New Home For The Blog

If you haven't seen the new OleMissSports.com, flip over to the mothership and check out the fresh, innovative design. The clutter has been eliminated, and everything you need to know about the Rebels is much easier to locate. In conjunction with the relaunch, Ole Miss Sports Blog also has a new home. While the design is consistent with the rest of the site, the content remains the same, and fans will still have the opportunity to let us know what they think. Posts from 2009 through January 2012 will continue to live here on the Blogger site, but for February 2o12 and moving forward, visit the link below.

Click here for the new Ole Miss Sports Blog.


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Terrico White Headlines NBA D-League Contests

Former Ole Miss star Terrico White has been selected to participate in the Dream Factory Dunk Contest and the Shooting Stars Competition this Saturday during the NBA D-League’s All-Star Weekend festivities.

White, a member of the Idaho Stampede, will be one of four contestants to show off his dunking skills in the competition modeled after the NBA Slam Dunk Contest. Not only a high-flyer, the former Rebel will also display his shooting ability, battling 11 others in a contest that tests players’ accuracy from a variety of ranges and locations on the floor.

White is averaging 13.1 points per game, while shooting at a 48.9 percent clip from the floor and 40.8 percent from behind the arc in his first season in the D-League after a stint with the Detroit Pistons. While in an Ole Miss uniform, White earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 2009 and helped lead the Rebels to the NIT in 2010, averaging 15.1 points and 4.6 rebounds.

You can watch Terrico in the Dunk Contest during halftime of the D-League All-Star Game, which begins at 1 p.m. CT, on NBA TV. The Shooting Stars Competition will take place at the conclusion of the game and can be watched via live streaming video on www.nba.com/futurecast.

Ole Miss Baseball 2012 Walk Out Songs

Every year I get dozens of calls, texts, and e-mails from fans asking what the new walkout songs are going to be for the players entering the season. Below is the first draft of songs. As you know most players do not end the year with the same songs they begin with. My personal favorite has to be "Return of the Mack." Be sure to comment with your favorites.

#1 Preston Overbey: Rockstar by Ludacris and Kid Rock

#2 Alex Yarbrough: Moment of Clarity by Jay Z

#3 Austin Knight: 5 Seconds by Canton Jones

#4 Will Jamison: Opposite of Adults by Chitty Bang

#6 Blake Newalu: Bust a Move by Young MC

#7 Senquez Golson: Everything by Young Jeezy

#8 Austin Anderson: Jump by Kris Kross

#9 Austin Bousfield: Blow Up by J. Cole

#10 Chris Ellis: Still Fly by Drake

#11 Zach Kirksey: Without Me by Eminem

#12 Tanner Mathis: Nonfiction by Mike Stud

#13 Taylor Hightower: Whatever you like by T.I.

#16 Chase Reeves: Explosive by Dr Dre

#17 Casey Mulholland: Not without a fight by Pillar

#18 Tyler Roach: Juicy by Notorious B.I.G

#19 Bobby Wahl: I’m on It by J. Cole

#20 Josh Laxer: Square Dance by Eminem

#21 Hawtin Buchanan: The Next Episode by Dr. Dre

#22 Jake Overbey: Somebody watching me by Yo Gotti

#24 Sikes Orvis: Let it fly by Maino

#25 Andrew Mistone: Danza Kuduro by Don Omar

#27 R.J. Hively: Suffering by Rebelution

#28 Mike Mayers: Halloween Theme Song

#29 Sam Smith: OOH AHH by Grits

#30 Will Allen: Strong Tower by Kutless

#31 Tanner Bailey: Lights by Elle Goulding (Bassnectar Remix)

