When Ole Miss headed to SEC Media Days, one of the biggest preseason questions was simple: if there were a game tomorrow, who would start at left and right tackle?
Pete Golding didn’t give us a depth chart, but he came pretty close. And for the first time this offseason, the picture actually looks clear on one side.
Terez Davis has taken over the left tackle spot. Golding didn’t quite stamp it as official, but he said everything short of naming him the starter.
“Terez Davis is playing as good at left tackle right now that I can remember anybody playing, to be honest with you,” Golding said. “Super bright spot, in my opinion, coming out of spring and seeing him move a little bit in the summer.”
That’s about as close to naming a starter as you’ll get in July.
It’s also a reminder of how quickly things can change. Davis arrived from Maryland last year, got hurt, and never really had a chance to show what he could be.
Now he’s healthy, he’s moving well, and he’s posting videos of himself bench‑pressing more than 425 pounds like it’s nothing. Ole Miss is replacing Diego Pounds and Jayden Williams, so someone had to grab the job. Davis did.
But here’s the important part: Davis is still just an answer to a preseason question.
The interior three are proven. The tackles are not. Whoever starts at either spot will have to show it on the field.
And that brings us to right tackle, where the answer is less clear.
Golding didn’t say Miami transfer Tommy Kinsler would be the guy if there were a game today. But his comments can be seen Kinsley being the likely pick. He likes the flashes. He likes the ability. He likes the upside.
But he also made it clear that Kinsler still has work to do which is why this column isn’t about answers being found at both tackle spots.
“Tommy has developed and he flashes and he’s exactly what you want him to be,” Golding said. “He’s got all the ability. We need to continue to get the weight down. He flashes. I think it’s the consistency in doing it.”
Kinsler came from Miami, backed up a first‑round pick, and played in 12 games. The talent is there. The physicality needs to show up more often. Ole Miss believes fall camp will help, especially with the heat doing its part.
Carius Curne is still in the mix, but Golding didn’t hide the fact that it’s about more than recovering from injury. He said Curne has to prove he can consistently do things the right way. That’s about all that needs to be said.
Behind them, there are bodies. Florida’s Enoch Wangoy is a project. Troy Everett is an interior option. The depth exists. The certainty does not.
“I would say the right tackle spot right now to me would still be a question as far as going into camp,” Golding said. “But we’ve got able bodies. We’re just looking for somebody to step up and do it on a more consistent basis.”
That’s the theme. Consistency. Toughness. Reliability. The interior three have it. Davis is showing signs of it. The right tackle spot is waiting for someone to claim it.
Ole Miss doesn’t need two All‑Americans at tackle, although it wouldn’t hurt. It needs two players who can survive the SEC schedule, protect a returning quarterback, and let the offense function the way it’s built to function.
Davis looks ready to be one of them. The other job is still open.
Fall camp will decide the rest.
