It all starts today: Fall Camp 2022

Fall Camp is officially in full swing, kicking off the 2022 season on Wednesday morning. While SEC media days is the first sign football is on its way back, fall camp is the official start to the season. After a monumental and record-breaking season last year, all eyes will be on Ole Miss and hopefully after camp, there will be a lot of answers to the numerous questions from this off-season.

As the next three weeks unfold, here are a few things to keep an eye out for ahead of the season opener against Troy on September 3.

Jaxson Dart vs. Luke Altmyer

For the first time in a really, really long time, Ole Miss has a true quarterback battle heading into fall camp. There has been insane speculation after head coach Lane Kiffin brought highly sought after USC transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart in the off-season. However, there are no indicators as of right now of who will win the job. I also don’t expect Kiffin to reveal any type of information ahead of the season’s kickoff. If you remember, back in 2020 during the quarterback showdown of Matt Corral and John Rhys Plumlee, fans didn’t officially find out until the starting lineups were released an hour before kickoff. It was pretty clear the whole time who would get the start behind center, but Kiffin tends to like to add a special surprise moment to everything he does. He will likely do the same thing this year, by dodging media questions with carefully rehearsed wording to avoid mentioning who will win the job.

How will the new transfers mesh with the rest of the team?

This might be the biggest test of the season. With a new wave of college football coming, it will be so important to figure out a way to make the transition smooth and seamless ahead of the season. There is a new transfer at almost every single position group who are expected to make an immediate impact, and step into leadership roles. It will be interesting to see how well they are able to blend with the team. Luckily, most of them came to Ole Miss in the spring, so they’ve had a few months.

Are there going to be any looming injuries heading into week one?

No one is more secretive of injury reports and information than Lane Kiffin. So, unless it is a season ending injury, you will likely hear nothing about it. This year’s coaching staff has been heavily focused on creating a ton of depth in order to avoid keeping players in for 90 plus snaps a game. In order for this to work, staying in shape and healthy in fall camp is critical.

Is there really that much depth at wide receiver?

Last season, the wide receivers room was badly beaten down suffering injury after injury without a lot of depth to help them recover. This year, the Rebels have brought in plenty of wideouts to help avoid this. There are also plenty of now sophomores who should be able to make a difference this year. Seniors like Jonathan Mingo and Dannis Jackson have to make an impact this season in order for this to work. In their four years, there have been glimpses of greatness but this is the year to step it up. Transfers Jordan Watkins, Malik Heath, and Jaylon Robinson will be names to look for to earn starting roles and be huge targets for whoever wins the quarterback battle in camp. While not a wide receiver, USC transfer tight end Michael Trigg will be a huge impact player and has the potential to lead the tight ends in the SEC. Pay attention to how often his name will come up during camp.