#32 Dylan Chavez: For whom the Bell Tolls by Metallica

#33 Matt Snyder: Sound of Madness by Shinedown

#34 Jon Andy Scott: Levels by Avicii

#37 Blair Wright: Seven Nation Army Remix by The Glitch Mob

#38 Brett Huber: Knock Knock by Mac Miller

#40 Scott Weathersby: Bulls Intro Remix by Pretty Lights

#43 Kody Sepulveda: Only God Can Judge Me by Tupac

#44 Aaron Greenwood: Return of the Mac by Mark Morrison

#46 John Gatlin: (Hitting) Toy Soldiers by Eminem (Pitching) Red Nation Intrumental by The Game

*We have all edited versions of the songs for in-stadium use. If you are going to youtube the songs you may get unedited versions. USER BEWARE! Follow me @B_Hud

Ole Miss Baseball Media Guide Online

The 2012 edition of the Ole Miss baseball media guide is online now and fans can go check it out at the official Ole Miss website or place an order for one as we kick off the 2012 baseball season.

The Rebels take the field this weekend for a three-game set at #10 TCU with the first pitch Friday night set for 6:30 p.m.

Take a look at the media guide here and meet the 2012 edition of the Ole Miss Diamond Rebs.

AK Drains Free Throws For A Good Cause

Ole Miss head coach Andy Kennedy has been making one free throw after another and has moved into the “Elite Eight” of the Shots from the Heart head coaches’ free throw contest.

Organized by CollegeInsider.com and the Skip Prosser Foundation, the “Shots from the Heart” tournament was created to increase awareness for the growing problem of heart disease and to raise money to benefit the Skip Prosser Foundation. Further promoting the tournament and educational aspects of heart disease is the American Heart Association, which will be a beneficiary of the Skip Prosser Foundation.

Kennedy is one of 64 coaches participating in the tournament, and he has drained nearly all of his free throws during each round to advance to the final eight. On the way, he has defeated Ben Jacobson of Northern Iowa, Bryce Drew of Valparaiso and Xavier’s Chris Mack in head-to-head matchups.

Next up for Kennedy is a matchup with Arizona’s Sean Miller with a chance to move to the “Final Four.” The other six head coaches still left are Illinois’ Bruce Weber, Oklahoma State’s Travis Ford, Albany’s Will Brown, Iowa State’s Fred Hoiberg, Detroit’s Ray McCallum and UNC-Wilmington’s Buzz Peterson.

Former Ole Miss point guard and assistant coach Michael White, who is currently the head man at Louisiana Tech, and current Rebel assistant Bill Armstrong also participated in the head coach and assistant coach tournaments, respectively.

Follow this link for more information about the tournament.

On The Tee: Joe David

In his final campaign, senior golfer Joe David hopes to put it all together for an All-American year and lead his team to the National Finals.


The Madison, Tenn., native had an excellent fall earning three top five finishes in five tournaments and ending the 2011 year with a fifth-place showing at the Patriot All-America Invitational. Here are a couple of stories out today on David.

Daily Mississippian: David leads men's golf into start of 2012 season

Golfweek: Men's Preview - SEC

Super Sunday Morning Paper

Super Sunday has arrived, and it's time for Ole Miss fans to choose sides. The good news is regardless of whether you are cheering for BenJarvus Green-Ellis' Patriots or Eli Manning's Giants, a Rebel will be crowned a champion tonight. It's been two weeks of hype, and below are some good articles on our two stars. I'll have some in-game nuggets tonight on twitter, and check out the official site afterward for some of our postgame congratulations.

Green-Ellis
Yahoo: Patriots’ Green-Ellis has secret to not fumbling Clarion-Ledger: Nothing fancy Times-Picayune: New Orleans' BenJarvus Green-Ellis took long road to New England, with mom there every step of the way

Manning
Shreveport Times: That was then ... this is now Clarion-Ledger: Oxford perfect fit for 'just' Eli Clarion-Ledger: Thank you, Eli: Hospital support a game changer Times-Picayune: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is easy-going, but don't let that fool you
Ole Miss Spirit: Solidifying His Legend


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Swayze Field Ranked Second For Gameday

It's something Ole Miss fans have known for years, but many on the national level are quickly catching on that Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field is the place to be in the spring to truly experience college baseball.

