Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace talks to the media. (Photo taken by Dylan Rubino).
Hoover, Ala.- During his opening statement, Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze said, “Year three of our journey, we’re about being all in, relentless effort.” The rallying cry for the Rebels was set in stone.
The final day of SEC Media Days was the day the Rebels were put on the spotlight and made their case on how good this team can really be for the 2014 season.
Hugh Freeze preaches that each year is a different journey for the Rebels. This year could be the year that the Rebels break through in the SEC West and make a run to Atlanta.
“We talk a lot about buy-in percentage. In our three years there, two, going on the third, I think the buy-in percentage from our kids, staff, everyone in our buildings is at an all-time high,” Freeze said. “It’s not totally there. I don’t know that you ever get totally there. But we do feel like the percentage is at a point now where it should help us meet our expectations.”
Before Freeze met with the media in the ballroom of the Hyatt Regency, he met with local reporters and talked about his quarterback Bo Wallace and his development and health.
“He feels really good. He’s really confident,” Freeze said. “He looks better and has put on about 15 pounds. He’s excited about the way he feels and the work that’s taking place in the offseason, not only with Paul Jackson, but with some specialists who have looked at him. It’s as confident as I have seen him.”
When asked about Wallace seeing quarterback specialist Tom House to fix his mechanics, Freeze said that it gave Wallace his confidence back and improved his arm strength.
Ole Miss did not have the recruiting class it did in 2013, but the 2014 class was focused more on depth in the roster and a lot of the young players will look to play this season.
“We’re really excited about the whole class. Top to bottom, it is a very solid class,” Freeze said. “The ones who jump out are the ones where we have needs: offensive line and wide receiver depth.”
Freeze announced that wide receiver Collins Moore will be out four to six weeks with a knee surgery suffered in offseason workouts. Losing Moore is a big loss for the depth of the receiving core. Freeze said that Moore was voted the most improved player in the spring at receiver.
Freeze showed up 10 minutes fashionably late to the podium, but was very prepared to answer any question that came his way and felt confident about the journey in year three.
“I think the journey that we’ve been on, I think it’s faster that I thought possible. When I first arrived there, I really thought we would be going to hopefully a bowl game in year three. We were able to do that in year one and two, and win both of them,” Freeze said.
“I said on day one that my expectations were to make Ole Miss very relevant in the SEC West. And I think this year we should be that. That’s my expectation, is that we should be competitive in very single game.”
The Rebels open the season with their first two games being played in NFL stadiums. Week one will be at the Georgia Dome against Boise State and the second game at LP Field in Nashville against Vanderbilt. The exposure of playing in NFL stadiums will help Ole Miss elevate their brand and in recruiting.
“I think opening up in the Chick-Fil-A game in Atlanta where we recruit extremely hard, playing in the Georgia Dome where every SEC team wants to end their season, I think it’s very important,” Freeze said. “We get to open college football. All eyes will be on you that Thursday night against a very good Boise program. So we’re excited and hopefully embrace that opportunity and the magnitude that it will have on expanding our brand nationally.”
In 2013, the Rebels faced all of their tough opponents on the road in Alabama and Auburn. This season, Ole Miss will face them at home and the advantages that come with playing at home against the best teams in the division will help.
“Having them at home certainly is advantageous and could be big,” Freeze said. “Playing in front of our home crowd hopefully in a game that we’re very competitive in and get into the fourth quarter, and our rebel nation will be very important having them at home for that.”
The confidence that Freeze displayed in his team in year three of the journey has rubbed off on the players and the media, where the Rebels are considered a dark horse candidate to make a run in the conference.
Quarterback Bo Wallace is one of those players that sees his team capable of making a run to Atlanta for the SEC championship game.
“Why not us? Why can’t we be the team to come out of the West and make some noise?” Wallace said. “We’re not saying let’s go to the national championship. We’re going to take it one game at a time. Why can’t we have an impact like that and be in a lot of football games?”
All-American defensive back Cody Prewitt looks to be one of the best players on defense in the SEC and also in the country. He looks to build on his outstanding 2013 campaign, where he had 71 total tackles and six interceptions.
Being one of the senior leaders for the Rebels, this is his last year playing for the Rebels and coach Freeze. Being “all in” is something that the team is grasping on and buying into.
“For me, it’s just total commitment. Our coaching staff expects us to do everything right on and off the field. They relate to off the field and to things on the field, like academics and doing little things right off the field that’s going to translate to doing the little things right on the field,” Prewitt said. “When we are doing little things right on the field that’s going to allow us to play at a really high speed and execute the way we are supposed to execute.”
SEC Media Days marks the unofficial start of the college football season. On Thursday, the Rebels understand what the season will be about.
Be “all in.”
