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Behind third-year star Laquon Treadwell, a potential 2016 first-round NFL draft pick who led Ole Miss in receptions each of the last two years, the Rebels’ wide receiver depth chart more closely resembles a logic puzzle than a definitive breakdown of where each wideout stands as the season approaches.
Back from last season are Cody Core and Quincy Adeboyejo, as well as Markell Pack (primarily a kick returner in 2014) and Derrick Jones (a converted defensive back). Added to the mix are Washington transfer Damore’ea Stringfellow and four-star 2015 signees Damarkus Lodge and Van Jefferson.
That’s a bonafide group of wideouts that runs seven deep behind Treadwell, and we never even mentioned dynamic receiving tight end Evan Engram, who, like Treadwell, already has a relatively defined role in the offense.
And while the competition to become Ole Miss’ next starting quarterback is the position battle that keeps most Ole Miss fans occupied, the battle for the No. 2 receiver spot opposite Treadwell is just as compelling.
But it doesn’t need to be; in fact, there doesn’t need to be a position battle at all. The Rebels already have a No. 2 receiver on the roster in Cody Core, and if Hugh Freeze’s current lean toward Core develops into a definitive role for the rising senior as the other starting wideout, the Ole Miss offense could take flight early in the season.
“I’m real comfortable with Cody Core, knowing every spot that we play,” Freeze told ESPN’s Ed Aschoff. “He was a solid performer last year and I think will push hard to be that No. 2 guy.”
Core was the team’s No. 2 option last year, and he thrived in that role with a career year playing opposite Treadwell. He posted career highs with 41 catches, 558 yards and six touchdowns on the year (he had five catches for 95 yards and no touchdowns in 2012-13), but failed to catch more than three passes in any game after Treadwell suffered a season-ending leg injury in late October.
Now that Treadwell is healthy again, we should expect Core to post similar numbers to last year as Treadwell’s complement. Treadwell is a player who will regularly face double teams and safety help on every snap, and he’s the man on the Ole Miss offense each opposing defense will be game planning around, which is why the other receiver in the lineup is so critical to the Rebels’ success.
Last year, Core used his length and long strides on the outside to stretch defenses deep down the field, resulting in a handful of game-changing plays. If anything, Core should have more of those plays in 2015 thanks to a season of starting experience and an offseason of improvement for both he and Treadwell.
The Rebels need a deep threat in the lineup to round out the passing game (aside from the unresolved quarterback competition). Treadwell is a do-everything receiver on the outside who can threaten defenses down the field, but does so much more than that. Adeboyejo is another veteran better suited for the slot, and Engram has become a master of using his size and running ability to torment defenses down the seam.
That leaves room for one most dynamic pass-catcher to stretch defenses on the outside, and Core fits that mold better than anyone else on the roster. Stringfellow shares a similar build to Core, but he sat out last year after transferring schools and did not seem to impress Freeze during his debut spring.
Thus, Core is the obvious option as the No. 2 wideout, unless one of the incoming recruits blows the head coach away this summer (which is unlikely considering they’ll both be playing catchup after missing the spring). He has size, he has length, he’s as dangerous as any Ole Miss wideout in the red zone, and he’ll take the top off defenses when they shade Treadwell’s way.
Treadwell can make any No. 2 receiver better, but few wideouts other than Core possess a skill set that can benefit Treadwell in return. That’s why he needs to start this fall.
Jones is perhaps the only other wideout on the roster with a real shot at cracking the starting lineup in Core’s place, and Freeze certainly wasn’t shy in praising Jones after spring ball.
“I thought Derrick Jones had the best spring of anyone. He’s a long, rangy, fast kid that has come a long way,” Freeze told Aschoff.
But Jones only recently switched to the offensive side of the ball, and he has far less experience in the SEC than Core. Does he deserve playing time? Of course. Could he become the Rebels’ top injury replacement should Treadwell or Core go down? Absolutely.
But should he start over a long, dynamic deep threat with the savvy of a veteran senior and the experience of a returning starter? Unless Freeze thinks the kid has All-SEC potential that doesn’t seem like a wise move.
Of course, no one knows the Ole Miss roster better than Freeze, and he’s in no rush to determine his final depth chart before the season opener in Sept. But the only way Ole Miss’ offense can hit the ground running with a new quarterback in place is if that depth chart lists Core in the starting lineup.
Whether or not that will be the case is just something else for fans to watch for as we endure the dog days of the offseason.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
