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The University of Mississippi Athletics
FEATURE: Thank You Seniors
11/25/2015 | Football
By Morgan Goff, Ole Miss Athletics Media Relations
Story Featured in the Ole Miss vs. LSU Football Game Program (Nov. 21)
Change is inevitable. It is simply part of this life we live. For this year's seniors, change is approaching and it is approaching very quickly. Despite what is to come in the future, one thing is certain; the seniors of the Ole Miss football team will leave an everlasting mark on coach Hugh Freeze's program. Their legacy is undeniable.
"I'm very much indebted to this class. They went through the lean times here and didn't have much to smile about some days," explained Freeze. "Their buy-in to us, asking them to do certain things, and their buy-in to certain core values, without that, you don't see the results we've gotten in the short amount of time compared to a lot of programs that are trying to rebuild. We're just very indebted to those guys for joining us and making winning games a new normal around here."
It wasn't too long ago that Ole Miss saw its football team struggle in 2011-12 with a 2-10 regular season. Times were tough for the Rebels, but they never gave up. The resiliency of these student-athletes helped catapult Ole Miss to new levels of success, bringing about the "new norm" for the football program. Fifth-year senior offensive lineman, Justin Bell, knows exactly how far this class has brought the program.
"I think my time here has been a success. I am leaving a place better than I found it," Bell said. "That is one thing that Coach Matt Luke talks about. My first year we went 2-10, and now we are leaving this a better place than we found it."
Bell has seen his fair share of personal success on the field. After his redshirted freshman season, Bell started every game during his sophomore and junior seasons and was part of an offensive line that produced the most total yards in school history (6,153) and ranked 21st in the nation and fifth in the SEC in total offense (473.3 ypg) in 2013. Bell is not the only notable senior on the team; he is joined by the likes of Trae Elston, Mike Hilton, Denzel Nkemdiche, Jaylen Walton, Chief Brown, C.J. Johnson, Ben Still, Cody Core, Issac Gross and others.
"As a senior you want to be the class that helps change the program around," Hilton explained. "I really believe we have been able to do that. A lot of guys have been around and played a lot of football, and we have really seen the program change. It has been a blessing."
Hilton has started every position in the defensive backfield during his four years in Oxford. He is one of the key leaders on the team and truly exemplifies what is Ole Miss Football. To honor his leadership and work ethic, Hilton received the 2015 Chucky Mullins Courage Award and dons the No. 38 jersey on gamedays.
This year's seniors have shared many notable accomplishments. Each year this class has continued to add more and more wins to the current four-year record of 31-18. The Rebels posted a nine-win season in 2014 after going 2-10 just four short years ago. This season, the Rebels have continued to make history. The Ole Miss football team knocked off SEC powerhouse, Alabama, in both 2014 and 2015, marking the first time in school history the Rebels have defeated the Tide in back-to-back years. Ole Miss has risen to as high as No. 3 in the national polls in each of the last two seasons, the Rebels' highest ranking since 1964. The four-year seniors have won two of the last three Egg Bowls against in-state rival Mississippi State with this year's game scheduled for next week in Starkville. The Rebels are also bowl eligible for the fourth straight season, becoming the first class to accomplish that feat since 2000, proving their relevance is here to stay.
When the seniors' time in Oxford comes to an end, they will be leaving behind something bigger than themselves. They will be leaving behind a family. However, this family will forever be part of who they are.
"There is a family atmosphere here with our team. The people in Oxford, and all of the people that I have met since I've been here, have made this place feel like home. This place has a special feeling," noted C.J. Johnson. "Ole Miss to me is a place that I will love for the rest of my life. It is a place that changed my life. It will always be a part of me."
Today, each senior will run onto Hollingsworth Field in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium as a Rebel one last time. With their final opportunity to do as they have done so many times before, they will play with every ounce of their being, giving their all to their teammates, coaches and Rebel Nation.
Ole Miss will forever remember this class of seniors. These seniors have played such an important role in this Rebel family, and for that, we thank every one of them.
