Some of the biggest changes from last year’s team are happening at the linebacker and secondary positions on defense. Ole Miss has to replace several stars who helped give the Rebels one of the top defenses in the nation last year. Fans will get their first glimpse at their replacements in Saturday’s Grove Bowl.
The biggest losses came from the secondary, as All-American safety Cody Prewitt and All-American cornerback Senquez Golson went on the the NFL. At cornerback, junior college transfers Tony Bridges and Tee Shepard are expected to step into starting roles and should see a good amount of time in the scrimmage. Bridges is new to the team and Shepard was a part of the 2014 signing class but missed last season due to a toe injury. This will be the first opportunity for fans to see the new set of corners take the field for Ole Miss. Behind them will be sophomore Kendarius Webster and junior Kailo Moore, who should see a significant amount of time in the spring game and in the upcoming season.
At safety, the Rebels will attempt to negate the loss of Prewitt by moving senior Mike Hilton, who started corner last year, to free safety. The Grove Bowl will offer fans and the media the first chance to see how Hilton makes the switch in the secondary. Sophomores A.J. and C.J. Moore will also be subbing in at safety and at husky, so keep an eye on them in the game as well. At strong safety, senior Trae Elston returns, with senior Chief Brown splitting time with him now that he has returned from injury. Meanwhile, former quarterback Kendrick Doss recently made the move to safety and will try to use his athleticism to shut down the opposing offense instead of running it from under center.
At linebacker, the Rebels lost two important seniors in Deterrian Shackleford and Serdarius Bryant. Senior Denzel Nkemdiche should be the starter at outside linebacker. At middle linebacker, senior Christian Russell returns, but senior C.J. Johnson has made the switch to middle linebacker to add more depth at the position. Johnson originally came to campus as a linebacker but hasn’t played there since his freshman year. It will be interesting to see how he does at his old position.
A number of other players have a great chance to impress at linebacker in the scrimmage. Junior Temario Strong has seen a lot of special teams playing time as well at linebacker and could be a factor at middle linebacker. Sophomore Demarquis Gates played a solid amount as a freshman and could make an impact at outside linebacker behind Nkemdiche. Ray Ray Smith is another sophomore who should see some time at outside linebacker during the game, and fellow sophomore Tayler Polk, played well at linebacker and on special teams throughout last season and should see time as well. Junior college transfer Terry Caldwell has also entered the mix at linebacker and stands a good chance of earning significant play at middle linebacker after racking up tackles last year at Northwest Mississippi Community College.
