Ole Miss has recently become a sleeper pick for the school that produces top-tier talent in the NFL. DK Metcalf and AJ Brown spring to mind as some of the school’s home-run alumni. Since those two left Oxford for the NFL, the Rebels have turned to a more committee-based receiver room. Receivers have come and gone, but one player has stuck around: Jordan Watkins.
In a preseason press conference this year, Ole Miss Head Coach Lane Kiffin let everyone know just how special Watkins is, both in his abilities and his effect on the team.
“I think he’ll be one of the better receivers in the conference,” Kiffin said. “We enjoy when we have players that make others around them better. Very few players have the best interest in the team, and (he) is one of them.”
Being third in line to Jonathan Mingo and Malik Heath last year, Watkins did not produce stats that jumped off the page in 2022. However, what Rebel fans did see from the wide receiver piqued their interest, leaving them excited for the 2023 season.
What is it with three-star athletes and Ole Miss? It seems like Kiffin has an affinity for under-the-radar players. First, RB Quinshon Judkins stunned the nation and now Watkins. It seems Kiffin knows how to spot a player’s potential from a mile away.
At the beginning of the 2023 season, Kiffin was asked who he expected to have a breakout season, his answer was Watkins without hesitation. Some were surprised he did not name one of the newcomers like high school phenom Suntarine Perkins or Tre Harris, but no one questioned Kiffin’s answer after the Georgia Tech game.
When Harris was out for the Georgia Tech game and Judkins was limited, Watkins stepped up and had his best game of the season. His fellow teammates know they can rely on him to show up and make the big plays.
Watkins, hauling in only four receptions, totaled 119 yards against the Yellow Jackets. After an incredible 68-yard catch, he coined the phrase “wide-open Watkins,” and no one could doubt the player’s talent.
Not only do the Rebels know that he can step up on the field, but they also can count on him to be a leading voice in the locker room as well. With many young players now on the Ole Miss roster, Watkins decided to be a leader, along with fellow wide receiver Dayton Wade.
“We’ve stepped up to the plate a lot just being that voice around the room and helping the younger guys,” Watkins said. “You just have to be a voice in those guys’ ears and just encourage them a little bit, as well as doing your job well.”
Watkins certainly does his job well. With 36 receptions this season, he has accumulated 536 yards, making him Ole Miss’ leading receiver and No. 15 in the nation.
Watkins’s 2023 statistics and accomplishments are impressive, but they are even more stellar when you look at his consistency.
The senior has an average of 14.9 yards per reception and 89.3 per game, making him QB Jaxson Darts’ go-to guy, hence the name “Mr. Reliable.”
“He’s just so reliable, so dependable, comes to work every single day,” Dart said. “He’s like another coach out there.”
