/17....................VS. ULM........................................OXFORD................................. TBA 05/05/17...................... at Florida................................... Gainesville, Fla............... 6:00 p.m. CT 05/06/17...................... at Florida................................... Gainesville, Fla............... 6:00 p.m. CT 05/07/17...................... at Florida................................... Gainesville, Fla............. 12:00 p.m. CT 05/12/17....................VS. TEXAS A&M..........................OXFORD...................6:30 P.M. CT 05/13/17....................VS. TEXAS A&M..........................OXFORD...................4:00 P.M. CT 05/14/17....................VS. TEXAS A&M..........................OXFORD................... 1:30 P.M. CT 05/16/17....................... at Arkansas State.................... Jonesboro, Ark................ 6:30 p.m. CT 05/18/17....................... at Auburn..................................... Auburn, Ala.................. 6:00 p.m. CT 05/19/17....................... at Auburn..................................... Auburn, Ala.................. 6:00 p.m. CT 05/20/17...................... at Auburn..................................... Auburn, Ala.................. 6:00 p.m. CT 05/23-28/17..............SEC BASEBALL TOURNEY..... Hoover, Ala... Hover Met. Stadium JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 39

been on the highly-touted incoming class of newcomers. Many of them will likely see extensive action this season. One who should fill a significant role on the team is freshman shortstop Grae Kessinger. The Oxford High School product, one of four Chargers in the freshman class this year, could step in and fill the role of Errol Robinson, who manned the position so ably the past three seasons. Kessinger had a solid fall and has become stronger through workouts in the weight program. He could play a significant role in whatever success Ole Miss has this season. Also catcher Cooper Johnson, as a high school senior last season tabbed by some publications as the best defensive catcher in the country, could be the starting catcher, replacing Henri Lartigue. There is great competition at catcher among Johnson, redshirt

TIME OUT “That’s exciting that some of the younger guys from the No. 1 ranked recruiting class have played well and played like they belong,” Bianco said. “I feel a lot better about us offensively and also defensively. We fielded at .969 for the fall, which I think is good because you’re playing everybody. Sometimes you’re playing guys out of position, with catchers in the outfield and bigger guys at second base.” freshman Carson Klepzig, sophomore Nick Fortes, and freshmen Thomas Dillard, one of the former Oxford Chargers. The new class is loaded with pitching talent. Two former Oxford High pitchers, RHP Jason Barber and RHP Houston Roth, will be important members of the staff, while two others – RHP Will Ethridge and LHP Ryan Rollison – enter as two of the most heralded arms on the staff. Sophomore Chase Cockrell from Hinds Community College had a solid fall at the plate and defensively. Freshmen Cole Zabowski and Bryan Seamster also had several highlight games. “That’s exciting that some of the younger guys from the No. 1 ranked recruiting class have played well and played like they belong,” Bianco said. “I feel a lot better about us of40 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

COLBY BORTLES fensively and also defensively. We fielded at .969 for the fall, which I think is good because you’re playing everybody. Sometimes you’re playing guys out of position, with catchers in the outfield and bigger guys at second base. Sometimes you tend to make a few more errors than you normally would. We really caught it and threw it well.” Other names and faces will dot the lineup each game this season. But this could potentially be as well-rounded as the Rebels have been in some time. Certainly, there will be growing pains with a roster so youthful.

“The people that say having the No. 1 ranked recruiting class doesn’t matter, are the ones that don’t have a ranked recruiting class,” Bianco said. “The truth of the matter us, yes, it’s just a poll. It’s about what players have done before they got here. The most important thing is what they do once they’re here. But for our entire staff, it’s a great honor. They’re rewarded for their hard work. It’s nice to be recognized. These kids are really talented. They all showed up. Now they have to go play.” Bortles was a freshman on the 2014 team

FROM THE BULL PEN:

Keep an eye on these players in 2017

KYLE WATSON that played in the College World Series. He wants to go back as a senior. “There’s one goal in mind for this team, and that’s Omaha,” he said. “Everybody has that in mind, and we’re striving to get there.” THE SCHEDULE Ole Miss faces another challenging schedule in 2017. One of the country’s fastest rising programs, led by former Rebel assistant Cliff Godwin, is East Carolina, and the Pirates come to Oxford for three games to open the season. Last year ECU was eliminated in a Su-

per Regional, just a step away from making it to the College World Series. One of the more attractive stands for the Rebels in 2017 is the first weekend in March. That’s when Ole Miss joins fellow Southeastern Conference mates Texas A&M and LSU to play three games in Houston, Texas, at the Astros home field, Minute Maid Park, in the Shriners Hospital for Children Classic. The foes are all from the Big 12 Conference. The Rebels are scheduled to play Baylor on Friday, Texas Tech on Saturday, and TCU on Sunday. SEC play for the Rebels begins at home in

