Facebook Photo Gallery

Colton Walls, a sophomore linebacker who started his career at Clemson, is among the non-scholarship players to join the Ole Miss football team this spring.

Rebel fans will be quite familiar with his last name. Colton's father, Wesley Walls, was an All-America tight end/linebacker for the Rebels in 1988 and went on to a successful 14-year NFL career that included five Pro Bowl appearances. Just last week, Wesley was one of 77 players named to the ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.

Colton is the next in a long line of father/son combos to play for Ole Miss through the years. Names like Archie, Cooper and Eli Manning come to mind. And others, like Poole, Luke, Shows, Kinard. Current Rebel wide receiver Jordan Holder is the son of two-time Ole Miss captain Jamie Holder.

Spring practice starts this Sunday at 3 p.m. All practices are open to the public. Here's a link to the full spring schedule.

The up-to-date 2013 roster entering spring practice is online at OleMissSports.com. Other walk-ons joining the team this spring include DB Josh Gregory, OL Tyler Mt. Joy, RB Darryan Ragsdale and OL Park Stevens.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Ridgeland, Miss. (November 5, 2012) - C Spire Wireless, the only wireless provider in the U.S. that offers consumers and businesses a suite of personalized wireless services, is hosting its first live online forum, in partnership with the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, to officially announce the C Spire Wireless Conerly Trophy "watch list" and to discuss with fans which Mississippi collegiate football star is most likely to win the coveted award.

Rick Cleveland, the legendary Clarion-Ledger sports columnist and executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, will lead the discussion and answer fan questions about who may have the "inside track" to win the C Spire Conerly Trophy, given annually to Mississippi's best college football player. 

The live discussion will take place on CIRCLE, C Spire's online community forum, on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 1 p.m.   Anyone can join the online forum by visiting www.cspire.com/circle and registering for the discussion.  Fans will have the unique opportunity to ask questions, offer opinions and fully participate in the forum.  Just by registering and posting a question, participants will be entered into a drawing for prizes ranging from game tickets to smartphone devices.  

"The C Spire Wireless Conerly Trophy has become an annual tradition for both Mississippi college football fans and players.  This year, the race to win the award is a close one with so many talented athletes in the running," said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire Wireless.  "This year is particularly special with our new online, live forum on CIRCLE, engaging football fans throughout the state and giving them the opportunity to interact with Rick Cleveland and discuss who they think should be the rightful owner of the C Spire Conerly Trophy this year.  This forum is just another way C Spire is enhancing our customers' overall wireless experience with personalized, exclusive opportunities just for them." 

Rick Cleveland, executive director of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, echoed Richmond's excitement for the upcoming forum, which he will lead.  "I've had a passion for Mississippi football my entire life and I've been lucky enough to write about it and be a part of all of its thrills," Cleveland said.  "C Spire's live forum on CIRCLE to discuss this year's Conerly Trophy watch list is an entirely new way to engage fans who are passionate about Mississippi college football. I'm looking forward to discussing these talented young athletes and interacting with all of the forum participants."

The 2012 C Spire Conerly Trophy watch list, in alphabetical order:

• Mississippi College wide receiver Alex Archer: Added three catches for 38 yards on Senior Day in MC's 70-28 loss to Louisiana College.  Now has 37 catches for 712, ranking him second in the American Southwest Conference.

