Ole Miss DT Breeland Speaks arrested for DWI, per report

Ole Miss' Breeland Speaks, a defensive tackle set to take over for Robert Nkemdiche in 2016, was arrested in Oxford early Friday morning for driving while intoxicated, as first reported by Neal McCready of Rebel Grove.

This is a first offense arrest and, as far as we know, the first trouble Speaks has run into during his one year on campus.

Hugh Freeze issued the following statement:

Breeland's poor choice does not meet the expectations of our program, and there will be consequences. He and I have spoken, and he is very disappointed in himself and will accept whatever punishment is handed down. We are very thankful he is safe and that this was not a life-altering decision. In these situations, we hope our young men learn from their mistakes and do not let the mistake define them.

I expect Freeze will sit Speaks for spring practice (which just started on Wednesday) and send him on the spring break mission trip to Haiti.

Speaks came on strong on the back end of his freshman year, finishing with 32 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss and two sacks. He filled in for an injured Nkemdiche against Memphis and Texas A&M, then again after Big Rob was suspended for the Sugar Bowl. At 6'3, 313, Speaks has the strength to shed blocks and the quick first step to routinely cause chaos in the backfield. He should play a major role in the middle of the 2016 defense, so the Rebs need him to get his head on straight.