Gone is first-game starting pitcher Brady Bramlett, and that role could be filled by several potential starters. Right-handed sophomore James McArthur and left-handed junior David Parkinson, both who had multiple weekend starts last season, are likely candidates to fill that role and start the weekends. Others, like sophomore righty Andy Pagnozzi and sophomore RHP Dallas Woolfolk, could also be in the mix. Then a handful of talented freshmen and newcomers, like right-hander Will Ethridge and LHP Ryan Rolison, could also vie for weekend starts. Gone also is tough as nails closer Wyatt Short, the dependable stopper who was such a key to many Rebel victories the past few seasons. Now, as 2017 is here, that role could go to any number of pitchers on the talented staff. Could that role now belong to junior right-hander Will Stokes or perhaps to sophomore righty Brady Feigl? Or is there another candidate or two for closer that might emerge early in the season? The outfield will again be talented, but some of the faces out there might not have been there before, or at least not often. Will Golsan, the infielder in his third year, practiced in the outfield throughout the fall, and sophomore Ryan Olenek was also an outfield regular during fall ball. Talented junior Kyle Watson also is a player that could be in one of the outfield positions. A couple of transfers could also figure in the mix – Tim Rowe of Itawamba Community College and Chase Cockrell of Hinds Community College, although Cockrell is more likely a candidate for an infield spot, either as a starter or a significant role player after a successful fall. The talent at catcher is, as usual, strong for this program. Freshman Cooper Johnson has emerged as potentially the frontrunner, although preseason practices and early games will reveal more. Johnson was listed by some as the best defensive catcher in high school baseball in all of America last spring. He’s joined by redshirt freshman Carson Klepzig, sophomore Nick Fortes, and freshman Thomas Dillard as candidates for catcher. Dillard’s bat will likely be in the lineup somewhere, and the designated hitter spot for the powerful and talented hitter from Oxford High School is a distinct possibility. JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 41

TIME OUT “The people that say having the No. 1 ranked recruiting class doesn’t matter, are the ones that don’t have a ranked recruiting class,” Bianco said. “The truth of the matter us, yes, it’s just a poll. It’s about what players have done before they got here. The most important thing is what they do once they’re here. But for our entire staff, it’s a great honor.” mid-March as powerhouse Vanderbilt comes to Oxford for three games. Mississippi State is an early SEC season visitor to Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field for a series, and Alabama in early April is in Oxford for three contests on Grove Bowl weekend. After Missouri visits northern Mississippi for three games in April, the Rebels hit the road for three of their last four series. Only a May series against Texas A&M is in Oxford during that stretch. If there is anything on the line the final regular season weekend, the Rebels will have to tangle with the Tigers of Auburn on the road to see how it ultimately unfolds. Then it’s on to the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Ala., and NCAA Tournament play after that.

MIKE BIANCO

OLE MISS MEN’S BASEBALL RADIO AFFILIATES CITY..........................STATION...... CHANNEL........COUNTY

McComb*.................. WAZA-FM........107.7 FM...............Pike

Amory*......................WAFM-FM....... 95.3 FM............Monroe

Memphis, TN*.........WHBQ-AM....... 560 AM............ Shelby

Brookhaven*............WBKN-FM........92.1 FM............Lincoln

Memphis, TN*..........WPGF-LP.........87.7 FM............. Shelby

Columbus*.............. WJWF-AM.......1400 AM......... Lowndes

Meridian*.................WZKR-FM....... 103.3 FM....... Lauderdale

Columbus*.............. WNMQ-FM.......103.1 FM......... Lowndes

Ocean Spring*.........WOSM-FM.......... 103.1..............Jackson

Corinth*..................... WXRZ-FM........ 94.3 FM.............Alcorn

Oxford*...................... WQLJ-FM.........93.7 FM.......... Lafayette

Greenwood*............. WYMX-FM........99.1 FM............ Leflore

Philadelphia*..........WHOC-AM.......1490 AM..........Neshoba

Hattiesburg*........... WFMM-FM........97.3 FM.............Lamar

Starkville*................ WSSO-FM........1230 AM........ Oktibbeha

Hazlehurst*..............WDXO-FM........ 92.9 FM............ Copiah

Prentiss*................... WJDR-FM........ 98.3 FM......... Jeff Davis

Jackson*.................. WFMN-FM........97.3 FM............. Hinds

Tupelo*.....................WWMR-FM......106.7 FM...............Lee

Laurel*.......................WLAU-FM........ 99.3 FM............. Jones

Vicksburg*...............WVBG-AM.......1490 AM...........Warren

Louisville..................WLSM-FM........107.1 FM...........Winston

Water Valley*......... WTNM-FM...... 105.5 FM........Yalobusha

42 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

2017 OLE MISS BASEBALL ROSTER NO.... NAME..................... B/T.....POS......HT/WT..... YR-EXP...................HOMETOWN (Last School) CATCHERS 43..........Carson Klepzig..................R/R........... C.............5-11/190..........RS FR-RS.................... Southaven, Miss. (DeSoto Central HS) 6............Thomas Dillard..................S/R........... C............ 5-10/225............FR-HS...................................................... Oxford, Miss. (Oxford) 7............Nick Fortes.........................R/R........... C..............6-1/210...............SO-1L.................................................Deland, Fla. (Deland HS) 13..........Cooper Johnson.................R/R........... C............. 6-0/205.............FR-HS................................. Mundelein, Ill. (Carmel Catholic)