• Mississippi State cornerback Johnthan Banks: The senior All America candidate was in on eight tackles against Texas A&M.  He is a semifinalist for both the Jim Thorpe and Chuck Bednarik national awards.
• Southern Miss defensive end Jamie Collins:  A bright spot in a dismal season, Collins had nine tackles (four for losses) and three sacks.  He also forced two fumbles and broke up a pass in USM's loss to UAB.  He leads USM with 73 tackles, 16 tackles for losses and nine sacks.
• Jackson State defensive end Joseph LeBeau:  A senior from New Orleans, LeBeau had six tackles and one sack in a victory over Grambling.  Now has 15.5 tackles for loss.
• Alcorn kick returner Terrance Lewis: Caught five passes for 35 years in loss to Mississippi Valley State.  Now has 27 catches on the season.  The senior all-SWAC returner ranks second in the league in kickoff returns and fourth in all-purpose yardage.
• Belhaven cornerback Justin Mims:  Had five tackles and broke up three passes in a victory over Pikeville.  The junior ranks fourth in NAIA with four interceptions, including two he has returned for touchdowns.
• Ole Miss linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche: Had eight tackles and forced two fumbles in loss to Georgia.  He leads Ole Miss with 60 tackles, including nine for losses and two sacks.  He also has two pass interceptions.
• Mississippi State running back LaDarius Perkins: Carried the ball 13 times for 42 yards against Texas A&M.  He ranked second in the SEC in rushing and first in all-purpose yardage entering the weekend.
• Millsaps quarterback Garrett Pinciotti: Completed 27 of 41 passes for 310 yards in a victory over Austin.  The senior has thrown for 24 touchdowns and only three interceptions and has won conference player of the week twice.
• Jackson State wide receiver Rico Richardson: Had five catches for 115 yards and a touchdown in JSU's victory over Grambling.  This senior from Natchez has caught 50 passes for 927 yards and eight touchdowns.
• Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell: Completed 19 of 30 passes for 212 yards against Texas A&M.  The junior has thrown for 16 touchdowns, compared to just three interceptions.  He has thrown for 1,944 yards.
• Ole Miss running back Jeff Scott:  Ran 13 times for 21 yards and caught three passes for 24 yards against Georgia.  The junior has run for 633 yards on 126 carries.  He has six touchdowns rushing and another on a pass reception.
• Mississippi Valley State defensive tackle Robert Simpson:  Recorded three tackles, one and half for loss and a sack in a victory over Alcorn.  Leads the NCAA championship division with 17.5 tackles for loss.
• Delta State linebacker Ixavier Triplett: Did not play Saturday.  The junior from Scott Central has amassed 29.5 tackles for loss and nine forced fumbles in his career at DSU.
• Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace: Completed 16 of 25 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown against Georgia.  He has thrown for 1,836 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Has also scored five touchdowns running and one receiving.
• Southern Miss cornerback Deron Wilson: Wilson  had eight tackles and a pass interception, which returned for 20 yards against UAB.  He ranks second on USM's all-time passes defended list with 33 passes broken up.
• Mississippi Valley linebacker Keven Woods:  The senior has recorded 71 tackles, seven for a loss, four sacks, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

CIRCLE

C Spire's CIRCLE engages consumers in a two-way conversation and offers them a unique platform to communicate and share their thoughts, opinions, likes and dislikes with other CIRCLE members - creating a true wireless community.  CIRCLE also allows C Spire to listen to what their customers have to say - giving the company the ability to create unique experiences based on direct customer feedback. 

"Personalizing the wireless experience isn't just about products and services, it's also about creating a community where sharing and engaging with others is encouraged and rewarded," Richmond said.  "CIRCLE gives us the opportunity to get to know our customers better and provide them with a unique, personalized wireless experience that is tailored just for them - something that just can't be found at any other wireless provider."

Personalized Wireless

Personalized wireless at C Spire is a compilation of a number of different wireless services and programs that combine to reflect and serve each customer's unique needs.  Customers will see this unique personalization in apps and content that fit who they are, services that anticipate their needs, and rewards they'll get just for using their phone in new ways. 

For more information on C Spire's Conerly Trophy CIRCLE Forum, or C Spire's Personalized Wireless services, visit www.cspire.com.

About C Spire Wireless

If you've watched any Ole Miss Football this year, you've seen Denzel Nkemdiche flying around the field. Known to some as the "Tasmanian Denzel," he is always around the ball and makes huge plays despite his smallish frame for a linebacker (5-foot-11, 203 pounds).

Well, now the nation is starting to take notice. On Tuesday, the College Football Performance Awards (CFPA) added Nkemdiche to the 2012 CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year Watch List. He is one of 32 Division I FBS players on the list.

The redshirt-freshman from Loganville, Ga., leads Ole Miss with 52 tackles, 9.0 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and two interceptions. He is tied for sixth in the SEC in TFLs and leads all freshmen in that category. He has helped the Rebels to an amazing turnaround from last year with a 5-3 record through eight games, just one victory shy of bowl eligibility.

Previous FBS recipients of the CFPA National Freshman Performer of the Year include Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller (2011), South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore (2010), and Oregon running back LaMichael James (2009).

Other SEC players on this year's watch list include Amari Cooper (Alabama WR), T.J. Yeldon (Alabama RB), Todd Gurley (Georgia RB), Keith Marshall (Georgia RB), Landon Foster (Kentucky P), Jeremy Hill (LSU RB) and Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M QB).

• September 27, 2012 9 PM CT
• September 28, 2012 1 AM CT
• September 29, 2012 2 PM CT
• October 5, 2012 6 PM CT
• October 6, 2012 1 PM CT

Follow me on twitter @CampbellKyle.

Another game in the books, more great feedback and a few changes coming this week.  The stadium atmosphere has been electric the first two weeks and when 8:15pm Saturday arrives, The Vaught will be the loudest place on earth.

Band Amplification

We appreciate everyone's patience as we continue to take advantage of the SEC's new change in band amplification rules.  Overall, the customer reviews on band amplification were extremely positive, but we will be improving the experience for those customers in lower rows seated directly in front of the speaker stacks.  

