OXFORD — Simply put, Henry Parrish Jr. had unfinished business to attend to in Oxford.
Parrish, a senior running back from the Miami area, played his first two college seasons at Ole Miss, rushing for 816 yards and five touchdowns combined in 2020 and 2021. He was one of four Rebels to rush for at least 500 yards in 2021, helping lead Ole Miss to its first 10-win regular season and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. Parrish transferred to Miami for the 2022 and 2023 seasons and ran for 1,241 yards and 10 touchdowns in two years; his 625 yards and six touchdowns led the Hurricanes last season.
Two-time All-SEC running back Quinshon Judkins transferred from Ole Miss to Ohio State in the offseason, leaving a sizable void at running back other than senior Ulysses Bentley IV. In addition to bringing Parrish back into the fold, the Rebels also signed Miami (Ohio) running back Rashad Amos and LSU’s Logan Diggs from the transfer portal, though Diggs is still rehabbing from offseason knee surgery. Bentley ran for 54 yards and four touchdowns last season at Ole Miss while Amos ran for a career-best 1,075 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2023 with the RedHawks.
Ole Miss has ranked in the top-40 nationally in rushing yards per game in each of Kiffin’s four seasons as the Rebels’ head coach, including No. 3 in 2022 and No. 12 in 2021.
“It was a no-brainer, just (to) come back and finish where I started,” Parrish said. “Just finish the drill.”
Kevin Smith was Ole Miss’ running backs coach during Parrish’s first tenure with the Rebels. Smith took the same job at Miami for the 2022 season, and Parrish followed. Smith spent one year as the Hurricanes’ running backs coach before returning to Ole Miss for the 2023 season. Prior to his first stint at Ole Miss, Smith was the running backs coach at FAU under Kiffin and provided Parrish with his first scholarship offer.
“We always had that connection, that bond,” Parrish said. “And just coming back, it feels awesome. Like I said, this is where I started, he was my coach here. Just to finish it with him, come back, I’m excited for this year.”
As far as style of play is concerned, Parrish said he is running more routes than he did in his previous time at Ole Miss. Jeff Lebby — now the head coach at Mississippi State — was the Rebels’ offensive coordinator in 2020 and 2021 before taking the same job at Oklahoma. Charlie Weis Jr. has been Ole Miss’ offensive coordinator since.
Other than that and literal differences within the Manning Center itself, however, Parrish said things haven’t been too different from his first go around. Despite a number of new faces, Parrish says he still feels the same type of camaraderie as when he was on the team the first time.
“They welcomed me back with open arms again,” Parrish said. “And (it) just felt like home all over again.”
Rebels ranked No. 6 in preseason Coaches Poll
Ole Miss is ranked No. 6 in the preseason USA Today Coaches Poll released Monday. Georgia is ranked No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Alabama. It’s the Rebels’ first preseason top-10 ranking in the Coach’s Poll since 2009, when they were ranked No. 10. According to ESPN, it is the program’s highest preseason ranking in the poll since 1970.
The Rebels are coming off an 11-2 season — the most wins in a single season in program history — and 38-25 victory over Penn State in the Peach Bowl. Senior quarterback Jaxson Dart is among several key returners who opted to play one more season for the Rebels and is joined by the top-ranked transfer portal class in the nation.
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