INFIELDERS 4............Tate Blackman..................R/R...........IF............ 6-0/195............. JR-2L.............Altamonte Springs, Fla. (Lake Brantley HS) 8............Will Golsan.........................R/R...........IF.............6-1/185.............. JR-2L..................................Columbus, Miss. (New Hope HS) 35..........Trace Tyre...........................L/R...........IF............ 6-3/220.............FR-HS............................... Madison, Miss. (Madison Central) 32..........Michael Fitzsimmons......R/R...........IF.............6-1/215............RS SO-1L........................... Eads, Tenn. (Memphis University) 11...........Chase Cockrell...................R/R...........IF.............6-3/215............. SO-JC................................................... Bastrop, La. (Hinds CC) 15..........Grae Kessinger..................R/R...........IF............ 6-2/190.............FR-HS...................................................... Oxford, Miss. (Oxford) 14..........Cole Zabowski.................... L/L...........IF............ 6-4/225.............FR-HS................................... Lawrenceville, Ga. (Collins Hill) 3............Bryce Blaum.......................R/R...........IF............5-10/185............FR-HS................................Sugar Land, Texas (Clements HS) 25..........Colby Bortles......................R/R...........IF............ 6-5/225............. SR-3L.................................................. Oviedo, Fla. (Oviedo HS)

OUTFIELDERS 9............Kyle Watson.......................R/R....... IF/OF..........6-3/195............. JR-2L........................ Southaven, Miss. (DeSoto Central HS) 27..........Bryan Seamster................ L/L.......... OF............5-10/185............FR-HS....................................Roanoke, Texas (Byron Nelson) 42..........Tim Rowe............................ L/L.......... OF........... 5-10/200............ JR-JC...................................Hernando, Miss. (Itawamba CC) 1.............DJ Miller..............................R/R.......... OF............ 6-2/190..............SO-1L.......................................Madison, Ill. (Granite City HS)

PITCHERS 2............Ryan Olenek.......................R/R..... IF/RHP........6-5/185..............SO-1L.............................. Winter Springs, Fla. (Trinity Prep) 22..........Ryan Rolison...................... L/L.........LHP...........6-2/195.............FR-HS..................... Jackson, Tenn. (University of Jackson) 28..........Jackson Tavel.................... L/L.........LHP.......... 6-3/205.............FR-HS.............................................Birmingham, Ala. (Corner) 10..........David Parkinson...............R/L.........LHP...........6-2/210..............JR-1L................... Henrico, Va. (Florence-Darlington Tech) 36..........Thomas Spinelli................ L/L.........LHP..........5-11/240............FR-HS..........................................Ocala, Fla. (Trinity Catholic) 26..........James McArthur...............R/R........ RHP...........6-7/230..............SO-1L............... New Braunfels, Texas (New Braunfels HS) 18..........Connor Green.....................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-4/220..............SO-1L...........Collierville, Tenn. (St. Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Independent) 19..........Andy Pagnozzi..................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-0/200..............SO-1L.............................. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville HS) 29..........Andrew Lowe.....................R/R........ RHP...........6-4/215..............SO-1L......................................... Bossier City, La. (Airline HS) 31..........Jason Barber......................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-0/190.............FR-HS...................................................... Oxford, Miss. (Oxford) 20..........Will Ethridge......................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-4/210.............FR-HS.....................................................Liburn, Ga. (Parkview) 33..........Sean Johnson....................R/R........ RHP...........6-7/230.......... RS SR-2L...................................Durango, Colo. (Iowa Western) 12..........Greer Holston.....................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-4/210.............FR-HS..............................Long Beach, Miss. (IMG Academy) 65..........Parker Caracci...................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-0/200..........RS FR-RS................................. Jackson, Miss. (Jackson Prep) 38..........Korey Bell............................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-5/230.............FR-HS......................................Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood) 39..........Brady Feigl.........................R/R........ RHP...........6-5/215...........RS SO-1L.................................... Chesterfield, Mo. (Central HS) 40.........Houston Roth.....................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-3/205.............FR-HS...................................................... Oxford, Miss. (Oxford) 24..........Dallas Woolfolk.................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-2/225..............SO-1L........................ Southaven, Miss. (DeSoto Central HS) 17...........Will Stokes..........................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-0/195............. JR-2L....................... Meridian, Miss. (West Lauderdale HS) 21..........Brady Schanuel.................R/R........ RHP.......... 6-0/205............. SO-JC...........................................Belleville, Ill. (Parkland CC)

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 43

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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 45

rebelbaseball

OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBA

TATE BLACKMAN Rebel 2nd Baseman is Looking Forward to a Breakout Season and a Trip to Omaha BY JEFF ROBERSON

CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS BY BOBBY MCDUFFIE, FOR REBEL NATION MAGAZINE™

ate Blackman arrived at Ole Miss in the summer of 2014 with a lot of accolades and an extensive prep resume’ from his years of youth and high school baseball in Central Florida. That was right after Ole Miss had hosted and won a NCAA Regional as the Rebels finished second to Florida in the Southeastern Conference regular season, followed all that up with a Super Regional championship in Lafayette, La., and made it to the College World Series for the first time in the Coach Mike Bianco era. Since then, and during Blackman’s tenure at second base for the Rebels, there have been no NCAA Tournament victories for the program, as hard as that is to believe. There was a 0-2 weekend at the UCLA Regional in 2015 and a 0-2 Oxford Regional in 2016. Since Virginia eliminated the Rebels at TD Ameritrade Park in downtown Omaha for a third place national finish, they haven’t been able to come out on top in any NCAA postseason game. Blackman said it’s all about changing that this time around and making some noise nationally as a program again. “You have to concern yourself with the things you can control,” Blackman said. “One more hit here, one more play there, getting that timely hit. You just prepare for 46 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

