College football is full of star players. Ole Miss has a few of its with Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy looking down over Times Square in New York.
College football also has plenty of unknown, overlooked players that become breakout stars. According to ESPN’s list of 51 potential breakout stars, Ole Miss doesn’t have any of those.
The list published Thursday morning didn’t list any Rebels, which likely means the folks at ESPN haven’t been listening to what’s being said about the Rebels’ preseason practices.
One name keeps popping up in press conferences, social media and message boards: Samari Reed.
“He was probably our most improved player from last year,” Ole Miss coach Pete Golding said at his weekly press conference. “He has really flashed on plays without the ball. He’s extremely competitive, shows toughness on tape and has made some contested catches.”
OMSpirit’s Zach Berry reported earlier this month that Reed “has been turning heads” and quoted one unnamed assistant saying ““is going to be one of the Rebels’ best offensive players.”
That’s high praise for a player who played all of eight snaps in one game last season.
But at 6-foot-2, 205 lbs., Reed has the size and skills to become a breakout star.
“The kid was an all-conference free safety in high school,” Golding said. “He’s a really good athlete who plays with toughness.”
Golding also explained what role Reed will have this season.
“We see him as a four-core special teams guy who has also created a role for himself on offense and can play a couple of different spots from a rotational standpoint,” he said.
Reed won’t be in the starting lineup, but he will be in the rotation for an offense that will move fast and require more than just three good wide receivers.
That opens the door for someone like Reed to become a breakout star. But the door is open for others at the wide receiver position.
Sophomore Caleb Cunningham is healthy, according to Golding. Syracuse transfer Darrell Gill Jr. is another who earned some praise this week.
“I think (Cunningham) gives us a different presence than we’ve had out there. He’s who we expected him to be when he got here over a year ago,” Golding said. “Gill flashes. I think he has a good understanding of the offense and plays fast at times. It’s about doing that consistently. He gives you a real long-speed threat with some size. He made a couple of good plays in the scrimmage, which was good to see in a live environment.”
So, while ESPN doesn’t see any potential breakout stars for Ole Miss this season, those closer to the team do. And it’s not limited to the wide receivers either.
Lacy can’t run the ball every time, which gives players like Makhi Frazier or Joshua Dye a chance to breakout.
The defense is full of breakout stars, too.
That potential is what Ole Miss was aiming for and is part of why there’s so much excitement around this Ole Miss team.