Customer Service

Please continue to note the service of our Vaught-Hemingway Stadium staff.  Each staff member is wearing a badge that looks similar to this:

If you experience great service (or service that needs to be improved), please make a note of the letter and number combination. Then visit rebs.ms/VHSFeedback and tell us about it.

South End Zone Sound

Our customers in the south end zone continue to experience issues with sound clarity, especially from videos and the announcer.  We are bringing in one of the country's leading stadium audio experts to monitor the audio in the south end zone as well as other parts of the stadium.  He will be able to assess and make changes during sound check at noon as well as in game when the stadium is full.

Videos

Kickoff video - Thanks to our amazing creative and production teams for making the type of videos that get Vaught-Hemingway on its feet.  The fans have been asking for us to post some of the videos, so yesterday we posted the video played before kickoff.  Click the link to watch: http://rebs.ms/rebkickoff

Ole Miss script logo at midfield has received a fresh coat of red paint.

Row identifiers have been installed on all rows. 

Be Early. Be Loud. Wear Red.

Former Rebel takes over as Meridian Police Chief

James Reed, one of the first two African-Americans to play football at Ole Miss, was named police chief of Meridian, Miss., earlier this month by Meridian Mayor Cheri Barry.

A native of Meridian, Reed has served in law enforcement for more than 35 years including stints as a probation and parole officer with the state of Mississippi and as a supervisory special agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

He had been living with his family in Jacksonville, N.C., prior to his new appointment.

Ole Miss has been selected as one of the top 20 schools for "The South's Best Tailgate" by Southern Living magazine.

The Southern Living editors huddled together to post a roster of the top 20 Southern schools with the best tailgates, and of course The Grove was tabbed among them.

They're letting fans ultimately choose the winner. Rebel fans can vote daily for Ole Miss from August 15-October 1 at southernliving.com/tailgate or via smartphone by downloading the complimentary Digimarc Discover app.  Simply scan the corresponding text in the September issue. One vote per day is counted toward the final tally. Votes placed on Saturdays count twice toward the final tally.

The winner will be crowned "The South's Best Tailgate" at a home game by November 10. The September issue featuring the schools in the running for "The South's Best Tailgate" title hits newsstands August 24.

Southern Living chose the roster of universities vying to win "The South's Best Tailgate" based on the following criteria:

-      Most Spirited: Schools that turn "fan" into "fanatic."

-      Traditionalists: Schools renowned for game-day rituals.

-    Powerhouses: Southern schools with a history of winning on and off the field (chosen based on the most bowl victories).

-      Style Setters: From sundresses to cake stands, these schools showcase true splendor in the grass.

Here are the 20 schools that made the list:

Auburn University: Boasts an entire Wikipedia page devoted to pregame rituals.

Clemson University: Caps off pre-gaming with one of the best player entrances in college football.

Grambling State University: Turns its rival match up into a weeklong extravaganza.

Hampden-Sydney College: Inspired a Brooks Brothers ad with its well-dressed "Hillgaters."

Howard University: Sports the styles that have earned students mentions on best-dressed lists.

Louisiana State University: Enlists RVs and crawfish boils to cook up a massive tailgate.

McDaniel College: Houses the nation's only drive-in stadium.

Mississippi State University: Treats its friendly fan base to ice cream made on-campus.

Southern Methodist University: "Boulevards" instead of tailgates with stylish barbecues.

Texas A&M: Wakes the school up at midnight on game day with "The Midnight Yell."

University of Alabama: Packs tents 1,000-deep on the Quad each Saturday.

University of Arkansas: Claims two football stadiums in different cities.

University of Florida: Hosts annual tailgate-turned-block party occupying nine acres.

University of Georgia: Welcomes more than 100,000 tailgaters per game.

University of Mississippi: Is home to The Grove - chandeliers, candelabras, linen napkins and all.

University of Oklahoma: Starts with "The Land Run" to lay territory claim before each game.

University of South Carolina: Tailgates in Cockabooses, 22 train cabooses turned game day suites.

University of Tennessee: Unites 150 houseboats and yachts nearby for a massive "sailgate."

University of Texas: Co-hosts annual Red River Rivalry in Dallas at the local State Fair.

University of Virginia: Tailgates against the backdrop of Charlottesville's Monticello Mountain.

First summer term on the Ole Miss campus began today, which means a group of new Rebels are welcomed to Oxford. Four mid-year transfers joined the football program for the spring semester, and eight more members of the 2012 signing class started classes this week.

Quintavius Burdette
Robert Conyers
Issac Gross
Mike Hilton
I'Tavius Mathers
Ben Still
John Youngblood
Jaylen Walton

Follow me on Twitter @CampbellKyle

Today, Ole Miss Athletics is welcoming back four former Rebels who went on play professional football for a panel discussion entitled NFL & Beyond. The event will take place on the Grove stage at 11 a.m. prior to the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl at 1 p.m. The attendees include two current players (two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and Stacy Andrews) and former pros Ronnie Heard and Tre' Stallings, who have both gone on to careers in college athletics.