the games and be ready for those situations. We look forward to being back in those situations but this year coming through.” The program has received a lot of publicity since last season, mainly with the class of newcomers that arrived in the summer having been named the best group in the country by Baseball America and also D-1 Baseball. It is a talented group that has now been through its first fall ball session at Ole Miss. Blackman, along with Colby Bortles, was chosen as a captain by his teammates for the 2017 season. It’s not really surprising since those two are basically the faces of this year’s team. Blackman is already looking toward a better season, and he said his fall went well. “I worked on some things, made some minor adjustments,” said the veteran second baseman. “Overall I thought it was pretty good and a productive fall.” Blackman said much of his focus wasn’t at the plate. “It was more my defense and base-running,” he said. “I’ve been working on the base paths. I’ve kinda got a new setup when I’m at first and trying to steal a base. I worked on that. And definitely my defense. My hitting was there last fall and during the season. So I tweaked just a few small things with my swing. Mainly it was more focus for me on base-running and defense.” Blackman and Bortles were the two head coaches for the Pizza Bowl, which is the challenging best two out of three series that wraps up fall ball each year. The winning

team eats pizza while the losing team runs. Bortles’ team lost, and Blackman’s team won. “That was fun. It was competitive,” Blackman said. But he admitted it was also tough on him making all the calls and the decisions. Blackman normally sports a haircut that is fairly indescribable – long on top, shaved on the sides, sometimes tied up on top to fit under his cap. There’s even a Twitter account for his hair that he has nothing to do with personally. But that hair comes into play sometimes, at least in conversation. “I was talking to Coach (Bianco) and Coach (Lafferty) during the games. I told Coach B, ‘I don’t know how you do this. This is very stressful.’” There was some good-natured joking about the fact that Blackman might lose his

ALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL SP ONS OR E D BY

TIME OUT

F L OWO OD, MS

“When you get the No. 1 recruiting class on campus, it’s fun for us older to guys to see how good they really are,” he said. “And for us to show them there’s more to learn and that they can improve and help us. They’ll be big contributors to our season this year.”

hair over all that stress of being a short-term coach during those intrasquad games. “But I can’t lose my hair,” Blackman said, laughing. “It’s what I have going for me.” That, and being a captain for Ole Miss baseball in 2017. He’s put himself into position to lead this team, along with Bortles and the handful of older players on the team. “My first fall I didn’t know what to expect. The second year I was trying to overcome something I was expected to do. This (past) fall was maintaining what I had and getting better at things I’m not very good at. “I’m just trying to be more of a leader now, talking to the young guys and showing them the right way to do things around here. Just trying to lead by example.” Bianco has been pleased not only with Blackman’s career but how he has stepped up on every occasion to become one of college

baseball’s best infielders. “Tate has a lot of confidence and has really taken on a role this year of being a presence in the dugout and the locker room,” Bianco said. “He’s established himself in this program. He continues to be a leader. We don’t have very many older guys this year, but the ones that are here have played huge roles. Tate has shown a lot of leadership that we’ll need this season.” Nearly 30 on the roster are freshmen and sophomores. Blackman has tried to be a player the younger guys can look up to, and apparently he has succeeded in doing that. “When you get the No. 1 recruiting class on campus, it’s fun for us older to guys to see how good they really are,” he said. “And for us to show them there’s more to learn and that they can improve and help us. They’ll be big contributors to our season this year.” Blackman likes what he sees of the offense so far. “Last year’s team could really hit. Colby and I think this year’s team can hit even better. The majority of the same pitching staff is back plus some new guys who are incredible. If we can control what we can control, it will

be a very fun season for everybody.” And for the first time since he’s been here to win some postseason NCAA Tournament games. “It was hard to swallow for us to be as good as we were and not win,” Blackman said. “For us to not win in our own Regional was heartbreaking. This year when we are in that situation, we’ll execute and come out on top.” And Blackman will be a big part of that success, especially since he is one of those seasoned veterans now and because of all that he’s been through from his own difficult freshman season until now, his third year in the program. “Tate has always handled it,” Bianco said. “He never carried himself any differently, even back then when things were tougher for him. And that’s one of the reasons he has been able to succeed. He had a lot of expectations when he got here. People knew who he was. He has handled it all terrific. He just works and has always been the same guy on the field. He’s obviously playing at a high level now.” JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 47

rebelbaseball

OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBA SP ONS OR E D BY

BASEBALL’S RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 1 IN THE NATION Ole Miss Baseball Lands at the Top of Baseball America’s 2016 Recruiting Class Rankings

he 2016 Ole Miss Baseball recruiting class came to campus arguably the best class in program history. Now, that opinion becomes fact after Baseball America ranked Ole Miss No. 1 in the publication’s 2016 recruiting rankings Wednesday afternoon. The top ranking marks the first No. 1 recruiting class in Ole Miss Sports history. “It’s an honor to be recognized by Baseball America as having the top recruiting class in the country,” said Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco. “This is an outstanding class put together by our recruiting coordinator Carl Lafferty and assistant coach Mike Clement. The number one ranking is a testament of their hard work in signing talented players that value education and want to experience college baseball at a high level by playing in the Southeastern Conference.” All 18 members of the recruiting class, including five selected in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, decided to continue their careers at Ole Miss. The class consists of 15 freshmen and three junior college transfers, including four freshmen hailing from Oxford. The accolades of the incoming class are second to none. Eight earned All-America accolades last year (seven high school All-Americans and one junior college All-American), while seven 48 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

