OXFORD - Caleb Odom’s value to Ole Miss starts with how many places he can line up, but this preseason he’s putting just as much emphasis on the finer points of playing tight end.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder from Carrollton, Ga., can be attached to the line, work from the slot or split out wide, giving the Rebels a matchup problem wherever he goes. That part of his game is still in use under first-year offensive coordinator John David Baker, but Odom said Wednesday that the real focus has been tightening the details that come with the position.
“It’s been really beneficial to hone in on my footwork and hand placement and things that make a good tight end a good tight end,” Odom said Wednesday following the Rebels' first full-pads practice of the 2026 season. “I try to take pride in being able to do all of that stuff. I don't think there was a label on it, but it was definitely something that was known that I would still be focusing on tight end and trying to get everything under control.”
That attention matters more now with Dae’Quan Wright gone after being recently claimed by the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Baker said earlier this week that only quarterbacks have more on their plate in his offense than tight ends, and Odom said the room is carrying plenty of responsibility.
“I do feel like we are running more 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends), more 13 and things like that,” Odom said. “So I see a lot of opportunity for all the guys - me, Luke Hasz, Michael Smith, Brady Prieskorn. I feel like we are being played in a good system and we're being put in the best position we can be put into to make plays.
“It’s been something for sure. Even last year, with Weis and them and their terminology and how they did stuff, it was even hard back then.
But now, there are certain things that (we) tight ends have to know. …Just knowing certain rules for blocking and things like that that aren't really talked about.
We have to know a lot of everything. It’s definitely been a challenge but it’s nothing we aren't understanding and built for for sure.”
Odom’s production last season reflected a player still settling into the role. In his first year at Ole Miss after starting his college career at Alabama, he caught 19 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, he says the game is starting to slow down. The Rebels open the season Sept. 6 in Nashville’s Nissan Stadium against Louisville, and Odom believes the comfort level is finally catching up to the versatility.
“It’s coming quick,” Odom said. “Being able to see the signal and just line up and not really be wondering what I have or what I'm about to do, just looking at the defense, seeing the coverage and seeing the leverage and stuff like that.”
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fall Camp Is Revealing Three Crucial Offensive Answers
Fall camp is starting to sort out a few of the biggest offensive questions for Ole Miss, and three players in particular have moved into the spotlight. Makhi Frazier has settled in as the backup running back, Terez Davis is lining up to start at left tackle, and Caleb Odom is getting ready for a bigger workload at tight end as the Rebels continue installing and refining things under Pete Golding.
The transition has not been identical for each of them, but the common thread is adjustment, especially with the speed and demands of the system. Offensive coordinator John David Baker pointed to the learning curve for tight ends in the offense, and Odom is among the players working through that process while Frazier and Davis absorb their own new responsibilities in camp. For Ole Miss, these are the kinds of lineup developments that can quietly shape the offense long before the season opener. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fall Camp Is Already Sending A Message About 2026
Ole Miss has already wrapped its first week of preseason camp, and even with media access kept limited, the early tone around the program has been easy to read. The Rebels are trying to carry the momentum of last seasons College Football Playoff run into another high-expectation year, with the focus now shifting toward getting ready for the 2026 opener against Louisville. Between the returning core and another transfer portal class that should matter right away, this camp has become the first real checkpoint in what the program hopes is another step forward.
More media availability is still scheduled later in August, so the public picture of camp is only starting to come into focus. Still, the structure of the opening week says plenty about where Ole Miss is headed: the Rebels are not treating this as a reset, but as a continuation of the standard they have built. The bigger question is how quickly those key returners and newcomers can translate that promise into the kind of depth and consistency that usually separates a good season from one that ends with real postseason expectations. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Pushing For A Coveted Cornerback With Ties To Oxford
Pete Golding is already working well ahead of the present, using the recruiting trail to set Ole Miss up for the 2027 and 2028 classes while also circling a priority name closer to home. One of the biggest targets in that effort is four-star cornerback Deonte Flemings, a prospect whose profile fits the kind of defensive back talent the Rebels want to keep landing as they build out the secondary.
Flemings has family ties to Oxford through Ole Miss freshman cornerback Dorian Barney, and he has spoken positively about the program, giving the Rebels something real to work with as they try to stay in the mix. For now, the situation is still about persistence and relationship-building, with Ole Miss pushing to make itself a serious factor in a race that is still very much open. [Read more 🡒]