OXFORD – Back for Year 2 in defensive coordinator Pete Golding’s defense, Ole Miss sophomore defensive tackle Will Echoles is comfortable with the Rebels’ scheme.
Echoles, a four-star recruit in the 2024 class from Houston, Mississippi, played in eight games for Ole Miss as a true freshman. He made nine tackles and notched a half-sack last season for the Rebels, who finished with the No. 2 scoring defense in college football and led the nation in sacks per game and tackles-for-loss and finished second in rush defense.
With the departures of four starting defensive linemen – All-American defensive tackle Walter Nolen, All-SEC edge rusher Princely Umanmielen, sixth-round NFL Draft pick defensive tackle JJ Pegues and three-year starting defensive end Jared Ivey – Echoles and his fellow inexperienced linemen will be called upon to step up in a big way in 2025.
The No. 21 Rebels, coming off their third double-digit-win season in four years, begin the season Aug. 30 at home against Georgia State at 6:45 p.m. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.
“It was good for me, because our defense is very compacted. We learn a lot of defenses, and it’s a lot of checks and stuff we have to get to in certain packages,” Echoles said. “So, just knowing all that stuff coming from Year 1 to Year 2 helped me out a lot.”
Echoles figures to be part of a deep – albeit young – defensive line rotation made largely of highly touted recruits from traditional high school signing classes. He and defensive end/sophomore classmate Kam Franklin were two of the top players in Mississippi in the 2024 class, while redshirt sophomore Jamarious Brown, a freshman All-American a season ago, was a four-star prospect in the 2023 class. Senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, a Germantown, Mississippi native, was a four-star recruit in the 2022 class.
Golding told reporters last week he put a major an emphasis on recruiting defensive linemen in the vicinity of Ole Miss when he took the coordinator job prior to the 2023 season. That effort appears to have paid off, as this year’s transfer portal efforts up front were largely focused on adding select pieces off the edge.
“Our room now, it’s a bunch of in-state guys,” Echoles said. “ … Playing for the state of Mississippi, that means a lot.”
Golding said he didn’t expect a dropoff in defensive line play this season, just that the names and faces wouldn’t be the same as a season ago. Echoles echoed that sentiment for the defense as a whole.
“I mean, I don’t see any falloff from last year,” Echoles said of the defense. “I think … we’re going to be a very good defense that’s coming up here, and I like where we’re at. I don’t see (any) dropoffs from last year. I mean, I know we had some big names on our defense last year, but we have guys that came in from the portal and that’s returning that’s really good, am I’m excited to see what we do.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 40 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
