The starting offensive line appears to settled for Ole Miss

Whoever wins the starting quarterback job in Oxford doesn't stand much chance of success if the offensive line played like they did in the Peach Bowl against TCU. Fortunately for Ole Miss, Hugh Freeze has his starting unit all figured out with 10 days until kickoff. 

Touted freshman Javon Patterson at left guard, junior Robert Conyers at center, Justin Bell at right guard, Fahn Cooper at right tackle and of course Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. 

“They’ve just been really, really solid,” Freeze said according to the Clarion Ledger.

The starter at center last season, Ben Still, is also likely to see the field this season. 

“Ben’s going to play too,” Freeze said. “It’s kind of 1A, 1B. It’s not that big of a separation between them.”

Ole Miss will also have experienced depth this season from sophomore Rod Taylor and senior Aaron Morris, although both of those players have been battling through injuries this offseason. 

“Rod’s rehab looks good. It looks like he has more strength right now than you’d like he would. We’re optimistic that he’s going to be able to recover and play,” Freeze said. “There’s a lot of kids who have done that. I’ve had receivers do it before. You just wear a harness where (the shoulder) is less likely to come out of socket. It’s very doable.”

“This is a big week for Aaron. So glad he’s back,” Freeze said. “We just haven’t seen enough to move him in front of someone. We certainly know he’s senior. He’s played in a lot of games. I don’t know if he can play more than 30-40 games right now with great tempo. This is a big week to see where he is.”

With the infusion of talent and the experience returning, Ole Miss could find a position of weakness quickly turn into one of strength if the position group jells in time for SEC play. 

(h/t Clarion Ledger)