Monday’s and Tuesday’s practice reports are presented by Souther Q-Sauce. Ole Miss grads Hunter and Mimi Simpson formed Southern Q-Sauce craft barbecue sauce. Southern Q-Sauce is crafted by hand in small batches to capture that tangy, sweet and smoky taste with just enough heat. The original recipe features the Deep South flavors of apple cider vinegar, sweet brown sugar, tomato and hickory. It’s a blend of Tennessee, Mississippi and there Carolinas with a sweet, smoky finish.
Southern Q-Sauce also has a variety of rubs — from Ole Faithful, which is an all-purpose rub, to Ole Smokey, Honey Pecan, The Clucker and The Longhorn. Whether you’re a professional pit-master or an occasional backyard chef, Southern Q-Sauce has the sauces and rubs to have your friends and family coming back for more.
Check it our for yourself. Go to www.SouthernQSauce.com and use the discount code REBELGROVE for 15 percent off your order.
OXFORD — Princely Umanmielen texted Pete Golding at 10:30 p.m. recently.
The Ole Miss defensive end was trying to understand a play, and he didn’t want to wait until the morning.
Golding, Ole Miss’ second-year defensive coordinator, didn’t mind.
“He was cool with it,” Umanmielen said. “He texted me back.”
It’s a huge year for Umanmielen, who transferred to Ole Miss from Florida following the 2023 season. He’s learning a new scheme at a new school in a new town with a lot of new teammates. Oh, and it’s essentially a “contract year” for Umanmielen, who is projected by many as a potential first-round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft.
Pro Football Network, for example, has Umanmielen going No. 19 overall in the 2025 draft. YardBarker.com has Umanmielen going off the board at No. 31. You get the picture. It’s a big year for the 6-foot-3, 255-pounder from Manor, Texas.
“I don't think I think about it too much,” Umanmielen said Monday following Ole Miss’ practice. “It’s in my head for sure, but I don't think I think about it, like, on a daily. But it is a really, really big year for me.
“You know, I just come every day and just show up and go to work and just try to be consistent and be a pro every single day just to make sure that I'm not taking any of these days for granted and making every day count so that it could be one of the best, if not the best season I've had so far in college.”
Umanmielen had 39 tackles and seven sacks for Florida last season. He’s had 15 sacks so far in his college career. Umanmielen is practicing in a black, no-contact jersey and has a brace on his arm following offseason labrum surgery. He said Monday he’s feeling good but hasn’t been cleared for physical contact.
“I don't think anything is going to refrain me from playing in any games, but I just, you know, it's a day by day thing for sure,” Umanmielen said.
So while his body heals, Umanmielen’s mind is busy learning Golding’s scheme.
“I think I'd probably say if I was to give it a percentage, about 70, 75 (percent),” Umanmielen said. “But, yeah, like, Golding does have one of the toughest defenses I've had to learn. I've had to put in extra work.”
On Monday, in the portion of practice available to media, Umanmielen was getting work on pass coverage. It paid off, he said, with an interception in seven-on-seven work later in the morning.
“I did drop into coverage a lot at Florida, just not — I would say it's just here's more detail when I do drop,” Umanmielen said. “So now I actually could feel myself, you know, making plays when I do drop into covers.”
Umanmielen said in addition to having to learn Golding’s system, he’s having to adjust to the rigors of facing Lane Kiffin’s high-tempo offense every day in practice.
“At Florida, you know, we never went tempo, so it was easy,” Umanmielen said. “We get a play, maybe it's a new player running. We get a play. You know, the offense hasn't even started running the play yet, so I'm still communicating with my teammates on defense.
“You know, here is just so it's like, as soon as you get the call, you got to go. So that that really makes it a little bit more difficult to learn a defense. …I think this defense is coming together great. I think it'll be a great compliment to our explosive offense.”
The U.S. LBM Coaches Poll came out on Monday and Ole Miss debuted at No. 6, only heightening expectations in and around Oxford for the coming season. Umanmielen said he doesn’t believe the hype is going to be an issue for the Rebels.
“I don't really hear too much about it in the locker room,” Umanmielen said. “I don't really talk too much about it with guys. So I think everybody just focused on the goal, you know?
“It's a little cool to me. I mean, I haven't seen the team that I've been on been ranked since my freshman year of college. So it's like a good feeling just to see that again.”
Ole Miss opens the season Aug. 31 in Oxford versus Furman.
PARRISH PLEASED TO BE BACK AT OLE MISS: Henry Parrish Jr. admitted Monday that when he left Ole Miss following the 2021 season, he never would have believed he’d return to Oxford to finish his college career.
Parrish transferred back to Ole Miss in the spring following two seasons at Miami. He’s in the mix with several others to provide quality depth behind running back Ulysses Bentley IV this season.
Parrish rushed for 1,042 yards and 10 touchdowns over the past two seasons at Miami after rushing for 553 yards and three touchdowns for Ole Miss in 2021.
“This is where I started at, you know, 2020, 2021,” Parrish said. “So it was a no brainer. Just come back in and start, finish what I started. Just finish the drill, you know, along those lines.
Parrish said he’s enjoyed being reunited with Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith.
“He was my first offer coming out of high school, so we always had that connection at bond, and just, like, just coming back, it felt awesome,” Parrish said. “I feel like it's a better opportunity for me and the running backs of, you know, just creating, creating our roles, you know, separating each other and just going want to know every day.”
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS: Ole Miss practiced in shoulder pads on Monday, and a number of players were in black jerseys, which signify no contact.
Offensive lineman Nate Kalepo, linebacker Pooh Paul, wide receiver Jordan Watkins, safety Jadon Canady, defensive lineman Walter Nolen and cornerback Trey Amos were all in black jerseys. In the portion of practice available to media, only Kalepo and Paul were not participating.
Wide receiver Juice Wells was not wearing a black jersey, but in the portion of practice available to media, the South Carolina transfer was riding an exercise bike.
Junior college transfer Deion Smith was not practicing, though sources close to the program expect him to be cleared to practice at some point this week.
Utah State transfer portal wide receiver Micah Davis was not at practice, though a source felt it was likely he would join the program at some point this week. It was reported over the weekend that Davis had traveled to Oxford and intended to join Ole Miss.
In the portion of practice available to media, Austin Simmons appeared to be working with the No. 2 offense behind starter Jaxson Dart.
At one point early in practice, defensive tackle Zxavian Harris appeared to get injured while watching team drills inside the Manning Center. Harris eventually got to his feet and left practice with training staff. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin appeared to check on Harris before returning to the practice field.
