With the opening of fall camp on Sunday at 5:25 pm, Ole Miss Rebels heads off for another round of competition in the forthcoming 2010 football conference games. After practicing basic techniques for several days, the team will be in full gear on Thursday August 12. Apart from the usual activities there are many things new in camp.
First and foremost is the absence of their Offense Coordinator, Kent Austin who had earlier left for his job as head coach at Cornell University. Earlier this year, Coach Houston Nutt had signed in Dave Rader as the team’s co-offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach.
Rader had become a businessman by the time Coach Nutt approached him. This will be his fourth time to involve himself in the Southeastern Conference. He has a 9 year track record as assistant coach and he has also 12 years of experience as head coach. The last time he was employed in football was in Alabama as a staff member of then coach Mike Shula. Rader attended Tulsa University. For a time he played as quarterback with their team. He graduated as a mechanical engineer from the same school. In 1999 he was made a member of the Independence Bowl Hall of Fame. He is now 52.
“Tig” Barksdale, the 2007 Mr. Football was dismissed from the team prior to its opening. He was formerly charged with DUI and driving without a license and was under suspension last spring for “violation of team rules,” The immediate cause of his dismissal was not specified by Coach Nutt who only commented that he was dismissed so he could resolve certain personal issues.
The opening of Ole Miss fall camp saw about 400 people attending just to get a glimpse of the controversial Jeremiah Masoli who was earlier with the University of Oregon. During his stint there he received six football awards. Among these awards are the 2008 Holiday Bowl Most Valuable Player, the College Football Performance Awards of 2009 for Elite National and QB Performer and the College Football Performance Awards of 2009 for Midseason Favorite.
After having received 5 of his awards in 2009, Masoli went on to commit a series of demeanor’s in the following year. In January, 2010 he was charged with second-degree burglary and consequently suspended from the team for the entire year. When, in June, he followed up with drug and traffic related offenses, he left the team management no choice but to terminate him.
His status with Ole Miss Rebels is ‘zero-tolerance.’ According to Coach Nutt, if he behaves well and shows the same performance in football that he showed with Oregon, the team can definitely use him for its offense. Right now it is a choice between him and Nathan Stanley as to who is to head the defense.
With only one football season left for him to play, Masoli’s stint with the Rebels is going to be short, that is unless he decides to enroll as freshman again. The move of Coach Nutt in accepting him might mean he wants the team to learn from Masoli’s technique before the athlete graduates.
Some junior players who did well in the spring games may be given key positions in this year’s games. These are Damien Jackson, Wayne Dorsey and Randall Mackey.
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