Ole Miss football: The All-Decade football team for the 2010s

OXFORD — Over the last 10 years, Ole Miss has boasted some of its most star-studded rosters in program history.

Since 2010, Ole Miss has had 31 players named to either the coaches' or AP All-SEC team. Four players have been named first-team All America. Players set or tied Ole Miss' single-season records for passing yards, rushing touchdowns, receptions, receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, total offense, interceptions, sacks and field goal percentage. Not to mention the career records set in every receiving category as well as sacks and field goal kicking.

With the 2010s coming to a close at the end of the month, let's take a look at the players that have defined this era of Ole Miss football. From record-setting quarterbacks and ball-hawking defensive backs to superstar wide receivers and stalwart offensive tackles, this decade of Ole Miss football has had a lot to offer.

Here are the Clarion Ledger's picks for Ole Miss football's All-2010s football team:

Quarterback: Bo Wallace
It's impossible to talk about Bo Wallace's Ole Miss tenure without bringing up the distinction between "Good Bo" and "Bad Bo." There was an undeniable duality to Wallace's Ole Miss career, which included upset wins over LSU and Alabama but also forgettable games with more interceptions than touchdowns on the biggest stages.


Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace (Photo: Associated Press)

For the most part, though, it's hard to describe Wallace as anything other than one of the most productive and successful quarterbacks in Ole Miss history. He accounted for 10,478 yards of total offense, the most in Ole Miss history. He has the second-most passing yards and passing touchdowns in program history, both behind Eli Manning. And he led the Rebels to three winning seasons, two bowl wins and a Peach Bowl berth.

Wallace averaged eight wins per season in three years as a starter, helping direct the Ole Miss football program back into the spotlight with three of the six best seasons in school history by total yards.

Honorable mentions: Chad Kelly (2015-16), Jordan Ta'amu (2017-18)

Running back: Brandon Bolden
Even though he only played one-and-a-half healthy seasons for Ole Miss in the 2010s, it's hard to deny that Brandon Bolden was the Rebels' most productive and fear-inducing running back.

Bolden tied the Ole Miss single-season record for rushing touchdowns in 2010 with 14, rushing for 976 yards and adding another 344 yards and three touchdowns receiving. Injuries limited Bolden in 2011, but the senior still averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in 10 games.


New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden (38) runs during the second half of New England's 26-6 win over the New York Jets at Gillette Stadium. Bolden played at Ole Miss. (Photo: Winslow Townson, Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports)

The running back has since found a niche in the NFL, where he's in his eighth season as a rotational back. He's scored 15 total touchdowns in eight seasons, including four this year with the New England Patriots.

Honorable mentions: Jordan Wilkins (2014-17), Scottie Phillips (2018-19)

Wide receivers: A.J. Brown, Donte Moncrief, Laquon Treadwell
There aren't many colleges in America that boast as talented of an All-2010s receiving corps as Ole Miss. Donte Moncrief, Laquon Treadwell and A.J. Brown combined to catch 547 passes for 7,748 yards and 60 touchdowns in their Ole Miss careers.

Records? They have a few: Treadwell holds the Ole Miss mark for career receptions with 202. Brown holds the records for career receiving yards (2,984), catches in a season (85), yards in a season (1,320, breaking his own record) and yards in a game (233). And the two are tied for the records for touchdowns in a season (11) and catches in a game (14). 


Laquon Treadwell during the 2014 season. (Photo: File photo)

Ole Miss has had four players catch double-digit touchdowns in a season. Three of them are Brown, Treadwell and Moncrief. The Rebels have also had four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in school history, and three belong to Brown or Treadwell. Moncrief, meanwhile, ranks in the top five among Ole Miss receivers in every career and single-season receiving record and fell just short of 1,000 yards in 2012 with 979.

Honorable mentions: Ja-Mes Logan (2010-13), DaMarkus Lodge (2015-18), D.K. Metcalf (2016-18)

Tight end: Evan Engram
Want to make that Ole Miss receiving corps even more potent? Add in the weapon of Evan Engram at tight end.


Evan Engram was a first-team All-American as a senior at Ole Miss, but boosted his draft stock with an impressive combine performance. (Photo: File/The Clarion-Ledger)

Engram is by far the most productive tight end in Ole Miss history, racking up 2,320 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns across his four seasons in Oxford. He was named first- or second-team All-SEC all four years of his college career, the only player in Ole Miss history to earn such a distinction.

