Coming off their first 10-win season since 2003, the Ole Miss Rebels find themselves firmly in the SEC’s contender category. It’s a welcomed title for a program that trudged through mediocrity for decades, but from the outside, there appears to be a glaring issue complicating a potential championship run.
In a league where seasons are made and broken in the trenches, Ole Miss will open 2016 with an offensive line still searching for itself, as all five starters -- including franchise left tackle Laremy Tunsil -- from last season’s Sugar Bowl win are gone. So are 156 career starts (39 from last year).
The Rebels' line returns 36 career starts and will continue the shuffling up front it did this spring during fall camp. That could spell disaster, but coach Hugh Freeze is optimistic. And his optimism could be justified when you consider this line isn’t exactly full of wide-eyed pups.
“I think we’re gonna be OK,” Freeze said of his offensive line. “I think we’ve got some quality players there.
“I am confident, though. I mean, people forget, you know, Laremy sat seven games last year, so that allowed us to get a lot of young kids [into games].”
True, but 13 of the 19 sacks Ole Miss allowed came in those first seven games. Tunsil's return naturally gave the line more stability, but on the flip side, his absence gave those "kids" valuable playing time that will be important this season with Tunsil gone.
The foundation of this year’s line resides in Robert Conyers, Jordan Sims, Rod Taylor, Javon Patterson, Sean Rawlings and true freshman Greg Little. Both Conyers and Rawlings could play center or tackle, while Taylor, whom Freeze calls the best athlete on the line, can play either tackle or guard.
Patterson brings versatility in the middle, as he started six games at guard (four at left, two at right) as a freshman last year. He enters camp No. 1 at left guard, but his ability to move over to right guard or even center will be an asset. Sims, who is down to 320 pounds, played in all 13 games last year as a redshirt freshman, starting four at right guard.
Little is the X-factor. The top offensive lineman in last year’s recruiting class is being compared to Tunsil, who eventually started at left tackle as a true freshman. Little’s footwork is college-ready, but it’s tough to expect a true freshman to immediately start at left tackle, especially in the SEC. Tunsil didn’t even do that.
But if Little can eventually take the left tackle spot, that frees up Ole Miss’ coaches to put Patterson, Sims and Taylor at guard, which gives the Rebels a talented interior for a team that had the second-fewest inside runs of any Power 5 team in 2015 (183).
“We think Greg Little can do it, don’t know for sure, but we think he has the skill set,” Freeze said.
Fall camp is crucial for a line that opens the season against one of the nation’s top defensive fronts in Florida State. The spring cut into chemistry building as Conyers (ACL), who has spent his career battling knee issues, and Taylor (shoulder surgery) were out with injuries, while Little was still in high school.
That allowed Sims, Rawlings, Patterson and redshirt freshmen Alex Givens, who will challenge for the right tackle spot, and Michael Howard, as well as former quarterback/tight end Jeremy Liggins quality reps against one of the SEC’s best and deepest defensive lines.
Watching that group feel its way through the spring reminded Freeze of the relatively ragtag line he had against Alabama. In that game, Fahn Cooper replaced the suspended Tunsil and Bell was hurt. Rawlings, Sims and Patterson all played the entire game, with Taylor getting quality snaps. Ole Miss mustered 433 yards, 43 points and only allowed two sacks in a thrilling win.
“We had the guys out there that we’re going to be dependent upon this year with the exception of Fahn,” Freeze recalled.
“The others were just young pups that were out there playing, so that was good experience for them.”
What should also help this line is that the offense isn’t exactly predicated on long pass protection. Ole Miss allowed just 19 sacks last year, mainly because of quick, shotgun passes. With more of a finesse offense and a lot of play action, linemen mostly just need to stand in front of guys in order to keep quarterback Chad Kelly safe.
“I’m always optimistic with the stuff we do, the RPOs (run/pass options),” Freeze said. “If we’re able to stay on schedule and not have to call a bunch of drop-back protections, I think we’ll be OK. The best called games I’ve ever had, I get through and I’ve called five drop-back protections. The rest of them, we’re throwing off run blocking, where the D-line can’t rush.”
“That is our best friend for pass protection.”
Not having a plentiful number of O-line starts returning is concerning, but the Rebels' line situation isn't as dire as one might think with five starters lost. Sure, there will be growing pains and miscues, but Freeze believes he has the experience to mature early.
“I think this offensive line group ... has a chance to be really good," Freeze said.