It’s the first game week for No. 9 Ole Miss and several questions are about to be answered.
Yes, there are the big questions such as how good these Rebels are. There’s also some questions to be answered before they leave for Nashville, too.
The big ones will be answered Monday when Ole Miss releases its first official depth chart of the season. Who won starting jobs, who will be backups getting a shot at playing time and who is down far enough that the only playing time they’ll see are in blowout wins? A lot of those questions will be answered soon enough.
Here are the four big depth chart-related questions we’ll see answered later today.
Who’s the starting RT?
Easily the biggest position battle/question mark Ole Miss has had this preseason is who will be the fifth starting offensive lineman.
The interior three have been set since their returns were announced last January. Terez Davis won the starting left tackle job early in preseason camp. That leaves right tackle where Miami transfer Tommy Kinsler has been leading the way, but questions about his conditioning remain.
Kinsler has been battling with LSU transfer Carius Curne, who has his own set of problems, and neither have separated themselves.
Monday’s depth could give us this answer. Of course, there’s the chance the depth chart lists both in the No. 1 spot and keeps this question unanswered.
Who starts in defensive secondary?
Ole Miss had a talent infusion among its defensive backs this offseason. Antonio Kite and Jaylon Braxton returned from last year’s team and Jalyn Crawford, Joenel Aguero, Sharif Denson, Edwin Joseph arrived via the transfer portal.
Assuming the depth chart keeps the 4-2-5 defense for positions, one of those six will be listed as a backup. Or they could be listed as co-starters.
Either way, all six are likely to see significant playing time this season.
Who is second defensive tackle?
Continuing the assumption that Ole Miss will use a 4-2-5 defense for the depth chart, it’s guaranteed Will Echoles will be listed as one of the two starting defensive tackles. The other one is a mystery for now.
Jeheim Oatis, Michai Boireau, Andrew Maddox, Jamarious Brown and Kamron Beavers all have experience, so there isn’t one obvious choice. Oatis and Boireau are the newest Rebels, but could easily be starters.
What’s most likely, though, is the unexciting choice. Don’t be surprised to see two or even three defensive tackles listed as co-starters.
Who are the No. 2 wide receivers?
The starters are fairly obvious. Deuce Alexander, Johntay Cook III and Horatio Fields are assumed to be the starting wide receivers for the Rebels.
But who’s is behind them? With an offense expected to up fast-paced, whoever is listed as the second player on the depth chart will be getting a lot of playing time.
So, who will it be? Furthermore, it’ll be worth noting where players who have gotten a lot of preseason praise, like Samari Reed, land. Also, where do transfers like Izaiah Hartrup and Darrell Gill Jr. fit in? Or a player coming back from an injury like Caleb Cunningham?
How the wide receivers are listed will reveal a lot about who to expect to be significant contributors this season.
