In addition to coach Pete Golding, eight different Ole Miss players spent time talking with reporters after the first preseason practice on Thursday.
Of those eight Rebels, five played on the offensive side of the ball. That includes quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and running back Kewan Lacy. Here’s everything the offensive players said Thursday.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB
On being back on the field…
Definitely. It’s good to be back out there playing the sport I love with the people I love around me. It was a great day.
On comfort level with new OC John David Baker…
It’s good. I think PG’s main thing was having stability within our scheme and our offense. He hired someone who was familiar with our offense and what we do. He had been here before, so it’s great to have someone who has elite football knowledge and also knows our offense.
On facing adversity in preseason practices…
It’s about having game-situation periods throughout camp and practice. There are some things you really can’t put together until you experience them. You have to learn as you go, and sometimes you have to fail through experience. That’s how you grow. Having those game-like situations is good for us because we can see how we’ll respond when the same thing happens in a game.
On Kewan Lacy’s best attribute…
His best attribute is how quick he is and his acceleration. He’s very patient, but when he finds a hole or a gap, it’s kind of crazy how quickly he hits it. I would definitely say his acceleration.
On pressure felt from preseason hype…
Pressure is a privilege. I prayed to be in this situation. This is what I asked for, and I’m grateful that God has given me the opportunity to be the quarterback at Ole Miss and have the platform I have. There is some pressure, but it’s what I asked for. I just have to do what I’ve been taught to do and what I’ve been doing my whole life, which is play ball.
On developing chemistry with new wide receivers…
It’s been good. I like this group. I don’t feel like there’s much of a drop-off from last year’s group. There’s obviously room for improvement. We have four or five new receivers, so they have to understand our offense, how fast we play and how we like to create explosive plays. I’m teaching them that and teaching them the Ole Miss standard. They’ve been great. They’re eager to learn, and they like being critiqued. They’ll ask me, “How can I make your job easier?” I love that.
On biggest offseason improvement…
Definitely my football IQ. If you look back at my years at Ferris, I feel like I’ve gotten better every year I’ve had the chance to play football. Coach Judge, JDB and the other coaches have helped me a lot with that. It’s about recognizing disguises, seeing coverages, understanding how defenses play and identifying the shell of the defense. I’m getting more repetitions with that and seeing it better, so I would definitely say my football IQ has increased.
On Deuce Alexander evolution in offseason…
Deuce is a great player, and he’s also a great person. He’s eager to learn. He’s always asking me questions about what I saw on a certain play or how I’m reading a coverage. He has bought into our offense and bought into working with Coach Judge.
On adjusting to a new offensive coaching staff…
Like I said, PG’s main focus was having a familiar face and someone who knows our offense and understands how we play the game. Getting to know JDB over the past few months has been great. He’s a great coach, and he’s also a great person. It was an easy transition.
On own popularity growing…
It’s definitely another level. I was just talking to someone in my family about how the Ferris fans never really thought about using the Trinidad flag. It’s a country, so it has a flag. It’s cool that Ole Miss fans are so creative. It’s awesome to walk into a restaurant in Oxford and see my flag hanging there. It shows the love and care the Ole Miss and Oxford communities have. I also ran into somebody from Trinidad and Tobago at the Manning Passing Academy. He said that country has bought into Ole Miss football. It’s cool to see Ole Miss becoming global.
On what legacy Chambliss wants to leave behind…
That was a big reason why I came back. I wanted to stamp my legacy here. Being a quarterback at Ole Miss is an honor and a privilege. I want to be known as one of the greatest quarterbacks to come through Ole Miss. This is a great program. I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else.
On tight end Caleb Odom…
Caleb is playing tight end, so it’s a little different from playing receiver like Stribling did. But Caleb is a great tight end. He’s very versatile and is kind of a hybrid tight end. He isn’t the bigger, stockier type of tight end. He’s more elusive, and he can go up and make almost any catch. It’s good to have someone like that in your group of receivers and tight ends.
On how he views himself compared to other quarterbacks…
Any player has confidence in himself and believes in his abilities. I’m not going to say I’m the best quarterback in the country, but that’s how I approach the game. You have to approach it believing nobody can mess with you on the field and that you’re almost untouchable.
That’s how I look at it. I’m extremely confident in my abilities. But I don’t really pay attention to the individual awards, preseason lists and all of that. None of it really means anything until the season is over. Individual awards are based on how good your team is, how far your team goes and whether you win the SEC championship or a national championship. If you do those things, the individual awards will come.