were top-500 draft prospects by Baseball America. The Rebels brought in five freshmen who were ranked among the top-100 high school baseball players nationwide, more than any other school in the country. Several newcomers also competed in prestigious all-star games during their high school careers. Five competed in the East Coast Professional Showcase, three participated in the Area Code Games and a trio of Rebels played in the Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field. Two Rebs even won a gold medal at the 18-and-under World Cup as a member of Team USA. Ole Miss appears in Baseball America’s top-25 recruiting rankings for the fourth straight year while also becoming the fourth SEC school to earn the top spot over the last six seasons. The Rebels have been nationally ranked (top 25) in recruiting for 14 of 16 years under Bianco, including each of the last 10. Bianco and his staff have produced eight top10 classes during his tenure; moreover, with Lafferty in his seventh year as the recruiting coordinator, Ole Miss has put together three top-5 classes, the highest ranked classes in program history. The Rebels have also been near the top of other recruiting rankings as Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game both list Ole Miss at No. 2 this year. D1Baseball.com will release its rankings later this fall. Below is information on each member of the 2016 Ole Miss Baseball recruiting class. For the latest news and updates involving Ole Miss Baseball, follow the

F L OWO OD, MS

2016 BASEBALL AMERICA RECRUITING RANKINGS 1. Ole Miss 2. North Carolina 3. Florida 4. LSU 5. TCU 6. Stanford 7. Arizona State 8. Florida State 9. Washington 10. Arizona 11. South Carolina 12. Arkansas 13. Miami 14. Vanderbilt 15. Clemson 16. UCLA 17. N.C. State 18. Tennessee 19. UC Santa Barbara 20. Oregon State 21. Auburn 22. Oregon 23. East Carolina 24. Georgia 25. Duke Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissBSB, on Facebook at Ole Miss Baseball on Instagram at olemissbsb and now on Snapchat at OleMissBSB. Fans can also follow head coach Mike Bianco on Twitter at @CoachMikeBianco.

ALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Clements High School where he lettered three years and was coached by Israel De Los Santos ... Hit .410 with 10 home runs and 58 RBI while stealing 41 bases over his high school career... Named 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and first team Texas All-Region ... Slated as the No. 35 player in the state of Texas by Perfect Game ... Played in the 2016 Houston Area Baseball Coaches Association All-Star Game ... Earned first team all-district honors after hitting .440 as a senior ... Tabbed a 2015 Perfect Game second team Underclass All-American ... Was a member of the USA Baseball U-17 National Team Development Program ... In his first season on varsity, named first team all-district with a .420 batting average.

Chase Cockrell / IF / Bastrop, La. (Hinds CC)

OXFORD CONNECTION

JASON BARBER, GRAE KESSINGER, THOMAS DILLARD, HOUSTON ROTH

2016 OLE MISS SIGNEES Jason Barber / RHP / Oxford, Miss. (Oxford)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Oxford High School where he was a four-year letterwinner and was coached by Chris Baughman ... Tallied 35 wins with a 1.25 ERA in 281.0 innings over his high school career ... Named a 2016 Louisville Slugger first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball ... Earned second team All-USA honors by USA TODAY ... Two-time Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year ... Tabbed as a top-500 prospect by Perfect Game, including the No. 8 player in the state of Mississippi ... Collected 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and second team Southeast All-Region accolades ... Went 10-2 with a 1.08 ERA and 126 strikeouts in 78.0 innings as a senior, helping secure back-to-back state championships for Oxford High ... Named first team All-USA Mississippi by USA TODAY ... Tabbed first team all-state as a senior ... Also hit .330 with five home runs and 37 RBI ... Selected to the Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen in 2016 ... Pitched 78.0 innings without allowing a run in 2015, leading his team to a 5A state championship ... Named

an ABCA/Rawlings second team All-American as a junior ... Held a 2.11 ERA as a sophomore and a 2.14 ERA as a freshman.

Korey Bell / RHP / Brentwood, Tenn. (Brentwood)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Brentwood High School where he lettered three years and was coached by Bill Moore ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Rated as the No. 11 player in the state of Tennessee, including the No. 5 right-handed pitcher ... Tabbed a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and second team Southeast All-Region player... Twotime all-district honoree, earning first team honors as a senior and second team honors as a junior ... As a senior, tallied 56 strikeouts to go along with a 1.02 ERA in 41.0 innings on the mound ... Also hit .376 as a senior with seven home runs and 19 RBI ... As a junior, named a Perfect Game high honorable mention Underclass All-American ... Collected all-district tournament team honors during his sophomore season ... Was an honor roll student all four years of high school.

Bryce Blaum / IF / Sugar Land, Texas (Clements)

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Spent one season at Hinds Community College where he was coached by Sam Temple ... Led the team in hits (60), runs (45), doubles (19), home runs (6) and slugging percentage (.564) while playing in 47 games as a freshman ... Earned Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State first team honors ... Finished second on the team in batting average (.335) and RBI (30). HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Oak Grove High School where he lettered four years and was coached by Ty Rollinson ... Four-time all-district honoree ... Earned all-state accolades as a senior.