His 2,320 receiving yards are the most by a tight end in SEC history, and he was the last Ole Miss player to be named a first-team All-America player.

Honorable mention: Dawson Knox (2015-18)

Offensive tackles: Laremy Tunsil, Greg Little
In the history of the 247Sports composite recruiting rankings, offensive tackles Greg Little and Laremy Tunsil are two of the four-highest rated recruits ever to sign with Ole Miss. And both players lived up to their hype and expectations on the field.

For a second, set aside Tunsil’s off-the-field connections to the NCAA investigation and his draft-day drama. He was one of the most dominant offensive linemen in Ole Miss history when he played. He was named first-team All-SEC twice and only allowed one sack as a freshman in 2013. Most notably, he held Texas A&M star Myles Garrett to just one sack in games against the eventual No. 1 NFL Draft pick.


Offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil (78) scores a rushing touchdown against Oklahoma State during the Sugar Bowl. (Photo: Derick E. Hingle, Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports)

Little eventually replaced Tunsil as Ole Miss’ left tackle, where he started and starred for two and a half seasons before leaving for the NFL. Little was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2018 and a second-team pick in 2017.

Honorable mentions: Bradley Sowell (2007-11), Bobby Massie (2008-11)

Offensive guards: Aaron Morris, Javon Patterson
Two guards with 76 career starts between them, Aaron Morris and Javon Patterson were two of the most consistent contributors Ole Miss had on the offensive line this decade.

While neither attracted the hype or accolades of Tunsil or Little, Morris and Patterson combined to anchor Ole Miss’ offensive line for nearly the entire decade. Morris started 40 games between 2011-15 and Patterson started 36 from 2015-18. 

Honorable mentions: Rod Taylor (2014-17), Justin Bell (2011-15)

Center: Sean Rawlings
A versatile lineman who started games at tackle and center for the Rebels, Sean Rawlings started 37 times for Ole Miss between 2015-18. He made 23 starts at center in his career, leading an offensive line that protected the No. 1 passing offense in the SEC every year of his career.

Honorable mention: Ben Still (2012-15)

Defensive ends: Marquis Haynes, Breeland Speaks
The all-time sack leader in Ole Miss history, Marquis Haynes finished his Ole Miss career with 32, shattering Greg Hardy's previous record of 26.5. Haynes also holds the Ole Miss records for tackles for loss in a career (47.5) and sacks as a freshman (7.5) and is tied for Ole Miss' single-season sacks record with 10 in 2015. He was voted to the SEC All-Freshman team in 2014 and then made the All-SEC second or third team every subsequent year of his Ole Miss career.


Ole Miss defensive tackle Breeland Speaks celebrates after the team's 27-19 win against Auburn on Saturday, a victory that kept the team in the top 25 polls. (Photo: Butch Dill, AP)

Breeland Speaks has been forever immortalized by his wave to the camera in the 2017 Egg Bowl, but don't let his viral meme status diminish how outstanding he was for that full season. Speaks was a second-team All-SEC player in 2017 finishing with seven sacks, eight tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

Honorable mentions: C.J. Johnson (2011-15), Gerald Rivers (2009-11)

Defensive tackles: Robert Nkemdiche, Isaac Gross
The former No. 1 recruit in America, Robert Nkemdiche made his three years in Oxford count. He left Ole Miss with 19 tackles for loss, seven sacks, five pass breakups, 10 quarterback hurries, one blocked kick and three offensive touchdowns. While he didn't develop into the superstar talent other No. 1 defensive line recruits like Jadeveon Clowney or Garrett, Nkemdiche was named an All-America player by Scout in 2015.

Less heralded but arguably more productive, nose tackle Isaac Gross was a fixture on the Ole Miss defensive line from 2012-16. Gross finished his career ranking No. 10 in Ole Miss history with 29.5 tackles for loss, adding seven sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.

Honorable mentions: Jerrell Powe (2007-10), Benito Jones (2015-19)

Linebackers: Serderius Bryant, Denzel Nkemdiche, Mike Marry
The second Nkemdiche brother on the team, linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche played 43 games in four years at Ole Miss, finishing with 212 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, three interceptions and one forced fumble on the way to second-team All-SEC recognition in 2012 and 2013.


