Ole Miss Rebels

Ole Miss Power Rankings: Top 10 Rebel Football Players Entering Week 4

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sep 17, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) comes down with a pass as he is defended by Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Shyheim Carter (5) during the fourth quarter of the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Alabama won 48-43. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-USA TODAY Sports

After a sample size of three weeks worth of football, here’s how the Ole Miss Rebels’ player power rankings shake out going into week four.

The Ole Miss Rebels have gone through an arduous schedule featuring two top five teams. However, the schedule doesn’t get much easier as the Georgia Bulldogs comes to town. Although, the Rebels are 1-2, there have been a few players who have played well. Now since we have a sample size of games, let’s take a look at the power rankings of the players on the team.

Gary Wunderlich

Lost in all of the disappointment of the squandered leads is the fact that Gary Wunderlich has been perfect. Ole Miss has done a wonderful job of scoring touchdowns in the red zone. It has been one of the highlights of the year. However, our kicking game has been spot on thanks to Wunderlich.

He has been automatic so far his year. Wunderlich is four for four on field goal attempts. The junior has hit from distances of 40, 23, 18 and 38. Plus he has the longest average per punt outside of Chad Kelly’s one punt. It has been great to be able to rely on this aspect of the team.

Terry Caldwell

The Ole Miss defense has been on the field a lot this year. They have been stretched thin because of injuries. However, there have be a few stand out players this year. Terry Caldwell has been one of those players. He has been a model of consistency for the Rebel defense.

Caldwell leads the Rebels so far with 24 tackles. He has been involved heavily on the defensive end. His knowledge of the defense has grown extensively since last year. The junior is only eight tackles behind last year’s total production.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) throws the ball as Mississippi Rebels defensive tackle Benito Jones (95) rushes during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Power Rankings 8-6

Benito Jones

The strength of the Rebel defense has been the depth of the defensive line. Part of its depth comes in the form of true freshman Benito Jones. Jones has been a welcome bright spot on the defense. He has come in to spell D. J. Jones and Breeland Speaks. But while in, he has been a force to be reckoned with.

Jones has tallied only 13 tackles. However he has been a disrupter while in the game. He is second on the team with 2.5 tackles for loss. While in the game there has not been a noticeable drop off on the defensive line. When he gets more playing time under his belt he may end up being one of the best we’ve had at his position.

Damore'ea Stringfellow

Replacing the production of Laquon Treadwell may be easier than replacing his leadership. While the leadership part will eventually come, the production part has been spread amongst the wide receiving corp. One of the receivers that is stepping up is Damore’ea Stringfellow.

The Rebel receivers have faced two good defenses. However, the passing game has still flourished. Stringfellow is getting more involved in the offense. He is second on the team in receiving yards with 168 and tied for second in receptions with 12. But he is first among the wide outs with tight end Evan Engram leading in both those categories. However, last week against Alabama, Stringfellow had his best game. He had four catches with 87 yards and a touchdown. We may be at the beginning of his breakout.

Robert Conyers

The question coming into the season was, “Would the offensive line would be good enough to protect Chad Kelly?” Although they have not been as good as you would hope, they’ve been okay. But the one constant has been Robert Conyers at the center position. He has earned his spot on the power rankings because of his leadership on the line. He has allowed the least amount of pressure on Kelly so far this season. Keeping the pressure from coming up the middle is very important to keeping the offense on track.

Sep 10, 2016; Oxford, MS, USA; Mississippi Rebels wide receiver Van Jefferson (12) carries the ball against Wofford Terriers cornerback Devin Watson (24) during the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

Power Rankings: 5-3

Van Jefferson

During the 2015 season Van Jefferson was redshirted to give him a chance to refine his game and get his body ready for the rigors of college football. The report had always been that once he got on the field, his talent was going to shine. So far this year he has lived up to that billing.

Coach Hugh Freeze said that Jefferson may be the best route runner on the team. However, his hands have proven to be great as well. Jefferson has managed to put up decent numbers. He is playing in the crowded wide receiver position. He has had to share catches with a lot of capable pass catchers. However he has pulled in 12 catches for 145 yards with one touchdown. Kelly is starting to trust him more each week. Jefferson had his best game against Alabama with six catches for 91 yards.

Marquis Haynes

There is little doubt that one of the best pass rushers in the SEC resides in Oxford, MS. Marquis Haynes is a speed rusher that gets to the quarterbacks quickly. In the first three weeks we only played two teams that actually passed the ball. However, both Florida State and Alabama were victims to Haynes’ sacking ability.

He is setting up to have another great year. Haynes is tied with the team’s lead with two sacks for the year. He leads the team with tackles for losses with three. Plus he had a forced fumble that lead to the memorable John Youngblood 44 yard fumble return for a touchdown. He has faced some very good tackles and still managed to cause havoc. Look for him to be even more active, hopefully starting this week with Georgia.

DeMarquis Gates

DeMarquis Gates could be the most valuable person on this Ole Miss defense. This junior from Hampton, Ga. is quickly becoming one of the best linebackers in the SEC. Although Gates led the Rebels last year in tackles (76), his role became more important with the lack of quality depth at the linebacker position. But Gates has started the 2016 where he left off in 2015.

Gates is second on the team in tackles with 21. That is on pace to finish with more tackles than he did last year. But his growth is seen with the fact that he is tied with Haynes in sacks with two. Those are the only two sacks of his career. He seems to know the defense much better. He’s making plays everywhere on the field. He’s got a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry. His play will be key for the Rebel’s defense going forward.

Sep 5, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Evan Engram (17) is congratulated after he scored a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Power Ranking: 2-1

Chad Kelly

Saturday wasn’t an easy day for Chad Kelly. He had two fumbles returned for touchdown. He faced the fierce pass rush of the Alabama Crimson Tide all day long. Kelly was on the bad side of a loss. But lost in those blips of bad errors was a great game. Kelly passed for 421 yards against an excellent Tide defensive backfield. He threw for three touchdowns with zero picks. Those numbers against anyone is considered great. But those numbers against Alabama is considered masterful.

As a matter of fact, against the two powerhouses, Florida State and Alabama, Kelly has passed for over 725 yards and seven touchdowns. His turnovers have hurt the team but no one can accuse Kelly of shying away from the big games. His numbers this year are staggering when considering his competition.

The Buffalo, NY native has passed for 953 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. He is on pace to move to third on Ole Miss’ all time passing yards list behind Eli Manning and Bo Wallace. He should not face the type of DBs he faced during these first three games again this year, or at least until he meets LSU. So look forward to Kelly putting up more astronomical numbers. Kelly could have a special year.

Evan Engram

For the first three weeks the power ranking number one spot was easy. Easy as in Easy E. Evan Engram has been nothing short of dominate this year. The returning senior has made his presence known on the field. There has yet to be a defense able to contain him. Ignore the Wofford game because Coach Freeze used that game as an opportunity to play everyone. But during the two games that matter Engram has been unstoppable.

In the Florida State game and the Alabama game, Engram caught nine passes for over a 120 yards in each game. He is putting up receiver type numbers as a tight end. Plus there is no doubt who Kelly’s security blanket is for the season. Engram numbers are staggering. He has 20 catches for 302 yards and two touchdowns. There’s no wonder why he is our number one Rebel.