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At this point of the season, Chad Kelly, Laquon Treadwell and Robert Nkemdiche are household names among SEC fans. As this weekend’s game against Texas A&M nears, there are other Ole Miss players who could garner some attention.
Here is a look at five Rebels who should have an influence on the outcome of the contest:
Laremy Tunsil, OL, 6-foot-5, 305 pounds, junior: Finally, the projected first-round NFL draft pick will get on the field. Tunsil was not suspended, but Ole Miss officials held him out during an NCAA investigation.
The Lake City, Fla., native sat out the first seven games for the 5-2 Rebels.
The return of Tunsil at left tackle will allow Fahn Cooper to move back to his natural right tackle position. Combined with a few other linemen regaining their health, Tunsil finally seeing action comes at a great time for Ole Miss.
Cody Core, WR, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, senior: Core plays the slot receiver position for and gives Kelly a rangy target on both routes over the middle and to the sideline.
Core, a native of Auburn, Ala., has 23 catches for a 13.5 yard average. He has also scored three touchdowns, including a clutch fourth-quarter catch and run in the Rebels’ win at Alabama.
Evan Engram, TE, 6-foot-3, 227 pounds, junior: Engram has been hampered by a leg injuries the past two weeks, but is expected to play against the Aggies.
Engram has the ability to not only be a safely-valve receiver, but he can also stretch the field down the seam against linebacker coverage when safeties have to pay too much attention to Treadwell.
He averages 11.5 yards per catch this year and has grabbed 14 passes. A part of the heralded 2013 signing class, Engram will have a decision at the end of the year whether to stay for his senior year in or elect to enter the NFL draft.
Mike Hilton, DB, 5-foot-9, 184 pounds, senior: Hilton’s leadership resulted in Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze and his staff awarding him the Chucky Mullins Courage Award in the spring, allowing him to wear the coveted No. 38 this season.
He has not disappointed. Hilton had 37 tackles this year and, despite his diminutive size, has seven tackles for loss in run support. He also has 1.5 sacks on the year, has forced a fumble, broken up seven passes and is second on the team with two interceptions.
Denzel Nkemdiche, LB, 5-foot-11, 208 pounds, senior: Robert’s big brother is a pretty good player in his own right. The linebacker leads the Landshark defense with 41 tackles, 28 of them solo stops.
Nkemdiche also has 5.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, a quarterback hurry and a defended pass.
His position as “quarterback of the defense” will be key as Ole Miss faces Texas A&M, Auburn, LSU, Arkansas and Mississippi State in the second half of the season.
Steve Barnes is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.