Mike Marry is named the Chucky Mullins player for 2013, wearing number 38 (Photo: Bill Barksdale)

The 2013 Chucky Mullins Courage Award honoree, Mike Marry led the Rebels in tackles as a sophomore in 2011 and logged 50 or more tackles in both of his following seasons. He also made 10.5 tackles for loss in 2012, second on the team behind Denzel Nkemdiche's 13.5.

Then there's DeMarquis Gates. No Ole Miss player made more tackles in the 2010s than Gates, who logged 282 tackles from 2014-17. Along with MoMo Sanogo, Gates is the only Ole Miss player to record a 100-tackle season this decade.

Honorable mentions: Jonathan Cornell (2007-10), D.T. Shackelford (2009-14), Serderius Bryant (2011-14), MoMo Sanogo (2017-19)

Cornerbacks: Senquez Golson, Mike Hilton
Ole Miss' only unanimous All-America player of the decade, Senquez Golson was as dominant as they come for Ole Miss. Golson tied a school record with 10 interceptions in 2014, leading the SEC and finishing second in the FBS. He ended his Ole Miss career with 16 interceptions and 15 pass breakups as well as six tackles for loss.

Picking a position to put Mike Hilton at is hard, because he played everywhere from nickel and safety to boundary corner in his Ole Miss career. But the Chucky Mullins Award winner thrived everywhere too. He finished his Ole Miss career with 25.5 tackles for loss, 26 pass breakups and six interceptions, as well as second-team All-SEC consideration in 2015.

Honorable mentions: Charles Sawyer (2010-13), Ken Webster (2014-18)


Senquez Golson and Cody Prewitt. (Photo: The Clarion-Ledger)

Safeties: Cody Prewitt, Trae Elston
In a perfect world, this Ole Miss All-2010s team would start three safeties. Picking between Cody Prewitt, Trae Elston and Tony Conner shouldn't be necessary. But for the sake of keeping the roster to 11 defensive players, let's say Prewitt and Elston narrowly edge out Conner.

Prewitt logged 247 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 12 interceptions and 13 pass breakups between 2011-14. He was a first-team All-SEC honoree in 2013 and 2014 and an AP first-team All-America player in 2013. 

Elston was named a first-team All-SEC and second-team All-America player in 2015 when he made four interceptions, 14 pass breakups and 70 tackles. He finished his Ole Miss career with 252 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five interceptions and 29 pass breakups.

Conner, for what it's worth, finished his Ole Miss career with 193 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, 16 pass breakups, two interceptions and seven quarterback hurries.

Honorable mentions: Tony Conner (2013-16), Myles Hartsfield (2016-19)

Kicker: Gary Wunderlich
The most accurate kicker in Ole Miss history, Gary Wunderlich set nearly every place-kicking record in Ole Miss history. He made 83.1% of his kicks for his career, the best in school history, and made 64 total field goals, also an Ole Miss record.

His 22-for-23 performance in 2016 stands as the most accurate kicking season in Ole Miss history by 6.8% and those 22 made field goals are the second most in a single season in Ole Miss history.

Punter: Tyler Campbell
A second-team All-SEC punter in 2010, Campbell punted 223 times in his Ole Miss career. Across those 223 punts, Campbell averaged 47.5 yards per kick. To put that in perspective, only three SEC punters averaged that many yards per punt in 2019 and only one did so in 2018. Campbell put that average together over four years.

Return men: Jaylon Jones, Jeff Scott
Ole Miss returned four total kickoffs for touchdowns in the 2010s and two of those belonged to Jaylon Jones. Though Jones relinquished his kick returning duties in 2019 after tearing his ACL in 2018, the cornerback managed kick return touchdowns in the season openers of the 2017 and 2018 seasons.

Punt return touchdowns were similarly rare for Ole Miss in the decade. Jeff Scott pulled off two such plays though, including a memorable 73-yard punt return touchdown against Texas in 2013 where he evaded at least four tacklers on his way to the end zone. 


SOURCE: Suss, Nick. "Ole Miss football: The All-Decade football team for the 2010s." Mississippi Clarion Ledger, 22 December 2019, https://www.clarionledger.com/story/sports/college/ole-miss/2019/12/22/ole-miss-football-aj-brown-laremy-tunsil-brandon-bolden/2641169001/

Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.