The annual Southeastern Conference (SEC) Media Days event will soon be underway and representatives for Ole Miss and Mississippi State have been announced.
Leading up to the college football season, the annual convention held by the SEC features players and coaches from all programs — including the latest additions of Oklahoma and Texas — to discuss the upcoming campaign.
This year’s event will be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel in Texas and will run from July 15-18.
Representing Ole Miss will be senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, senior wide receiver Tre Harris, and senior defensive end Jared Ivey — all players Kiffin acquired via the transfer portal.
Last season, Dart, who began his college career at USC, accounted for 3,364 yards in the air, 23 passing touchdowns, and just five interceptions. He also rushed for 391 yards and eight scores. The Utah native is expected to be a crucial component in Ole Miss’s efforts to make the program’s first-ever appearance in the College Football Playoff.
Harris, a Louisiana Tech transfer who made instant waves in Oxford in 2023, logging a program-best four touchdowns in his Rebel debut versus Mercer. The wideout went on to log eight total scores and 985 yards, and made multiple highlight-reel catches in the process.
Ivey, who started off at Georgia Tech, became a key addition to the Rebels’ defensive unit in 2022 and grew into a vocal leader on and off the field. Last year, he mounted 46 total tackles, 5.5 sacks, and a pair of fumble recoveries. He was later named the most valuable defensive player of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Kiffin is scheduled to speak at the convention on Monday, July 15.
Mississippi State’s ambassadors are senior quarterback Blake Shapen, junior offensive lineman Albert Reese IV, and junior linebacker John Lewis who will take the stage alongside first-year head coach Jeff Lebby.
Shapen came to Starkville to be the Bulldogs’ signal-caller after compiling 5,574 passing yards, 36 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over a three-year stint at Baylor. He will fill the vacancy left by Brandon native Will Rogers who darted to Washington after becoming the SEC’s second-leading passer all-time during the Mike Leach era.
Reese, a native of Canada, is anticipated by many to be the only non-transfer player starting on Mississippi State’s offensive line this season. Last year, the big tackle appeared in all 12 games and did not allow a sack while only surrendering two hurries all season.
Lewis will have big shoes to fill this season as he looks to help make up for the production of Nathanial “Bookie” Watson and Johnson. In 2023, Lewis saw the field in all 12 games and started in three of the matchups. He amassed a career-best 20 tackles and will look to build upon the progress as a veteran on the defensive side of the ball.
Lebby will make his SEC Media Days debut as a head coach and take the main stage on Wednesday, July 17.
Both Ole Miss and Mississippi State will kick off the 2024 campaign on August 31. The teams’ respective schedules can be found here.
