Several Ole Miss players have made the watch lists for preseason awards, including Tre Harris, Princely Umanmielen and Ulysses Bentley IV. Quarterback Jaxson Dart and defensive tackle Walter Nolen have landed on multiple watch lists and both made another one yesterday.
Walter Nolen has made the preseason list for the fourth time, this time on the Lombardi Award list. The Lombardi Award is given annually to the most outstanding lineman in college football.
Nolen was one of 90 college football linemen to receive the award. In addition to Nolen, three other outstanding names were on the watch list: Mason Graham (Michigan), Parker Brailsford (Alabama) and Harold Perkins Jr. (LSU).
Quarterback Jaxson Dart made the Manning Award watchlist yesterday, an award with an emotional connection to the program featuring Eli Manning, a former Ole Miss quarterback. Like Nolen, it was Dart’s fourth preseason watchlist he landed on.
The Manning Award is given out annually. The decision is made after the postseason, taking these games into account. The winner is chosen by a committee that includes Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning.
Ole Miss hasn’t seen a true end-of-season winner since 2014, when linebacker Deterrian Shackelford won the Wuerffel Trophy. Patrick Willis, Eli Manning and Jonathan Nichols are the other recent winners, all before 2014.
The 2024 season could be the biggest opportunity since 2014 to change that. With Ole Miss expected to have a successful season, several players could likely have standout seasons. Jaxson Dart has a great chance to do just that. If he can take another significant step, he should be in the conversation for a quarterback award at the end of the season.
Wide receiver Tre Harris is a dark horse for the Biletnikoff Award, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him at least in the final three. All these rumors are getting excited for the season, and the excitement surrounding the Rebels is hard for fans to contain. There’s only a little over two weeks left until all the excitement can break out.