On difference of first day of practice last season and this season…
We’re practicing mostly the same way we did when Coach Kiffin was here. For me personally, it’s different because I’m in more of a leadership role. I’m entering the season as the No. 1 quarterback. Last year, I was in a position battle to determine who would be the backup quarterback. Not much has changed with our practice schedule, but I can tell PG knows what he’s doing. Like you said, we’re doing a lot of game-situation work to get ready for Louisville.
On what he’d be doing today if injunction not granted…
Honestly, I can’t tell you. I really wouldn’t know what to say. I’d probably be working somewhere or trying to stay involved with football. My dad always wanted me to go into administration. He’s a high school assistant principal right now. Maybe I’d be doing something involving teaching, playing football or coaching football. I don’t know. It’s crazy. God is good, though.
Kewan Lacy, RB
On what his best attribute is…
I feel like I bring a lot to the table, so it’s really a mixture of everything.
On being included in pass blocking rewards with offensive linemen…
For sure. We all went out the day before fall camp for a little team bonding. It was all the running backs and the offensive line because we’re all one unit.
On what his offseason was like…
It has definitely been a grind. I’ve been trying to get back in shape and get my mind and body right. I would say it has just been a grind getting back into it.
On drowning out the outside noise…
It’s about taking it day by day and focusing on what’s happening inside the building and what we need to accomplish as a team. We’re not focusing on what anybody else has to say. We’re just coming together and focusing on the team.
On personal goals set for himself this season…
For sure. I feel like every player should have personal goals coming into fall camp and going into the season. You want to make sure you’re getting better every day while trying to accomplish the 1-0 goal.
On difference between 15 carries and 30 carries in a game…
Either way, I’m going to be happy. If the team wins, that’s a good game for me. Having those extra legs is also a blessing. We have a rotation and other players who can go in there and make explosive plays. It’s definitely going to be different from last year.
On new responsibilities in new offensive system…
For the most part, we’ve kept everything similar from a scheme standpoint. Not too much has changed. We’ve added a couple more explosive pieces to the team, so it’s going to be a good year.
On improving on last season’s success…
It’s really about sticking to what I’ve been doing and trying to get better every day. I want to find something I can improve and put myself in the best position for next year.
On Makhi Frazier…
Most definitely. I feel like he’s a great addition to the running back room. He’s smart, he understands football and he’s very fast and physical. I feel like he’s definitely going to add some juice to the backfield.
On learning from Frazier and vice versa…
We definitely pick each other’s brains. We try to help each other and put each other in the best position, even when we aren’t on the field. I feel like we both learn from each other.
On improving pass catching skills…
Yes. I felt like that was a very important part of my game that I needed to improve. I used the offseason to get better at that and a couple of other things.
Luke Hasz, TE
On starting preseason healthy…
It has been great. All you can do is prepare your body and do the right things to make sure that happens. I feel great. I feel faster, more mobile and things like that.
On new offense being more tight end-friendly…
We’re using all the guys in the room. It has been cool to see. We’ve had two tight ends on the field at the same time a lot. He expects a lot out of us, and we know as a room that we have to put it on tape during practice for the results to come.
On playing alongside Caleb Odom…
It has been great. He has taken some big steps, especially with working in the run game and things of that nature. He comes into the room every day wanting to get better. It has been great working with him. He’s very outgoing and things like that.
On this offense being faster-paced than last season’s…
I think so. I think that also goes back to what we did during the offseason in the weight room. With this type of offense, you have to have fast people who can run and have endurance.
On personal goals headed into preseason practices…
I wanted to spend as much time as I could figuring out my body weight and things like that. It was also about doing something every day that makes you better.
On offseason work with Trinidad Chambliss…
Yes. During spring break, a few of us took a trip to California and got some good work in. As tight ends, we’ve also been on the JUGS machine or doing some type of individual work with him almost every day.
On what Chambliss like when cameras aren’t on…
He’s himself. The same goes for someone like Kewan. It’s special to see that people don’t change when there’s hype around them. They’re both very level-headed and fun to be around.
Johntay Cook, WR
On lack of attention on WRs serving as motivation…
I think it motivates me, but I also look at it from a football perspective. If teams come into the game worried about Trinidad and Kewan, there are going to be more people in the box. That means I have fewer people to worry about. The flowers they’re getting are well deserved. That’s the best quarterback and the best running back in the country. I also just got here, so why would people know me? It might be a little different for someone like Deuce because he has been here, but I just got here. I have to earn that recognition.
On playing with players like Chambliss and Lacy…
That was honestly part of the reason I came here. I looked at the opportunity that was placed in front of me. But I don’t really focus on that. I just come to work every day, execute the play that’s called and make the play when the ball comes to me. If you do that enough times, eventually you’ll look up and who knows what will be happening?
