Former Ole Miss baseball player Brett Young is making a highly anticipated homecoming to Oxford this weekend. This time it’s not as a former Rebel athlete; rather, Young is returning as one of country music’s biggest stars.
Young, who was recruited as a pitcher out of California before suiting up for one season at Ole Miss in 2000, later turned his attention to music after transferring out and struggling with an elbow injury. The decision proved wise as Young would go on to release a self-titled EP in 2007 before launching onto the scene in Nashville as an A-list singer-songwriter. Seven studio albums and a list of chart-topping hits later, Young has won fans over with soulful vocals and memorable lyrics.
He will now make his return to Ole Miss with a football season kickoff concert on Friday, Aug. 30 at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion.
“To go from [a student at Ole Miss] to being able to come back with the younger classmen there that are now fans of my music, it’s pretty surreal,” Young said. “I thought it would be the type of experience I was going to have as a baseball player because people look up to athletes there. But it feels really cool to be able to come back and share music and get everybody excited for a big sporting weekend.”
Some of Young’s hits include “In Case You Didn’t Know,” “Mercy,” and “Like I Loved You.” Even though he was only enrolled in Oxford for a year, the 43-year-old often acknowledges the impact Ole Miss and the state of Mississippi had on him becoming a country music artist.
In 2017, Young released party song “Hell Yeah, Damn Right” which is a tribute to the university’s Hotty Toddy cheer. He followed it up in 2018 with the release of “1, 2, 3 Mississippi” as part of the album, Ticket to L.A. Both nods are guaranteed to be included in Friday’s hour-and-a-half setlist.
“When I went for my visit as a baseball recruit, I had never seen anything like it. The southern hospitality, the southern charm, the love for your home team’s sporting events – the whole thing was just something I had never experienced,” Young recalled. “I have a couple of songs that are actually nods to Mississippi and we’ll throw those back into the set for the show. I just want to make it a big party.”
Taking the stage before Young is another former Rebel athlete who decided music was the best route. Josh Kelley, who lettered on the Ole Miss golf team at the same time Young was on the baseball team, gave up the greens for the studio and like Young, the decision proved to be a hole-in-one.
After transitioning from pop to country music in 2010, Kelley’s debut country single, “Georgia Clay,” reached the top 20 on charts nationwide. He’s followed it up with other hits like “Mandolin Rain” and “Loves You Like Me.”
Young, who jokingly admitted that he didn’t know Ole Miss had a golf team when he was a student, said Kelley is the perfect opener for the homecoming concert.
“I wasn’t even aware we had a golf team when I was there. I was focused on baseball and pretty southern girls,” Young laughed. “I’ve been a fan of Josh’s music for a long time. It’s strange that we were there at the same time and didn’t know each other. It’s really cool for me to be the headliner, but I’m going to be fangirling and geeking out on the side of the stage when Josh is doing his set as well.”
Kelley and Young will be joined by Mustache the Band, an interactive party group that rocks country covers. Tickets are slim but some are still available. Doors to the SJB Pavilion open at 6 p.m. with the music beginning at 7 p.m.
The concert is being put on by Ole Miss Athletics and SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
