Tre Harris, Suntarine Perkins and Brandon Turnage all spoke with the media after Thursday’s practice. Scroll on for the latest on their journeys.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Arguably one of the biggest recruiting coups of the offseason for Ole Miss was getting Tre Harris to return for his senior campaign after a spectacular first year in red and blue. Harris showed last season just how successful transfer portal players can be at Ole Miss, leading the Rebels with 985 receiving yards and eight touchdowns despite battling through injury.
This time last year, Harris was on the receiving end of Jaxson Dart’s FaceTime calls as he was being recruited after starting his career at Louisiana Tech. Fast forward a year, and Harris was helping Dart add more talent to the roster.
“Me and him were constantly on FaceTime calls with Diego Pounds, Nate Kalepo, Juice Wells, guys like that, just trying to get everybody to buy in,” Harris said. “Just connecting with those guys and showing them what Ole Miss is about. Showing that that we’re going to put in work every single day and be the best we can possibly be.”
One of the big names the Rebels attracted in the portal came right out of Harris’ back yard. Harris didn’t know Alabama transfer Trey Amos growing up, though they must’ve just missed one another as Amos played for Catholic High in New Iberia, Louisiana, just 20 miles south of Comeaux High, where Harris went. Now, they both wear No. 9 for the Rebels and square off daily in practice.
“We’ve actually never seen each other. His high school is maybe 15-25 minutes from my high school,” Harris said. “It’s crazy how two kids from the same city can end up in the same spot, going at it every day.”
HUNGRY FOR MORE
Suntarine Perkins was one of the most highly anticipated high school prospects in a long time at Ole Miss, and he didn’t disappoint in 2023. The Raleigh, Mississippi, native and former 5-star prospect played in all 13 games, finishing fourth among Rebel linebackers with 38 tackles, including 5.5 for a loss and 3.5 sacks.
“Last year, coming in from high school, everything was fast. Had to get the steps down for the defense. It’s kind of hard coming in,” Perkins said. “When I first came in, they tried to play me at middle linebacker then put me at Jack too, so I learned both positions at the same time. This year, he’ll give me a chance to play Jack, then next year he’ll probably move me to middle linebacker to get me ready for the pros.”
To prepare for a bigger role in 2024, and eventually his NFL career, the goal now for Perkins is to get big. Playing at 205 pounds last year, Perkins is looking to bulk up to 220 before the fall. And as he told the media Thursday, you’ve got to eat big to get big.
“I’ve got to try to get to at least 220 before the season starts,” Perkins said. “I just try to eat about anything to gain weight—greens, cornbread, stuff like that. We talk every day about how can I gain weight. So far it’s going good.”
LAFAYETTE STAR IS HOME
Brandon Turnage was highly recruited out of Lafayette High School, ranked one of the top 100 prospects in the nation by ESPN for the class of 2019. His journey first took him away from home to Alabama, then through the transfer portal to Tennessee. Now, Turnage is home for his final collegiate season, and the familiar environment is already pushing him to improve.
“It feels great to be home, back around my family and friends,” Turnage said. “For a long time, I’ve thought about doing this. With it being my last year of college football, I just felt like it’d be good to come back around my family, see how it feels to be home, see if it makes me go a little bit harder, which it does. For all my people to be able to come and see me play rather than watch it over the TV, I felt like this was a great opportunity and great time for it.”
Growing up in Oxford and starring at Lafayette, Brandon spent plenty of time around Ole Miss football. Now coming back, he has a unique view on how the program has evolved under Lane Kiffin, and he’s excited to be part of something special back in his hometown.
“I was up here almost every day of every week when I was in high school. I kind of felt like I was part of the team. It was like a family. Even now, it’s still the same feel, still like a family everywhere. We have a great relationship. Every unit is cool with the other units. I feel like everybody is bonded together like it was then,” Turnage said. “It’s definitely more of a pro program now. That’s something I really wanted to be a part of. I saw how they did things before I got here. I watched and played against them. Then Coach Golding coming here and his pro style defense, I said there’s no better time and opportunity than this.”
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