On what appealed Ole Miss to Cook in the transfer portal…
Trinidad, my receivers coach LD, PG and just the Ole Miss brand. Ole Miss was in my top three coming out of high school. There were some disagreements with the previous head coach, and things didn’t work out. But I’ve always known what Ole Miss represented. It was just the right time. It was like, “Let’s do it.”
On if Ole Miss is at the same level as Texas…
I think it depends on who you ask. When I was at Syracuse, the Texas brand wasn’t viewed as being quite as big. It depends on who you ask, but if you’re asking me, yes, Ole Miss has ascended to that level.
On what fans can expect from Cook this season…
I think I fit wherever the team needs me, whether that’s in the slot, outside or somewhere else. Fans can expect a lot of joy, a lot of explosive plays and a lot of fun. I told someone else that I’m going to try to interact with the crowd as much as I can when those opportunities come. I’m just a really happy guy. Making plays makes me happy. I’ll do whatever it takes for us to win because I love Ole Miss just as much as y’all love Ole Miss.
On expected reaction to Cook’s return to Austin…
I’ll think about it when it comes. We have practice tomorrow, so I’m going to think about tomorrow’s practice. It definitely crossed my mind as soon as I committed. I looked at the schedule and was like, “OK, bet.” There’s a lot that comes with it, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. Ask me during the week of the game, and I’ll probably have a better answer.
On emphasizing one-game-at-a-time mentality…
I take it even further and say it’s one day at a time. Win this workout. Don’t worry about the weekend. Win the workout you’re doing right now, and then win tomorrow’s workout when tomorrow comes. Now that we’re in camp, I tell Jalen Braxton that every day. We talk a lot, and I tell him, “Bro, just win today. We’ll focus on tomorrow when tomorrow comes. Then, when tomorrow gets here, win today again.” I try to tell the guys I talk to, especially the players in my receiving room, to focus on right now. If you don’t focus on the present, you’re going to miss something you shouldn’t have missed.
On Jalen Braxton…
There’s actually a funny story about me and JB. We found out in May that we’re second cousins, so I’ve been around Braxton a lot.
His mom and my dad have the same grandfather. We’ve been working out together a lot. During our last break, probably two or three weeks ago, we watched both of our high school tapes. I told him, “Bro, I’ve never seen you look like this.” He kept saying it was because he had gotten hurt. But once I think I put it in his head, he started moving and reacting more like he did back then. He looks good. He looks really good. I think he’ll be one of the top cornerbacks in the SEC, if not the country.
Deuce Alexander, WR
On Wearing No. 1 and Its Ole Miss Legacy…
It means a lot, just because of the history and all the great receivers who have worn it in the past. I looked at a chart today of the guys who wore No. 1 and what they’re doing now. It’s really motivating for me to know that I can be one of those guys. Wearing the number is about carrying on the legacy of No. 1.
On Returning to Ole Miss After the Coaching Change…
The coaches. I believed in what the coaches were saying and in the plan they have. PG is a great coach, and JDB has a great plan. I believed in them, so that made me want to come back. Oxford also feels like home to me. I feel like I’ve built a name for myself here. I didn’t see the point in leaving and starting over. This is where I want to be.
On the Next Step in His Development…
It’s about becoming more of a professional because I’m getting toward the end of my college career. This could be my last year, and I know the next level is coming soon. That applies both on and off the field. I’m taking better care of my body, asking questions and doing all the little things the right way to become a professional.
On Other Wide Receivers to Watch…
Horatio Fields and Samari Reed are two guys who are flying under the radar. That’s how we like it. We don’t really like all the preseason hype and awards. When we see lists without our names on them, it motivates us. Those two guys have definitely emerged into bigger roles. They’ve taken an extra step by doing the right things on and off the field, and that will help them produce on the field.
On Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy Receiving Most of the Attention…
It’s motivating, but we’re definitely happy for those guys. We take it on the chin. We don’t get mad or sad about it because those are still our teammates. Seeing the spotlight on them actually helps us. When teams put together their game plans, they’re going to focus on stopping No. 6 and No. 5. What does that mean? It means we’re going to get matchups on the outside. We have to take advantage of those opportunities while being happy for those guys.
On Realizing Ole Miss Was the Right Fit…
Definitely. I’m grateful every day that I decided to come here because it was a great decision. The coaching staff and the role I’m going to have this year have made me feel even better about that decision. Every day in practice, I see how they plan to use me. It gets me excited and keeps me going. I’m ready. I’m very excited.
On How John David Baker Plans to Use Him…
He plans to use me all over the field. Last year, I felt like I was mostly playing on the outside. I was either running a hitch or a go route, and I got stuck with the stereotype of being only a contested-catch guy. The way JDB plans to use me will allow me to show my speed, stretch the field and do different things with the ball in my hands.