Following one of the most prolific careers ever by a Rebel, Eli Manning today is regarded as one of the NFL's top quarterbacks.  Just this past February, Manning led the New York Giants to their second Super Bowl win in the past four years, while also capturing his second Super Bowl MVP trophy. 

Over the course of Manning's eight-year NFL career, he has been a two-time Pro Bowl selection and this past season set an NFL record for most fourth-quarter touchdown passes in a season with 15. 

Off the field, Manning, along with his brother Peyton, assisted in the delivery of 30,000 pounds of water, Gatorade, baby formula, pumice and pillows to the people of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.   

After touring the University of Mississippi Medical Center's Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children, Manning undertook a five-year campaign in 2007 to raise $2.5 million for the construction of "The Eli Manning Children's Clinics" at the hospital.

During the offseason, Manning resides in Oxford with his wife Abby and their daughter Ava Frances. 

ELI MANNING BIOGRAPHY

INTERVIEW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

PART II INTERVIEW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN

A four-year starting offensive tackle during his Rebel career, Tre' Stallings was a sixth-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2006 NFL Draft.

A native of Magnolia, Stallings played in the NFL Europe League with the Amsterdam Admirals in 2007 before joining the Baltimore Ravens in 2008.

Stallings helped lead the Ravens to the playoffs and AFC Championship game in '08, but chose to leave the NFL following the conclusion of training camp in 2009.    

In 2010, he was an Administrative Fellow with the previously known Pacific-10 Conference Championship Department, while today he is the Assistant Director of Championships for the Southeastern Conference, administering competition and championships for track and field and cross country.  He also provides support for all other conference championships.

FEATURE: Tre' Stallings Life After Football 

VIDEO:Be A Missionary- Everyday

This Saturday, Ole Miss Athletics is welcoming back four former Rebels who went on play professional football for a panel discussion entitled NFL & Beyond. The event will take place on the Grove stage at 11 a.m. prior to the BancorpSouth Grove Bowl at 1 p.m. The attendees include two current players (two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and Stacy Andrews) and former pros Ronnie Heard and Tre' Stallings, who have both gone on to careers in college athletics.

Ronnie Heard compiled an outstanding career with the Rebel football program from 1995-99 and was named the Chucky Mullins Courage Award recipient his senior year.  As a rookie in 1996, Heard was a member of the SEC All-Freshman team.

After going undrafted, Heard signed with the San Francisco 49ers in 2000 and played with the team from 2000-2004, starting 24 of 69 games in five seasons.      

A native of Lake Jackson, Texas, Heard then spent the following season with the Atlanta Falcons before retiring in 2006.   

Today he serves as an Assistant Director of Development for the UMAA Foundation, while his brother, Grant, coaches the Ole Miss receivers.

FEATURE: 49ers' brother act is Heard and seen Grant, Ronnie trying to make impressions

Since his time in Oxford, Andrews has played for four NFL teams. He began his professional career with Cincinnati, playing in all of the Bengals' games during both the 2006 and 2007 seasons. In 2007, the 6-7, 340-pound lineman started three games at left tackle and eleven at right tackle. He started all 15 games in which he played in 2008. 

On Feb. 27, 2009, Andrews signed a six-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, which connected him with his brother Shawn, an offensive lineman for the Eagles at the time.    

In 2010, Andrews was traded to the Seattle Seahawks and was a full-time starter there for one year. 

Andrews signed with the New York Giants on Aug. 3, 2011 and played in nine games during the team's Super Bowl XLVI season.  His season was cut short, however, after he was hospitalized with pulmonary embolisms in both of his lungs in early December.    

Super Sunday has arrived, and it's time for Ole Miss fans to choose sides. The good news is regardless of whether you are cheering for BenJarvus Green-Ellis' Patriots or Eli Manning's Giants, a Rebel will be crowned a champion tonight. It's been two weeks of hype, and below are some good articles on our two stars. I'll have some in-game nuggets tonight on twitter, and check out the official site afterward for some of our postgame congratulations.

Green-Ellis Yahoo: Patriots' Green-Ellis has secret to not fumbling Clarion-Ledger: Nothing fancy Times-Picayune: New Orleans' BenJarvus Green-Ellis took long road to New England, with mom there every step of the way

Manning Shreveport Times: That was then ... this is now Clarion-Ledger: Oxford perfect fit for 'just' Eli Clarion-Ledger: Thank you, Eli: Hospital support a game changer Times-Picayune: New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning is easy-going, but don't let that fool you Ole Miss Spirit: Solidifying His Legend

Follow me on Twitter at @CampbellKyle.