SEC Football Top 150 Players: No. 108, Nickolas Brassell, Ole Miss WR

The SEC Blog will be counting down the top 150 players in the SEC every day, concluding on Aug. 30 at the start of the college football regular season.

No. 108: Nickolas Brassell, No. 2, Ole Miss, Wide Receiver/Defensive Back

2011 Stats: 24 catches for 336 yards and two touchdowns, 21 carries for 133 yards, five kickoff returns for 85 yards, one punt return for 84 yards and a touchdown, 14 tackles, one forced fumble and 0.5 sacks.

Strengths

Just look at the line above featuring his 2011 stats. Brassell can do it all—literally. He is lightning fast and has the talent to be a true star in every aspect of the game. He became the first Ole Miss player to start on offense and defense in the same season since 1988, and he did it as a true freshman.

Weaknesses

Eligibility. Brassell sat out most of spring practice in order to focus on academics. According to Rusty Hampton of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, he did practice during early morning practices because "there's no academic tutoring going on at 5:30 a.m." It appears that he's going to have to work to get back in good academic standing before he's allowed to step back on the football field.

2012 Prediction

As a wide receiver—look out. Brassell is a perfect fit for new head coach Hugh Freeze's offense. Freeze's goal is to get the ball in the hands of his playmakers in space, and Brassell is Ole Miss' top playmaker. On the defensive side of the ball, I don't see him making much of an impact. If there's a strength to the Rebels' roster this year, it's at defensive back. Brassell may play there, but certainly not as much as he does at wide receiver.

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