Earlier this week, we posed a question on our social media platforms that you may have seen.
“If you could bring back one former Ole Miss player for the upcoming season, who are you picking?”
The point of the question was to bring back one player, for one season to be on this roster so that the team is better.
The answers y’all provided included some of the obvious choices, as well as some unique ones. I wasn’t expecting to see John Fourcade get mentioned and am wondering if Dak Prescott was mentioned by a confused fan.
But we asked, you answered.
As much variety as there was in the comments, a few players appeared much more frequently. Here are some of the top answers and my thoughts on how they’d fit on today’s roster.
Archie Manning
Any Ole Miss question about picking a player from the past will get a flood of Archie Manning answers. Rightfully so. He was a great quarterback at Ole Miss on the field and he’s been a great ambassador off the field. Half of the streets and buildings on the Ole Miss campus are named after him, his family or his jersey number (and I’m only halfway kidding).
However, if we’re realistic, how much of an improvement would Manning be in his prime over Trinidad Chambliss? A little? A lot? None?
There are other positions that could provide a much larger boost to the Rebels, for example…
Laremy Tunsil
…an offensive tackle. Not just any tackle, though. One of the best Ole Miss has ever had and considering he’s still starting in the NFL, one of the best offensive tackles of the last 10-15 years.
In my opinion, this is the correct answer.
Ole Miss has serious question marks at both left and right tackle this season. The interior positions are solid. Adding Tunsil would turn one of the Rebels’ weaknesses into one of its best strengths.
Wide Receivers
The list of pass catchers mentioned is probably the most varied and most common. Whether it’s DK Metcalf, AJ Brown, Laquon Treadwell and De’Zhaun Stribling were all mentioned multiple times.
This makes sense. The roster could use a dominant outside threat. That’s not a knock against the current group. But beyond Deuce Alexander, there isn’t a big track record of success. The potential is there.
But how much fun would it be to watch Chambliss launch bombs 60 yards downfield to Treadwell? Or throw lob passes up for Metcalf and Brown? It’d be fun and make Ole Miss a much bigger threat.
Patrick Willis
Who doesn’t love Willis?
The All-American, SEC Defensive Player of the Year, Butkus Award winner, and five-time first-team NFL All-Pro is one of the greatest linebackers of all time.
For Ole Miss, he’s the defensive equivalent of Archie Manning. OK, maybe more like Eli Manning. But the point is, he’s great, beloved and will always be an answer for questions like these. Team him up with Suntarine Perkins and either Keaton Thomas or Luke Ferrelli and Ole Miss would have the unquestioned best linebacker corps in the nation.
However, Ole Miss is already in that conversation and might end the season as the unquestioned leader. But right now in the preseason, the defensive secondary is the bigger question mark. That brings us to…
Chucky Mullins
This was one of the most liked answers we received and for obvious reasons. Mullins had his career end early after a head-first tackle against Vanderbilt in 1989. He shattered four vertebrae and was immediately paralyzed. He was able to regain some movement and eventually returned to Ole Miss to continue his education. Tragically, he passed away in 1991.
Ole Miss now has the Chucky Mullins Courage Award to honor his legacy.
Sure, for this question, its more of a sentimental pick. But nobody will doubt that adding Mullins to this year’s secondary wouldn’t give more confidence in that group headed into the regular season.
