Braylon Sanders Finally Healthy, Dannis Jackson in Speedster Role at Receiver
Despite playing in eight games as a junior in 2019, despite anything the former coaching staff would tell you on a week-to-week basis, wide receiver Braylon Sanders was never healthy last season.
"I can say that now," Sanders laughs. "I wasn't (healthy) last year. But this year I'm 100-percent and I can't wait to show what I can do when I'm 100-percent."
Last year, it was nagging hamstring issues that held Sanders back. He played in eight games, but many a times he would start and then be ruled out very quickly with that nagging hamstring that seemed to never fully heal. Regardless, Sanders finished second on the team with 192 receiving yards while leading the team in yards per catch among those with at least ten receptions.
Now, Sanders has been working all offseason with strength coach Wilson Love, doing a variety of different exercises to strengthen that hamstring. For what it's worth, he says it's better than ever. If so, it's likely Sanders that will step in alongside Elijah Moore and Jonathan Mingo as the Ole Miss starting receivers in an 11 personnel (three receiver, one running back) set.
Another name that could see significant time behind Moore and Mingo at that spot is Dannis Jackson. A 2019 Under Armour All-American and unanimous four-star recruit, Jackson appeared in nine games as a true freshman but only caught seven balls for 80 yards all season.
A true speedster, Jackson admitted he struggled with confidence as a freshman. Now, he's got that swagger back, and Kiffin and Co. are going to need his deep threat abilities to stretch the field in this offense.
“I think my role is just to come in and make plays when they need me and if they need speed, things like that," Jackson said. “I think confidence, that’s all it was. Coming from high school, playing at a different level, it’s easier but everything speeds up and you just have to adjust. Some people take longer than others. But just playing fast and knowing what to do, that alone will boost your play.”
All throughout training camp, the Ole Miss receiving corps have remarked about how much more freedom this new offense gives them.
Talking to Jackson, the thematic motto was just that this offense gives them the ability to make plays and puts them in the position to make plays.
The more wily veteran Sanders was able to provide a little more depth into the football schematics of that. Essentially, the Rebel receivers will be given the freedom to read the coverages and let that impact what they do on a play-to-play basis.
"We have three options on pretty much every play. It's just picking the right option and making the right choice," Sanders said. "I feel like we'll have much more opportunities to make plays."
In theory, playing this way should lead to more explosive plays in the passing game. The big question mark in this style then comes from the communication between quarterback and receivers. For this all to work, the quarterback and his targets have to see the field in the same way.
It's a higher risk, higher reward system. But regardless, the Ole Miss receivers will be in a position to make a higher volume of plays and hopefully more explosive ones. Sanders and Jackson should play a big role in that.
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