Since day one Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze and his staff have preached to their team, “play for 60 minutes,” but to do so requires a team that is both physically and mentally prepared.
That’s where head strength and conditioning coach Paul Jackson comes in. Jackson is entering his second year with the program and believes this team is taking a step in the right direction as far as strength and conditioning goes, especially after the physical play the Rebels turned in their first three games of the season.
“I think (in) all three games we’ve been the more physical team,” Jackson said. “I don’t think there has been really much doubt about that. I’m happy with it. I think there is even more in us, especially up front. I would like to see both lines as they continue to get more confidence, just start mauling people in there.
“That’s my vision of a good football team, so we just want to see them continue to grow.”
Jackson said he was especially pleased with the team’s performance in this past weekend’s 44-23 win over Texas. After the Longhorns came to Oxford last season and pushed the Rebels around, it was Ole Miss’ turn this season on the road in route to the win.
“It makes me feel great,” Jackson said. “It shows what a team attitude can do,” Jackson said. “You have one team who is feeling confident and growing and believes in themselves and each other, and you have another team who doesn’t, and that can make that big of a difference.”
One of the many challenges Jackson faces is making sure the team is not only doing what they are supposed to in the weight room and on the field but also at home.
Jackson said it is extremely hard to get guys to buy into dieting but hopes that the new eating facility set to be installed in the Manning Center will help that.
“It is really hard,” Jackson said of dieting. “So I’m happy we have a nutritionist on board. Once we get the facility here, it will be a lot easier because they don’t fully understand the impact that it has, and even if they do understand and you give them a plan, they aren’t going to execute it. They are going to walk out the door and not have access to those things. They don’t know how to shop or cook, so when we have the facility up and running it will be a huge help for us.”
One group Jackson is excited to be able to work with is the freshman class, filled with what Jackson believes is NFL potential.
“They are a very impressive group,” he said. “It’s amazing to see them competing, at this level, at this age, as raw as they are and as little training as most of them have had. I think we’ve got a bunch of NFL guys in that class, like legit. I think we’ve got some high draft picks in that class if they continue to be coachable and continue to work the way they did. Their ceiling is really high, and I can’t wait to watch them.”
With the Rebels on a bye this week, Jackson plans to let the team get their legs underneath them a bit before the big road test at No. 1 Alabama next weekend.
“The rest of the week we’ll pull back a little bit,” Jackson said. “Practices are a little bit shorter, and I won’t lift them again this week, so they will have an opportunity to get their legs back.”
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