Thomas Dillard / C / Oxford, Miss. (Oxford)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Briarcrest Christian High School in Cordova, Tennessee, where he earned three letters before moving to Oxford, Mississippi to attend Oxford High School as a senior, earning another letter under head coach Chris Baughman ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Tabbed as the No. 77 player nationally as well as the No. 3 player in Mississippi, including the state’s top catcher, by Perfect Game ... Posted a .388 batting average with 35 doubles, 17 triples and 33 home runs throughout his high school career ... Earned 2016 Louisville Slugger first team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball ... Collected Rawlings-Perfect Game second team All-America and Southeast All-Region first team accolades ... Named the 2016 Mississippi Player of the Year by Perfect Game ... As a senior, hit .438 and led the nation with JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 49

OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • 16 home runs to help Oxford earn its second straight state championship ... Named USA TODAY’s Mr. Baseball in the state of Mississippi, also earning first team All-USA honors ... Selected to the Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen in 2016 ... Played in the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field ... Competed in the 2015 Area Code Games ... Hit .406 with 12 doubles, seven triples and nine homers as a junior ... Also lettered in football and bowling ... Graduated with honors, landing on the honor roll and serving as a member of National Honor Society.

Will Ethridge / RHP / Liburn, Ga. (Parkview)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Parkview High School where he lettered three years and was coached by Jed Hixson and Chan Brown ... Selected in the 35th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners ... Ranked as the No. 49 prospect in the nation as well as the No. 7 player in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game ... Posted a 23-5 record with a 1.65 ERA, 119 strikeouts and 21 walks in 148.0 innings throughout his high school career ... Among college and high school players, rated the No. 137 draft prospect by D1Baseball.com and No. 176 draft prospect by MLB.com ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Collected 2016 Louisville Slugger first team All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball ... Earned 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game second team All-American accolades after going 6-3 with a 1.21 ERA and 49 strikeouts over 52.0 innings as a senior ... Went 13-0 as a junior, including a win in the Georgia 6-A State Championship game that gave the team a No. 1 national ranking to end the season ... Participated in the 2015 East Coast Professional Showcase, featuring some of the nation’s top prospects.

Greer Holston / RHP / Long Beach, Miss. (IMG Academy)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Saint Stanislaus College before transferring to IMG Academy where he was coached by Chris Sabo ... Ranked a top-200 player in the nation by Perfect Game, including the No. 4 player in the state of Mississippi and best right-handed pitcher in the state ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Made the 2016 Rawlings Top Prospect list ... Named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American ... As a senior, went 6-2 with a 1.02 ERA on the mound while hitting .360 at the plate ... Competed in both the Area Code Games and the East Coast Professional Showcase in 2015 ... Named 2015 4A Player 50 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

of the Year in Mississippi after leading Saint Stanislaus to a state championship ... Posted a 12-1 record with 99 strikeouts and a 0.91 ERA over 72.0 innings ...Participated in the 2015 Sun Belt All-Star Classic in Oklahoma ... Tabbed a Perfect Game first team Underclass All-American as a junior ... Played in the 2014 Area Code Games.

Cooper Johnson / C / Mundelein, Ill. (Carmel Catholic)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Carmel Catholic High School where he lettered three years and was coached by Bill Taylor ... Selected in the 28th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds ... Among college and high school players, rated the No. 56 draft prospect by D1Baseball.com and No. 68 draft prospect by MLB.com ... Ranked the best player from the state of Illinois, including the No. 39 recruit by Perfect Game ... Tabbed a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game first team All-American and first team Central All-Region ... Won a gold medal at the 18-and-under World Cup as a member of Team USA ... Played in the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Made the 2016 Rawlings Top Prospect list ... As a senior, named the conference’s defensive player of the year for his superb play behind the plate ... Earned allstate honors in 2016 ... Three-time all-conference and two-time all-area honoree ... Hit .342 over his high school career, adding 33 doubles, 33 runs and 88 RBI ... Competed in the 2015 Area Code Games ... Earned 2015 Underclass All-American first team honors after hitting .382 as a junior.

Grae Kessinger / IF / Oxford, Miss. (Oxford)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Oxford High School where he was a four-year letterwinner and was coached by Chris Baughman ... Selected in the 26th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres ... Ranked as the No. 74 prospect in the nation and No. 2 in the state of Mississippi by Perfect Game ... Named a 2016 Louisville Slugger second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball ... Named 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game second team All-American and first team Southeast All-Region ... Among college and high school players, rated the No. 143 draft prospect by D1Baseball.com and No. 167 prospect by MLB.com ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Made the 2016 Rawlings Top Prospect list ... Named second team All-USA Mississippi by USA TO-

DAY ... Played in the 2015 Under Armour All-America Game at Wrigley Field where his grandfather, Don, was the Chicago Cubs’ starting shortstop for 11 years ... Four-time all-state shortstop ... Hit .352 over his high school career, including 34 doubles, 127 runs, 83 RBI and 61 stolen bases ... Led Oxford to Mississippi 5A State Championships as a junior and senior ... Selected to the Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen in 2016 ... Competed in the 2015 East Coast Pro Showcase ... Earned All-America honors as a junior (second team) and as a sophomore (high honorable mention) ... 2013 freshman All-American ... All-state academic team with a 4.1 GPA ... Member of National Honor Society and two-year student council member ... Graduated with special distinction.

