Junior cornerback Senquez Golson is normally helping out the Ole Miss baseball team this time of year, but the two-sport athlete decided to pass on baseball this spring to concentrate on football. He’s hoping that going through spring drills with the football team will give him an added boost in the secondary next fall.
Senquez Golson participates in a drill during practice. (File photo: Cain Madden/The DM)
It takes a good athlete to succeed in two sports at any level, but to find one who has done it at the collegiate level in arguably one of the toughest conferences in the country is rare. Junior Senquez Golson has done it, but for now he has decided to focus solely on football.
The Pascagoula native entered Ole Miss after passing on one of the most storied franchises in Major League Baseball, the Boston Red Sox, after being drafted in the eighth round of the 2011 MLB draft.
Now, Golson will enter the 2013 college football season with one thing on his mind: football.
Golson decided he would forgo baseball this season to focus on football and devote his time to helping the Ole Miss defense at the cornerback position.
He said he put time into his decision during the break between the end of the regular season and the Rebels’ BBVA Compass Bowl game last season.
“I talked to my parents and the position coach about it,” Golson said.
“I just thought about it and felt it was the best move for me.”
Despite making the move, Golson said it is hard for him to pass the baseball field at this time of year.
“I try my best to not go that way around campus,” he said. “I try to take the long way around.”
Coming out of high school, Golson was a sought-after recruit.
He was named to The Clarion-Ledger’s Dandy Dozen, which ranks the top 12 high school players in the state of Mississippi for both baseball and football, and he was also ranked the No. 10 player in the state and No. 33 cornerback in the nation in football by Rivals.com his senior season.
Although baseball made the call for Golson out of high school, he said he believes he made the best decision by enrolling in college and passing on the opportunity.
Now, Golson finds himself with a starting role at corner and is emerging as one of the more talented players on the defensive side of the ball for Ole Miss football.
He played in 12 games last season for the Rebels and had six starts, recording 36 tackles and adding three interceptions.
So far this spring, Golson has impressed Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze.
“When he comes to work, he is talented,” Freeze said.
“There is still some maturing that has to take place. He’s not by himself. We’ve got several like that, being more consistent in the little things, but he certainly has come a ways for us. I’m pleased with his performance.”
This is the first spring Golson has participated in football due to baseball commitments his freshman year, and it could be what he needs to excel at his position.
“It helps for sure,” Freeze said of Golson practicing with the team in the spring.
“I want to be clear: For Senquez, if he wants to do baseball, obviously, we are going to be supportive of that like we were last year, but certainly, it helps in furthering his development as a corner.”
Golson said he had a hard time transitioning from baseball to football, but focusing strictly on football could definitely be beneficial.
“I say it is easier playing two sports in high school,” Golson said.
“Once you get up to college, everybody is talented, so you just try to rely on your technique and fundamentals. It just kind of throws me off every season. Even when I played baseball and football last season, it takes me probably three or four games to get the rust off and get going.”
Golson knows there are some aspects of his play that he wants to improve and is focusing on this spring, and cornerbacks coach Jason Jones has noticed he is catching on quickly.
“Senquez is getting a lot better. He is learning,” Jones said.
“To him, the position is still new because he is a baseball guy, but he is starting to understand pad level, eyes and his assignment.”
Despite his focus on football for now, Golson is not ruling out a return to baseball.
“I’m just trying to see how it works out,” Golson said.
“I don’t put one before the other, but I just want to try football out, and if it doesn’t work out, then I know I’m supposed to play baseball.”
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