Joenel Aguero didn’t come to Ole Miss looking for a fresh start in the abstract. He came because he wanted a different role, plain and simple.
The senior safety transferred from Georgia after three seasons mostly spent at nickel, and that shift was the driving force behind his move. At Ole Miss, he saw a chance to line up at safety, play freer in space and land in a system where he believed he’d be put in position to make plays.
“First reason why I entered is because I wanted to play more safety. Just be more free (in the open field).
Just coming here I thought it was a perfect opportunity for me to showcase that,” Aguero shared with Ole Miss On SI. “I know they’re going to put me in the right position to make the right plays, so it was just a no-brainer for me to make the decision.
I was playing nickel (at Georgia) for three years, and then I kind of wanted to make a move to safety.”
That’s a major reason Ole Miss brought him in. The Rebels enter the season with a rebuilt secondary, and the safety room in particular was hit hard after needing to replace the four safeties it used most last fall. Ole Miss responded by signing three veteran safeties through the transfer portal, trying not just to patch holes but to raise the level of play after too many explosive plays allowed because of blown assignments and miscommunication.
Aguero arrives with a solid résumé from Athens. In 23 games at Georgia, he totaled 72 tackles, 45 of them solo, along with three pass breakups and an interception.
His final stretch with the Bulldogs wasn’t easy, though. Aguero dealt with a hand and wrist injury that required wrapping for much of the year and kept him in and out of the lineup in October. When the discomfort got worse, he wound up watching the SEC Championship and Sugar Bowl from the sideline.
“It was definitely tough,” Aguero said of his injury riddled ending at Georgia. “I’d say especially just being in the playoffs and watching everybody play.
It was definitely tough. I tried my best just to support my teammates and just help the young guys that were in front of me to just play the best game we could play.
It was definitely tough.”
He missed a few of the first spring practices at Ole Miss, then worked his way back onto the field in a limited role by the end of April. The transition to Pete Golding’s defense wasn’t seamless at first, but Aguero says the early stress has given way to comfort as he’s stacked more reps.
“I feel good. Overall everything is good,” Aguero said about his health and new fit.
“Defense-wise - I first came in having to learn a new position so it was a little stressful, but now I feel way more comfortable in the defense. Now I’m able to go around and fly around and just play.”
Aguero is also approaching this season with a different mindset. Rather than loading himself up with personal checkpoints, he says he wants to keep it simple and let the play take care of the rest.
“Usually every year I go into the season with goals. I feel like this year I kind of want to go into the season with no goals and just play,” Aguero added. “I don’t really want to set no goals for myself, I just want to go out there and just play hard and fast.”
And when he does get on the field, he’s clear about the kind of presence he wants to bring. He described himself as a defender who attacks downhill and makes runners pay, while also looking to take away anything thrown deep.
“Someone who’s gonna come downhill and make whoever runs through that hole pay. Any quarterback that wants to throw it over the top, I’m gonna go get it,” he assessed.
Aguero won’t be alone in that safety rotation. Edwin Joseph and Shariff Denson are also expected to see plenty of snaps, while Ladarian Clardy and Nick Cull return for another season. For now, Aguero likes the group he’s walking into.
“I think we got a lot of elite guys,” Aguero explained. “From the older guys to the younger guys, I feel like as long as we get everybody on the same page with the playbook I think we’re all ready to play this season with everybody.”
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fall Camp Is Turning Up Pressure At Key Positions
Fall camp has arrived in Oxford, and with it comes the kind of reset that can reshape a depth chart fast. Ole Miss has brought in around 30 new players since last season, giving the Rebels a crowded and intriguing competition at several spots as the staff sorts out who can help right away. Among the newcomers drawing attention are transfers Blake Purchase, Horatio Fields and Jaheim Oatis, each entering camp with a real chance to push for meaningful snaps.
The early buzz around that trio is less about name recognition than fit, size and the possibility of raising the overall ceiling of the roster. Coaches and analysts have pointed to their physical tools and the depth they can add, which is exactly what makes this stage of camp so important for Ole Miss. The next few weeks should reveal not just who can compete, but which newcomers can turn a promising start into a true role on the team. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Secondary Suddenly Has A Name Fans Need To Watch
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Jaylon Braxton is one of the names worth circling. The defensive backs 2025 season was slowed by injuries, and Ole Miss is counting on him to turn that health into production after a difficult stretch. With the Rebels trying to build a deeper, more reliable secondary, Braxtons presence gives this group a potential difference-maker, and his camp performance will be watched closely as the defense tries to establish itself as a strength. [Read more 🡒]
Jaylon Braxton Could Change Everything For Ole Miss At Corner
Jaylon Braxton arrives at Ole Miss with the kind of promise that can quietly alter a defenses ceiling. The cornerback transferred in after a difficult stretch at Arkansas, where a patella fracture limited his availability, and he now enters preseason camp looking to put the injury behind him. For a Rebels secondary trying to become more dependable, getting a player with his talent back on even footing matters as much as any offseason addition.
Braxton has spent this summer focusing on cornerback and on what he can bring to an improved Ole Miss defense, with optimism building around his outlook for the season ahead. After surgery to clean up the knee issue that followed him into last year, he is finally in a position to compete without the same limitations, and that alone changes the conversation around the Rebels back end. The real question is how quickly that health translates once camp gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]