Ryan Rolison / LHP / Jackson, Tenn. (Univ. of Jackson)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended the University School of Jackson where he lettered four years and was coached by Jack Peel ... Drafted in the 37th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres ... Among college and high school players, rated the No. 51 draft prospect by D1Baseball.com and No. 76 prospect by MLB.com ... Tabbed as the best player out of the state of Tennessee as well as the No. 51 player in the country ... Earned 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game second team All-America and Southeast All-Region first team honors ... Named a top-500 prospect by Baseball America ... Won a gold medal at the 18-and-under World Cup as a member of Team USA ... Named the top prep prospect from the state of Tennessee (MLB.com) ... Collected Baseball America second team All-America accolades after going 9-0 with a 0.12 ERA ... As a senior, recorded 108 strikeouts in 58.0 innings to earn USA TODAY’s Mr. Baseball in the state of Tennessee, also earning first team All-USA honors ... All-state, all-region and all-district honoree in 2016 ... Made the 2016 Rawlings Top Prospect list ... Tabbed as pitcher of the year by the Jackson Sun ... Posted a 0.72 ERA with 104 strikeouts as a junior, collecting Perfect Game Underclass All-America high honorable mention accolades ... Earned one letter in football.

Houston Roth / RHP / Oxford, Miss. (Oxford)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Oxford High School where he was a four-year letterwinner and was coached by Chris Baughman ... Named a 2016 Louisville Slugger first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball ... Rat-

• OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL • OLE MISS BASEBALL ed as the No. 11 player in the state of Mississippi, including the No. 4 right-handed pitcher ... Finished his high school career with a 34-2 record and a 1.27 ERA to go along with 281 strikeouts in 219.2 innings, including 23 complete games ... Three-time all-state honoree ... Named 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and Southeast All-Region honorable mention ... Went 10-0 with a 0.44 ERA, including a complete game shutout in the state championship game to help Oxford claim back-to-back state titles ... Named second team All-USA Mississippi by USA TODAY ... Selected to the Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen in 2016 ... Earned all-state honors as a junior, posting a 9-1 record with a 1.26 ERA en route to Oxford winning a state championship ... Named the 2014 Oxford Eagle Player of the Year by going 12-1 with a 1.70 ERA as a sophomore.

Tim Rowe / OF / Hernando, Miss. (Itawamba CC)

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Spent two seasons at Itawamba Community College where he hit .358 in 79 games ... Led the Indians in batting average (.418), RBI (48), runs (46), doubles (15) and total bases (115) as a sophomore ... Named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region 23 team ... Earned Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC) All-State accolades, belting eight home runs. HIGH SCHOOL: Rated as the No. 61 player in Mississippi in 2014.

Brady Schanuel / RHP / Belleville, Ill. (Parkland CC)

JUNIOR COLLEGE: Selected in the 36th round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Oakland Athletics ... Played one year at Parkland College and was coached by Dave Garria ... Earned NJCAA Second Team All-America honors in 2016 ... Named Mid-West Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year and MWAC Freshman of the Year ... Went 10-3 with a 1.80 ERA to collect All-MWAC First Team and all-district honors ... Led the nation (NJCAA Division II) with 131 strikeouts over 83.2 innings ... Helped Parkland finish the season 41-13 with a top-10 national ranking. HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Belleville East High School where he lettered three years and was coached by Todd Blomberg ... Earned all-conference and all-area accolades .... Struck out 91 in 57.0 innings to go along

with a 1.37 ERA as a senior ... Also was a three-year letterwinner in football while lettering twice in basketball.

Bryan Seamster / OF / Roanoke, Texas (Byron Nelson)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Byron Nelson High School and was coached by Michael Killian ... Ranked the No. 50 player in the state of Texas, including the No. 12 outfielder, by Perfect Game ... Named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and first team Texas All-Region ... Tabbed a Perfect Game third team Underclass All-American as a junior ... Named second team all-state and was the District 5-6A MVP with a .333/.500/.583 slash line ...Went 7-0 on the mound as a sophomore to earn newcomer of the year honors ... Also played football.

Thomas Spinelli / LHP / Ocala, Fla. (Trinity Catholic)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Trinity Catholic High School where he lettered for four years and was coached by Tommy Bond ... Named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and second team Florida All-Region ... Earned first team all-county accolades as a senior after going 5-1 with 59 strikeouts on the mound and hitting .397 at the plate ... Went 4-1 with a 1.75 ERA and hit .350 as a junior to claim a spot on the all-county second team ... Two-time Perfect Game Underclass All-American, earning high honorable mention in 2015 and honorable mention in 2014 ... Helped lead his team to a state championship as a sophomore ... Also earned two letters in football ... Was a member of the National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society ... Graduated as the class Salutatorian.

Jackson Tavel / LHP / Birmingham, Ala. (Corner)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Corner High School where he was coached by Josh Hoyle ... Rated as the No. 6 player in the state of Alabama, including the No. 2 left-handed pitcher ... Ranked a top-300 prospect by Perfect Game ... Held a 27-12 career record on the mound, including 10-4 as a senior to earn 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-America and second team Southeast All-Region accolades ... Two-time 5A Pitcher of the Year, first team all-state honoree and Jefferson County Pitcher of the Year (2015, 2016) ... Named second team All-

USA Tennessee by USA TODAY ... Earned a spot on the AL.com Super All-State Team ... Competed in the 2015 East Coast Professional Showcase ... Went 10-0 as a junior to earn Perfect Game Underclass All-American honorable mention.

