It’s hot everywhere in the summer, but summertime in Mississippi is different.
The heat hits you the second you step outside, wraps around you like a wet blanket and dares you to pretend you’re fine. For Makhi Frazier, who spent the last two years at Michigan State, the adjustment has been noticeable.
“Man, it’s way different,” Frazier said after Wednesday’s practice. “In Michigan, it really isn’t that hot. Here, it’s more of a humid heat.”
He laughs about it now, but the heat is real. The kind that makes August practices feel like a test of willpower.
Still, the hot weather didn’t scare him off. Neither did the idea of joining a backfield that already features an All-American running back in Kewan Lacy. If anything, that was part of the appeal.
“Being able to play with another big-time back and learn from his game,” Frazier said. “Like I said, I can add some of those things to my game. Then there’s the Ole Miss brand and the opportunity to play SEC football.”
That’s the confidence of someone who knows he belongs. And his résumé backs it up.
Frazier appeared in 18 games over two seasons at Michigan State, made seven starts and led the Spartans with 520 rushing yards on 116 carries last fall. He added two touchdowns and finished fourth on the team with 545 all-purpose yards.
He wasn’t a role player. He was a steady, productive piece of a Big Ten offense.
Now he’s here, sweating through Mississippi humidity and learning a new offensive tempo.
“I’d say I still haven’t had that much time,” Frazier said. “It’s definitely much hotter here. I’d also say the tempo in the SEC means you have to make your cuts and do everything faster.”
That tempo is part of what makes his fit so important. John David Baker’s offense asks a lot of its running backs. Speed, versatility, decisiveness and the ability to be more than just a ball carrier.
“This is a great offense for me to be able to show my abilities,” Frazier said.
He’ll be used all over the field, just like he was at Michigan State.
“It’s kind of similar to Michigan State, where they used the running backs out of the backfield and things like that,” Frazier said. “I think it’s pretty cool how we do it here, being able to use a running back all over the field.”
And that’s where his value becomes obvious.
Lacy is a star, but even stars need help. Ole Miss can’t ask him to carry the ball 25 times every Saturday. Defenses will load up on him, and when he’s on the sideline catching his breath, someone has to keep the offense balanced. Someone has to make sure defenses don’t pin their ears back and sell out against the pass.
Frazier is that someone.
“I’m good with whatever role is best for the team,” Frazier said. “I’m just trying to do my job whenever my name is called and make the most of each and every opportunity.”
Ole Miss doesn’t just need depth behind Lacy. It needs a second back who can punish defenses for assuming the offense will change when the All-American steps off the field.
Frazier gives the Rebels that option. He’s a proven runner, a willing learner and a newcomer who already looks like someone who will matter in September and beyond.
The heat may be different, but Frazier seems built for it.