Swayze Field was ranked the second best college baseball stadium and atmosphere in America on Wednesday, paying tibute to the support Ole Miss baseball has received in the last decade. That's a testament to the work that head coach Mike Bianco and company have put in to build Rebel baseball into a player on the national secene.

More importantly, it's a testament to a fan base that has grown rabid in its support of its baseball program and come out to do its part to make Swayze Field one of the best places to be for a weekend of college baseball in America. From Sweet Caroline to the Love Is Gone to a guy in a mask in left field with his own theme song, there's no shortage of entertainment and some unique traditions in Oxford in the spring.

Read about it here to see the programs O-U Stadium and Rebel baseball stacked up with (and in many cases suprassed).

New Rebels Announce On ESPN

It's been a busy day in the IPF, as National Signing Day has provided a lot of excitement for the first-year Ole Miss staff. Check out the front page of OleMissSports.com for all the info on the new Rebels. The site is highlighted by three Under Armour All-Americans, including defensive back Trae Elston and lineman Channing Ward. If you missed it earlier today, here is Elston's announcement in front of a nationally-televised audience on ESPNU, followed by Ward's announcement at the All-American game back on January 5.





Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Sneak Peek Of Baseball Tix

It's just 17 days until the first pitch of Ole Miss Baseball 2012, and if you have not secured your tickets, go to OleMissBSB.com as fast as you can! Coach Bianco has some key returnees and a top-five recruiting class gearing up for what expects to be an exciting season. Tickets are set to be mailed out later this week, and here is what this year's stubs look like (H/T to Dan Pellegrino with our creative team).


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Spring Football Schedule (Updated 2/22)

The following is a tentative spring practice schedule (times TBA). Friday and Saturday workouts will be open to the public, so make your plans to see the Rebels in action in four practices prior to the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl, including the first two full team drills of the Hugh Freeze era. Once again this year, we will have daily practice reports and updates on times and locations for open practices on OleMissSports.com. Add to your spring schedule the events of Grove Bowl Week, including the second annual Rebels' Choice Awards on April 16 and the Chucky Mullins Courage Award Banquet on April 19. Also get ready for big news surrounding Grove Bowl Week in the coming days.

March 23 - Practice 1 - OPEN
March 24 - Practice 2 - OPEN
March 25 - Practice 3 - Closed
March 27 - Practice 4 - Closed
March 29 - Practice 5 - Closed
March 31 - Practice 6 - OPEN
April 2 - Practice 7 - Closed
April 3 - Practice 8 - Closed
April 5 - Practice 9 - Closed
April 10 - Practice 10 - Closed
April 12 - Practice 11 - Closed
April 14 - Practice 12 - OPEN
April 17 - Practice 13 - Closed
April 19 - Practice 14 - Closed
April 21 - BancorpSouth Grove Bowl (1 p.m. CT)


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

NFL Rebels In Articles

Our finale in today's NFL Rebels series shares some quality articles on our guys. I tweeted a few of these out during the season, so forgive me if they are old news for you. However, some are worth another read.

Green-Ellis: Wall Street Journal: Thou Shalt Never Fumble

J. Jerry: Miami Herald: Miami Dolphins’ John Jerry getting a jump on 2012 starting spot

Lewis: AP: Chiefs safety Lewis becomes QB of secondary

Manning: ESPN.com: No debating it Eli Manning is elite

Oher: London Times: Ghetto child in search of the perfect sequel to his story (article for subscribers only, so email me at kyle@olemiss.edu for a copy)

Wallace: Warren Tribune Chronicle: Wallace has something to prove every week‎

Willis: San Jose Mercury News: 49ers' Willis took a hard road to NFL supremacy


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

NFL Rebels In Highlights

The next post on our former Ole Miss players in the pros provides some video highlights from this season. NFL is none too kind with embedding their footage, so most are just links. But they are well worth the click.