Trace Tyre / IF / Madison, Miss. (Madison Central)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Madison Central High School where he lettered four years and was coached by Patrick Robey ... Ranked the No. 10 player in the state of Mississippi, including the No. 2 second baseman, by Perfect Game ... Named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and Southeast All-Region honorable mention ... Finished his high school career with a .385 batting average, 41 doubles and 13 home runs ... Four-time all-district ... Earned first team all-state honors as a senior ... Earned Perfect Game Underclass All-American high honorable mention in 2015 ... Voted as team’s best offensive player all four years of high school baseball ... Also lettered in football as a tight end.

Cole Zabowski / IF / Lawrenceville, Ga. (Collins Hill)

HIGH SCHOOL: Attended Collins Hill High School where he lettered four years and was coached by Daniel Warzon ... Ranked the No. 36 player in the state of Georgia, including the No. 3 first baseman, by Perfect Game ... Rated a Perfect Game top-300 prospect ... Hit .374 with nine home runs over his high school career ... Named a 2016 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention All-American and second team Southeast All-Region ... Earned first team all-state accolades after hitting .360 with 39 RBI and 11 doubles as a senior ... Named to the Gwinnett County Super Six ... Four-time all-region and all-county selection ... Posted a .396 batting average as a junior, leading his team to a regional title and state quarterfinals appearance ... Two-time Perfect Game Underclass All-American, landing on the third team in 2015 after chosen as high honorable mention in 2014 ... Graduated with honors.

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 51

REBEL NATION

overtime

Why I do What I do, to Bring What I do...to You By GREG PEVEY

Publisher, Rebel Nation Magazine™

HERE’S AN OLD SAYING IN OLE MISS CIRCLES (and it’s even published in the front of this issue), “There is a valid distinction between “The University” and “Ole Miss,” even though the separate threads are closely interwoven. The University is buildings, trees, and people. Ole Miss is mood, emotion, and personality. One is physical and the other spiritual, one tangible and the other intangible. The University is respected, but Ole Miss is loved. For anyone without that love it does not exist. The University is geographical, but Ole Miss is universal. There are many universities, but there is only one Ole Miss.” The “Mood, emotion, and personality,” those words really grab hold of me. That’s what I love about Ole Miss. The emotional tie I have with Ole Miss is one I’m sure I share with most of you. There is just something about Ole Miss that people on the outside just don’t get. They even ridicule us about it. It’s just an Ole Miss thing that no one really understands but us. That emotional tie is what drove me to begin publishing this magazine. Sure, it’s a fan magazine, but it’s also a tool to promote the school I love. It’s my way of giving back for all the memories it’s given me throughout my life. It’s also a way I can give tribute to my Dad. Without him, I might be a Bama, LSU, or even worse, dare I say it, a State fan. Oh man, I think I just threw-up in my mouth a little bit just imagining that. As a kid, my Dad and I were inseparable, but even more so during football season. We went to game after game together and stayed to the end, good or bad. Even during the ugly years in the 80’s and 90’s. But man, we got to see some great upsets and players throughout out the years. We saw Ole Miss’ upset of LSU in 1986 (when Browndyke missed what would have been the game-winning field goal for LSU) and we also sat through a 40-0 beat-down by the Tide in Tuscaloosa. We were lucky enough to make 52 - REBEL NATION MAGAZINE

the trip up to South Bend for the rematch with Notre Dame. Man, I wouldn’t trade those days for anything. Growing up as a kid, I loved reading all those summer football magazines, looking for any little nugget on Ole Miss I could find. I’m sure most of you remember those days I like to call “B.I.” (Before the Internet). I also loved to read “The Ole Miss Spirit” when it was still just a newspaper. As I grew older and got into graphic design, I knew at some point I wanted to get into the magazine publishing business. My first venture was “Mississippi Sports Magazine.” An “Athlon/Lindy’s-style” magazine covering all things sports in our great state. After producing that for about seven years, I found out that Ole Miss fans didn’t really want to read about State and vice versa. I grew up appreciating all the sports heroes from our State regardless of the school they played for. Players like Archie, Ray Guy, Walter Payton, Kent Hull, and so on. I got to meet some great Mississipp sports heroes during that time too. But “Mississippi Sports” was just preparing me for this, “Rebel Nation Magazine.”

Follow Greg Pevey and Rebel Naion Magazine on Twitter @RebelNationMag

“Rebel Nation” is a labor of love. I pretty much do everything as a one-man show. From laying out every issue to selling ads, to coming up with the content in each issue, and finding the best writers I can who follow Ole Miss on a daily basis. Writers who you know and trust. People like John Davis, Jeff Roberson, Parrish Alford, Steven Godfrey and even some up-and-coming guys like Acey Roberts, Collin Brister, and the like. Every issue of “Rebel Nation” is produced with you, the reader in mind. I want to give each of you a product you’ll be proud to read cover to cover, share with friends and family, show off to your friends of other schools, and keep out on your coffee table no matter where you live. These days you can find Ole Miss news at the click of a mouse, but in “Rebel Nation Magazine” you’ll find the features you won’t get anywhere else. I love to find the behind the scenes stories and human interest features of our players, coaches, administrators, and fans all across Rebel Nation. My goal with every issue is to educate and entertain our readers with hopes of teaching you something you may not have known. Maybe even sway a few people over from another fan base or someone who doesn’t follow anyone, to the Rebel family. I want to give you a sense of pride when you put the issue down and make you say, “Man, I love Ole Miss.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - 53

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