Ole Miss Football: Loss of Tobias Singleton Is Big Blow to Rebels

It was already going to be a difficult season in Oxford.

The Rebels have the toughest schedule in the SEC, underwent a coaching and system change with new head coach Hugh Freeze, and were already behind the rest of the SEC in terms of top-to-bottom talent on the roster.

Things just got more difficult.

Tobias Singleton, a former 4-star recruit and one of the prized pieces of Houston Nutt's last recruiting class in Oxford, in 2011, has left the team, according to a press release by the university.

Singleton caught only two passes during his true freshman season, but he was big on special teams, returning 21 kickoffs for 516 yards. He was named the fourth-team kick returner on Phil Steele's 2012 preseason All-SEC team.

According to Hugh Kellenberger of The (Jackson, Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, Singleton struggled with academics before arriving to Oxford. That is the same issued that forced defensive back/wide receiver Nickolas Brassell—who was also a 4-star player in Ole Miss' class of 2011—to transfer out of the program earlier this summer.

Singleton wasn't prominently featured on Ole Miss' depth chart at wide receiver, but the 6'0", 190-pound speedster had the athleticism to really make an impact in Freeze's spread offense.

Ole Miss needs playmakers, and while Singleton didn't figure to be a big player immediately in 2012, he had the potential. 

His departure doesn't hurt as much as Brassell's, but combine the two together, and Ole Miss finds itself short on playmakers.

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