Five for the Limelight: New Faces Look To Shine for 2010 Ole Miss

The fun part in writing about Ole Miss this year is how thin any predictions may turn out. With all the talent that left having consumed much of the production the last two seasons, it is hard to know who can actually do what next season.

For Ole Miss to continue the team's successful run under coach Houston Nutt, these five players are going to need to be as productive as their predecessors.

Nathan Stanley, QB, So. (RS)

Ole Miss fans witnessed two textbook years of quarterbacking with Jevan Snead. The first season, 2008, showed exactly what dynamic play at the position can do to lift a team.

In 2009, they learned exactly what inconsistent play can do to stymie one.

Remember, though, that the records for the last two years were the same: Nine wins, four losses, and two January bowl game victories.

Ole Miss is looking to Nathan Stanley, a rising redshirt sophomore, to take over the position in spring practice and steer the offense to the same overall success Snead accomplished.

Stanley will be challenged for the spot by two very gifted athletes in redshirt freshman Raymond Cotton and JUCO All-American signee Randall Mackey. But Stanley is the pro-style quarterback of the group, and needs to have a good spring to keep his challengers in situational roles.

Stanley looks the part at 6’5” and 215 lbs., though his best attribute might be his steady disposition—something Snead struggled with. His skill set should improve with the addition of Dave Rader to the coaching staff as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.

The key for Stanley is not so much how he goes about doing it, but finding a way, like Snead, to win twice as many games as not.

Markeith Summers, WR, Sr.

Only near its end did the career of Shay Hodge really come into focus. Always productive, Hodge was the SEC’s only thousand yard receiver in 2009, despite having little-to-no help from teammates keeping opposing coverage units occupied elsewhere.

Summers showed big play ability in 2009, snaring four touchdowns, but only caught 17 passes. Highly touted out of Olive Branch, MS, Summers’ talent has yet to break through. For the senior-to-be, there is little time left.

Summers must prove that he is an every down option by getting open consistently, and especially at those times when no one else does. The lack of a deep vertical threat last year stopped Jevan Snead, but it did not stop Shay Hodge.

Ole Miss needs Summers to be just as tenacious.

Bradley Sowell, LT, Jr.

Last season, Sowell was the one question mark on an experienced offensive line. This season, Sowell is the experience; he started every game but one (Northern Arizona) last season.

Bobby Massie, who took over the right tackle spot halfway through the 2009 season, is the only other returning starter.

That overall inexperience means Sowell must be the unit cornerstone, not just in his play, but in his leadership.

Sowell served as the scapegoat for a lot of Snead’s problems, especially early in the year, though his game film consistently graded well. There was little chance for anyone to step in and make people forget about All-American and first round draft pick Micheal Oher, but Sowell did not buckle under and provided steady play in his sophomore year by focusing on what he needed to do.

This year, he will not have the option of focusing only on himself. Someone has to captain the O-Line—at least in spirit—the way John Jerry did the last two years.

As difficult the task of replacing Michael Oher was, stepping in for Jerry might be tougher.

Jeremy McGee, CB, Sr.

The loss of both starting corners from last year’s team is the biggest concern for defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Tyrone Nix. His aggressive style of play with the front seven has become the soul of the team these last two years.

The style can also leave your cornerbacks looking for friends.

The cornerback spot epitomizes the thematic arc for Ole Miss heading into spring practice: There is plenty of playing time up for grabs, but the cast of characters challenging for it are unknown quantities.

McGee played in all 13 games last season, registering 17 solo tackles, one sack and one pick. The importance of McGee over other prospects at corner stems from the effectiveness of the player he is replacing, Cassius Vaughn.

Somewhat quietly, Vaughn was very productive on his side of the field. He was fifth on the team in tackles with 56 (44 solo), had 3.5 TFL’s, two INT’s, and 11 pass breakups. That is a pretty good senior campaign.

If McGee can step in with similar production, while keeping opposing receivers uncomfortable, the Landsharks can stay aggressive.

Andrew Ritter, K, So.

With all the spots in question it was hard to go with a kicker in the top five, but I happen to be the type of guy who thinks having a good field goal kicker makes the offense more aggressive. Field goals have not been much of a story the last few years in Oxford due to Joshua Shene’s consistency.

In productive offenses, a kicker’s scoring total should be roughly 50-50 between PAT’s and FG’s. Keep an eye on that ratio as the season moves along. Skews in the number from one side over the other often predict trouble.

Too many FG’s usually means the offense is stalling near the red zone. A plus spread for PAT’s usually means you are not scoring many points per game. There are exceptions, but that is the general rule.

Coach Houston Nutt and staff have brought in highly ranked classes their first two years in Oxford. While this season will not be the final report card on those efforts, many of those players will start earning the grades in 2010.