Ole Miss Football: Nickolas Brassell's Transfer Is a Huge Blow to the Rebels

The combination of a tough schedule, new coaching staff and lack of depth had already cast a bleak outlook for Ole Miss' 2012 season. Now, it looks even bleaker.

Ole Miss announced Friday that wide receiver/cornerback Nickolas Brassell will transfer from the university after losing his academic eligibility (h/t Patrick Ochs of the Oxford Eagle).

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Per #OleMiss release: Soph. WR/CB Nickolas Brassell is transferring from Ole Miss."We did all we could to help Nick," Freeze said.

— Patrick Ochs (@PatrickOchs) May 18, 2012"

It's not necessarily surprising. Brassell sat out most of spring practice working on academics, so his future has been in doubt for quite some time. But make no mistake, it's a huge loss for the Rebels.

Just this week, I ranked Brassell as the 108th-best player in the SEC on our "SEC 150" countdown. His name appeared in just about every stat column in the book in 2011. He excelled as a wide receiver, catching 24 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He pitched in for 14 tackles and one forced fumble playing defensive back and special teams.

He was listed as the third-team cornerback on Ole Miss' post-spring depth chart. Clearly that was an indication that his future with the team was still in doubt at the time

Now we know that his future will be elsewhere, which will make an already-tough season in Oxford even more difficult.

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