Green-Ellis: The Law Firm struck paydirt 11 times in the regular season, but his seven-yard jaunt yesterday was his most important of the year: nfl.com

Lewis: Kendrick has intercepted three passes in each of his first two NFL seasons, and this year he got his first pick-six: nfl.com

Manning: Take your pick with the kind of year Eli had, but I particularly enjoyed his hailmary in the playoff upset of the Packers:


McCluster: Dexter was also involved in a hailmary, but it was his 21-yard TD run against the Broncos that brought back memories of #22 slicing through the Vols in 2009: nfl.com

Mitchell: After five seasons as a reserve, Jayme moved into the starting lineup in 2011 and had this forced fumble against the Dolphins, although the announcers fail to give him credit for it: clevelandbrowns.com

Sanford: Wins were tough to come by for the Vikings this year, but Jamarca secured one over the Cardinals with this late pick: nfl.com

Vaughn: Cassius has scored a TD in each of his first two NFL seasons. It was a 97-yard kickoff return a year ago and this 55-yard interception return back in October: nfl.com

Wallace: If ever there was a doubt that Mike isn't the biggest home run threat in the league, here is video evidence:




Willis: The most dramatic video with Patrick this year was the E60 piece we shared last week. However, if you are more interested in seeing him bring the pain, it has been brought:


Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

NFL Rebels In SEC Ranks

As we look at the spectacular 2011-12 for our NFL Rebels, the first of our three blogposts looks at where our number of current pros compares to the rest of the SEC. Since we will be competing against them soon enough, I went ahead and included future conference rivals Mizzou and Texas A&M. The totals are taken from ESPN.com's database, and here is our latest list, which ranks seventh. However it should be noted that the Worldwide Leader has failed to include Darryl Harris, whom the Chiefs added to the active roster at the end of the season, but I have him in our total.

LSU - 41
Georgia - 40
Florida - 35
Tennessee - 33
Auburn - 31
Alabama - 26
Ole Miss - 25
South Carolina - 23
Arkansas - 17
Mississippi State - 16
Texas A&M - 16
Missouri - 15
Kentucky - 10
Vanderbilt - 9

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Willis on E60

If you hadn't noticed, a few former Rebels are still playing football. The Super Bowl is just a game away for one of four ex-Ole Miss stars whose current team has advanced to the conference championship round. Among those is 49ers stud linebacker Patrick Willis. Most of Rebel Nation is familiar with Patrick's hard journey to stardom -- a story that is Blind Side compelling -- but ESPN recently took a trip to Bruceton for a deeper look into his childhood. If you missed this E60 piece from October, you'll be happy we shared it now. Also check out olemisssports.com and olemisssportsblog.com next week for a detailed look at the spectacular season by our NFL Rebels.




Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Hometown Hero: Kristin Bridges

Kristin Bridges is one of the premier athletes on the Ole Miss track and field team.

She ranks among the top five Rebel athletes ever in the 100 and 400 meters.

The senior from Taylorsville, Miss., also stands out in the classroom and is among 10 Ole Miss student-athletes selected to the 2011-12 Who’s Who Among students In American Universities and Colleges.

Her hometown newspaper, the Laurel Leader-Call, recently featured her accomplishments in the following article:

WJ grad among top student-athletes at Ole Miss

The Road To The Super Bowl ...

Last weekend's playoff games continued what has been an amazing year for our many former Rebels in the NFL, and we'll have a detailed look at it next week on the official site. Among the headlines will be three Pro Bowlers -- Eli Manning, Mike Wallace and Patrick Willis -- and a player on each of the AFC and NFC championship game participants -- BenJarvus Green-Ellis (Patriots), Manning (Giants), Michael Oher (Ravens) and Willis (49ers). With a Rebel guaranteed a Super Bowl ring, it is sure to be an exciting few weeks on tap for Rebel Nation. Here are some more nuggets, and keep an eye out for the in-depth feature next week.

