FILE PHOTO | The Daily Mississippian
Tony Conner chases an Arkansas player during a game last season.
When Ole Miss reeled in a unanimous top-10 recruiting class in 2013, it looked forward to an immediate impact from its players, but it especially looked to the four five-star prospects in the class. After all, that’s who all the buzz was about.
But the guy who arguably made the biggest contribution in his freshman season received perhaps the least attention. That guy is Tony Conner.
“It was a great year, I’d have to say,” Conner said. “Coming out in my freshman season and playing like this, it was a pretty good year.”
Conner, a South Panola product, made an impact from the very start, literally. He recorded the first interception of his Ole Miss career in the Rebels’ first defensive possession of their season-opening win against Vanderbilt.
“It was tremendous,” Conner said of the interception. “It was a great sight because the player had it, and I just snatched the ball out of his hands. It was great.”
Conner, who started in 12 of 13 games, ended the year with 66 tackles, which was third on the team. He also tallied five tackles for loss, a sack, six pass breakups and four quarterback hurries. And he did it all at one of the toughest positions on the Rebel defense.
Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze knew what he had in mind for Conner from the moment he began to recruit him. Conner played safety in high school, and Freeze wanted him as his huskie.
The huskie position is a hybrid safety/linebacker in the Rebels’ 4-2-5 defense that does a little bit of everything. The player needs incredible athleticism to defend the pass by running with slot receivers, tight ends and running backs, and he must also make the big hit to defend the run. It takes a special athlete, and Conner’s 6-foot, 217-pound frame fits it perfectly.
“It’s just a spot you have to be physical at,” Conner said. “At times, you’ll be in the box playing with the big guys, and at times, you’ll be back in coverage.”
With year one behind him, Conner focuses on what he can do to improve this spring.
His biggest goal is to improve his pass coverage, and with the numbers he put up during his freshman season, there’s little doubt that Conner will be flying all over the field for Ole Miss again in year two.
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