subject: A Bunch Of New Things Are Happening At Ole Miss Rebels Fall Camp [print this page] The Ole Miss Rebels started their trek towards this years conference football games when fall camp opened on Sunday, August 8 at 5:25 pm. For starters the team will be warming up on their basic routines before they don their full gear on Thursday, August 12. The camp activities are open to outsiders who can watch from a distance. There are new developments in the team.
First of all, Kent Austin is no longer Offense Coordinator. He quit his post early this year to sign up as head coach of Cornell U. Coach Houston Nutt has already found a substitute for him in the person of Dave Rader who is now the team's co-offensive coordinator as well as quarterbacks' coach.
The 52-year-old Rader was occupied as a businessman when Nutt approached him. He has accumulated 9 years in the position of assistant coach. He has also 12 years of experience as head coach. This year will be his fourth time in the Southeastern Conference. His last job in football was from 2003- 2006 as a member of coach Mike Shula's staff who was them coaching Alabama. Rader is a mechanical engineering graduate of Tulsa U whom he played for as starting quarterback. He was made an inductee into the Independence Bowl Hall of Fame in 1999. Currently, Rader shares his position with fellow offensive coordinator Mike Markuson.
It came as a surprise to everyone when, just before fall camp opened, it was announced that "Tig" Barksdale, the 2007 Mr. Football, had been terminated from the team. Earlier, Barksdale had been arrested for DUI and driving without a license. Then, last spring he committed a "violation of team rules" and was suspended. This time around, no reason was given for his dismissal other than that he was pressed to see to some personal issues.
A lot of people among the some 400 guests watching the opening were there to see Jeremiah Masoli, a former star football player of Oregon. A total of six awards were received by him while there, among them the 2008 Holiday Bowl Most Valuable Player, the College Football Performance Awards of 2009 for Elite Nation and QB Performer and the College Football Awards of 2009 for Midseason Favorite. He was with that team until 2009.
All but one of his awards were received in 2009. In the early part of 2009, he was convicted of second-degree burglary for which he was suspended from playing for 2010. A few months later, he was again convicted of misdemeanors related to drugs and traffic violations. He was then dismissed from the team.
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.
