Which Ole Miss football players deserve hype?

                                                           Ole Miss inside linebacker Lakia Henry (Photo: OMA) 

The administrators at 247 asked an intriguing question the other day.

Who are the 10 most under hyped players on your current football roster?

What made the question interesting is that, basically, nobody on the whole squad – outside of QB John Rhys Plumlee and RB Jerrion Ealy – has gotten any hype at all, which opens a flood gate when asked who the most under hyped players are.

Maybe the better question for this particular Ole Miss roster would be “who deserves some preseason hype?” We’ve got 10, plus a bonus player, in mind – your mileage may vary.

Let’s start in the offensive trenches with RG Ben Brown and LT Nick Broeker.

Brown, a junior, has been ahead of the curve since he first stepped foot on campus in 2017. His maturity on the field was evident from his first practice and even though he was redshirted that year, many times it was said he could have helped the OL that year in a big way as a true frosh. Since then, he has been a starter and a stalwart for the Rebs. When the 2020 year resumes, Ben will be a shoe-in to start for the third year and should garner some preseason All-SEC recognition.

Broeker, a true sophomore, did solid work last year as a true frosh at the most difficult position on the OL – left tackle – and some people are saying he had a season that was very similar to the output of Greg Little his frosh year. That’s pretty high cotton and certainly worthy of some hype and praise. As one Rebel OL says repeatedly, “the kid’s a stud.”

Up front on defense, there’s one guys who certainly passes the look test – senior Tarriqious Tisdale, a defensive end with NFL size – 6-5, 290 – and athleticism. Tisdale gave us glimpses of his prowess last year with 28 tackles and a pair of quarterback sacks, but there’s no reason why he can’t apply his ample ability more effectively his final collegiate season.

Switching back to offense, at running back, sophomore Snoop Conner got lost in the Ealy and Plumlee spotlight a bit, but he also showed quality production and hype-worthy potential after gaining 512 yards on just 81 carries for a 6.3 yards per carry average. He also scored five touchdowns and had a long run of 84 yards, tops on the team in 2019. Conner showed both power and speed in his inaugural campaign and is an extremely hard worker who will only get better.

Junior Slot Receiver Elijah Moore is famous for the wrong reasons, but if not for the unfortunate incident that needs no rehashing and all Rebels are aware of, his team-leading 67 catches for 850 yards and six TDs in ’19 would be the appropriate headline for this talented young man and he’d certainly be getting a positive form of hype.

Sophomore Quarterback Matt Corral lost his starting job to Plumlee, but it would be a mistake to casually dismiss the numbers he did put up – 105-178-3 for 1362 yards and six touchdowns. He completed 59% of his passes and had a passing efficiency of 131.02, nearly 30 points higher than Plumlee. Some kudos also have to be given for his team attitude. When he lost his job, he didn’t pout and he supported Plumlee wholeheartedly until he got another chance in the Egg Bowl and almost led the Rebs to victory in a come-from-behind effort. With the system the new coaches will run, don’t be shocked if he wins the starting job back in 2020. It could fit his skill set better than it does Plumlee.

Sophomore WR Jonathan Mingo didn’t put up very good numbers and there were times when he seemed to disappear his true freshman season last year, but there’s no question about his ability and his potential. Now that he has a year under this belt, it says here that potential will blossom and the real Mingo will surface and start to shine.


Defensively, a pair of inside linebackers, junior MoMo Sanogo and senior Lakia Henry, have the credentials and numbers for some deserved preseason hype. Lakia took over for MoMo last year when Sanogo was lost for the season due to injury and registered 88 tackles, but what many have forgotten is that in 2018, as a sophomore, MoMo racked up 112 tackles, 5th in the SEC, and was primed for a huge year in ’19. What could pan out to be a lot of fun and production would be if both are on the field at the same time. That has the potential to be a potent tandem.

Senior OLB/DE Sam Williams led the team in QB sacks last year with six and registered 37 tackles, but he spent a good chunk of the season catching on to D1 play as a JUCO transfer learning the ropes. An explosion of productivity in 2020 would not be surprising with the athletic ability he has exhibited.

Last, but not least, senior DB Jaylon Jones spent most of 2019 trying to come back and regain his explosiveness from a season-ending injury early in 2018. There were flashes of the “old” Jaylon, but he didn’t really start to come around until later in the year. If he regains his previous form, Jaylon is an All-SEC caliber performer both at CB and certainly at kickoff return, where he just seems to have a knack

There may be others who deserve “hype” as well, but the 11 listed here are a good place to start when the question of who is under hyped is posed.

SOURCE: "Which Ole Miss football players deserve hype?" OMSpirit - 247Sports.com, 29 April 2020, https://247sports.com/college/ole-miss/Article/Which-Ole-Miss-football-players-deserve-hype-146596445/