The Grove Report Mailbag: Swayze Field, Kermit Davis and QB Competition

Welcome to The Grove Report Mailbag where you have the opportunity to ask questions on social media related to Ole Miss.

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Let's dive in.

From @AustinBlansett1: With all the renovations set to kick in soon, one thing upsets me. Swayze Field’s rendition. It looks phenomenal, but something I’ve been saying in all of my 24 years on this planet isn't getting fixed. The eye sore that is the blue wall in center. How would you fix it?

I believe this is in reference to the batter's eye that sits behind the centerfield wall at Swayze Field, and, in short, I'm not sure there is a way to spruce it up other than changing the color.

In essence, the batter's eye at any ballpark is utilized by a hitter for simple visual contrast and ability to see pitches out of the pitcher's hand. I assume that the wall being blue is used to match the Pantones of the rest of the walls in the stadium.

With that being said, the only way to really "fix" the batter's eye, in my mind, would be to change the color of all the walls at Oxford-University Stadium. However, the renditions of Swayze Field's renovations do look nice, and facility upgrades are vital in the arms race among SEC programs.

From @JohnR5522: Do you believe that Kermit Davis will be good for the long haul?

It depends on what you mean by "believe." Do I believe that Davis can be good for the long haul? Probably, yes. Do I believe that he will have the opportunity to have a long haul in the first place? I'm not sure.

The bottom line, both literally and figuratively, is this: if you watched Ole Miss' recent home game against South Carolina, a message is being sent, in my opinion. Fans want a better product on the floor. You can blame injuries, of which there have been many for the Rebels this season, but fans don't always see it that way. They see results, and the results simply haven't been good, and the energy from fans around the program seems to have taken a hit.

With Ole Miss likely not reaching the postseason in 2022, is that where the line is drawn for the administration? Time will tell, but money talks, and athletic departments tend to listen when it speaks loud enough.

From @TWaldrop4: Obviously, Altmyer is going to compete for the starting job. Give your thoughts on if he wins the job? Would imagine Dart is gone, but would Trigg follow again.

The replies to this question illustrate a point that I also want to make: if Dart and/or Trigg were to transfer again, they'd have to sit out a year wherever they go. That would be a problem for them, I'm sure.

Yes, I do believe there will be a quarterback competition in spring and even fall leading up to the 2022 football season. I think Kiffin and Weis would be foolish not to have a competition to replace a talent like Matt Corral, but I also believe that Dart was brought in with expectation that he would likely win that competition.

I don't think this QB competition will be a farce, by any means. If Altmyer wins the reins, he'll be the starter. Period. But Ole Miss being tied to many quarterbacking names in the transfer portal before landing Dart (including Caleb Williams) tells me that the Rebels didn't feel great about Altmyer being their only option.

Plus, it's kind of hard to go into the season with as little quarterbacking depth as Ole Miss had before landing Dart. That's another reason.

To sum it up, I think Dart will win the competition, but if he doesn't, there's a good reason, namely: Altmyer simply looked better in camp (and possibly early game action next fall).

From @BarrettLM: Charlie Weis Jr. being a co-OC means we have another hire coming. Any idea who? Do you expect to see coaches treat spring ball differently knowing players have a free transfer in their pocket?

I'm going to divide this question into two parts since it's technically two questions.

Question 1: My guess is that the 10th on-field hire will go to replace Chris Kiffin, so I think that Weis was given the "co-OC" title because he and Kiffin will both be running the offense. That's total speculation on my part, but that makes the most sense to me.

Question 2: I'm sure that it's in the back of their minds, for sure. I think coaches in general are adapting every day to the new era of the transfer portal, and it's not easy.

Here's a hypothetical that I think addresses your second question. Let's say that Player A and Player B are competing for a starting cornerback spot. The coaching staff knows that Player A will win that battle and see much more playing time come fall, but they don't want to lose Player B because he brings a good depth piece to the roster. How clear do you make it that Player A has won the battle in spring camp?

I think the answer to that hypothetical will vary from coaching staff to coaching staff (as well as how much they believe in Player B, etc.), but the bottom line is that the transfer portal has absolutely changed how coaches both manage their rosters and handle recruiting cycles.

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