• Ole Miss is one of only seven schools in the nation -- and two in the SEC -- with three or more alumni to be selected to the Pro Bowl (others are Miami 5, Pitt 4, Cal 3, Georgia 3, Michigan 3, USC 3).
• Ole Miss is one of only six schools in the nation -- and two in the SEC -- with a former player on each of the four teams in the AFC/NFC championship games (others are Miami, Notre Dame, Oregon, Pitt and Tennessee).
• Barring injury, Ole Miss is assured of its 24th and 25th Super Bowl participants and its 14th champion (full list).

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.

Brittney Reese In Sports Illustrated

Brittney Reese (the 2011 Mississippi Sports Person of the Year) is one of the top athletes in the world as the 3-time reigning long jump world champion. She is the favorite to win a gold medal in the event at the 2012 London Olympics. The former Ole Miss All-American has a great story, too, highlighted here by Sports Illustrated:

'The Beast' is hunting Olympic gold
Brittney Reese Q&A

Ole Miss Track Athlete Among NCAA's Best

Folks on the Ole Miss campus know him as one of the top recent graduates in the biology department and a future physician.

People in the Oxford area might recognize him as a community leader always involved in serving areas of need.

The U.S. track world instantly identifies the tall, lanky runner as one of the top American hurdlers and a two-time NCAA All-American.

His name is Lee Ellis Moore. And he is quite an impressive young man.

That's why tomorrow (Friday) he will be receive the NCAA Top VIII Award, a prestigious honor that goes to eight student-athletes who completed their athletics eligibility during the 2010-11 academic year and recognizes their success on the fields and courts, in the classroom and in the community. Award recipients will be recognized at the Honors Celebration during the current NCAA Convention in Indianapolis.

Only one other Ole Miss student-athlete has ever received this award since its inception in 1973 - Eli Manning in 2004.

Below is a clip of this year's eight amazing student-athletes (Moore starts at the 1:29 mark) talking about their academic pursuits.

Carter Advances At European Tour Qualifier

It may be her first time to travel to Europe, but former Ole Miss All-American Dori Carter seemed right at home in the first stage of the Ladies European Tour School qualifying event at La Manga Golf Course in Murcia, Spain.

Carter shot a 76-73-70-78—297 to tie for 22nd place and secure a spot in the final stage of the LET qualifying event.

If she can finish in the top-35 in the final stage at La Manga next week, Carter will gain full status on the European Tour.

Already a member of the LPGA Tour in the United States, the Valdosta, Ga., native is hoping to supplement her schedule in the States with events across the Atlantic.

For Carter, playing in Europe also brings out a special sense of pride in representing her country.

“Another thing about playing in Europe is that I no longer reside/represent Valdosta, Georgia,” Carter said. “I am announced as Dori Carter from the United States.”

It hasn’t been all business in Europe for the former Rebel, though. Carter has taken time to do some sight-seeing in Spain when she is not on the golf course.

“I have had a great time in Spain so far,” said Carter. “On my way to Murcia, I was able to spend an afternoon in Madrid. What an amazing city! I made my way to Puerta del Sol (downtown) and wandered around. I ate lunch at the Mercado de San Miguel, which is an indoor market with fresh everything.”

Rebels In Coaching Ranks

Today's announcement of new Rebel receivers coach Grant Heard means Ole Miss has two of our own former players on the coaching staff, including offensive line coach Matt Luke. Rebels have become quite common on college coaching staffs of late. Here is a list of those currently coaching at major universities and junior colleges. I'm sure there are more that we missed, so if you know of any, please comment below.

Kent Austin, Cornell
Jeff Carter, Northeast Mississippi C.C.
Charles Clark, San Jose State
Clifton Collins, East Mississippi C.C.
Jon Fabris, Northwest Mississippi C.C.
Lanier Goethie, North Greenville (UPDATE 1/13: Delta State)
Grant Heard, Ole Miss
Kenny Jackson, Hinds C.C.
Derek Jones, Duke
Matt Luke, Ole Miss
Stevon Moore, Mississippi Gulf Coast C.C.
Marcus Woodson, Charleston Southern

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.