Sharif Denson’s return came at exactly the right time for Ole Miss.
After missing the Rebels’ first two games with an injury, the safety finally got back on the field Saturday against LSU and wasted no time making his presence felt in a 32-24 win that lifted Ole Miss to 3-0 overall, 1-0 in the Southeastern Conference and No. 4 in the Associated Press Top 25. Denson finished with nine tackles, and for him, the moment carried plenty of weight.
“Oh man, it was amazing,” Denson said Tuesday. “I could only thank God for allowing me to come back in that moment and play the way I played.
I had a missed tackle, had a catch made on me on third down - definitely stuff I could get better at. But I had a pretty decent game.”
Denson said the extra week he got to heal before the LSU game mattered.
“That extra week of rest was definitely good,” Denson said. “Thank God they let me heal back up as much as I could, and then I was able to come out against LSU.”
Ole Miss teammates noticed the difference immediately. Blake Purchase pointed to Denson’s communication and leadership in the back end, along with the early impact he made against LSU.
“Sharif's a big communicator back there,” Purchase said. “I think he's one of the leaders in the secondary.
The whole time I've been here, since we came in together in January, seeing him take that leadership role in the back end has been huge. And him making a big play early in that game gave all of us a lot of confidence - like, 'Oh, Reef's back.
We're good.'”
His return also helped clean up some of the coverage issues Ole Miss had dealt with in earlier wins over Louisville and Charlotte. Denson said his background at Florida helped him step into that role quickly, especially with the communication demands in the secondary.
“At Florida I played the nickel position, so I had to communicate to the corner and the safety behind me,” Denson said. “I was already used to communicating on the field.
Coming here, I knew I only had one year left, so I came in with the mindset that I'm a vet now. I've got to already know the system, already know the scheme, and just communicate with everybody around me and get everyone on the same page so we can play at our best.”
Now comes a different kind of challenge: a trip to Florida on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CDT/3:30 p.m.
EDT in Gainesville against No. 21 Florida (3-0, 1-0).
Some national media have suggested Ole Miss could struggle to reset emotionally after the LSU win, but that won’t be an issue for Denson.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native spent the earlier years of his college career at Florida, and the matchup gives him a personal layer without changing his approach.
“You could say I grew up a Gators fan,” Denson said. “That helped.
Both my parents went to the University of Florida too. I'm also a competitor, and I wanted to be in the best conference, so I wanted to play in the SEC.
Being from Jacksonville, there's kind of a pipeline to Florida, so I just went there.”
Denson played sparingly in 2023, then produced 88 tackles, an interception and two pass-breakups across the 2024 and 2025 seasons. He said there are no hard feelings as he heads back to Gainesville.
“It’s a different coaching staff - defensive coordinator, head coach,” Denson said. “I left before I even talked to them, so I don't have any real connection with them.
But playing against my old teammates, that'll be fun, a good experience. Definitely good to get back on the field with them.”
He also knows what awaits in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where Florida’s crowd can make life miserable for visitors.
“As far as the fans go, they kind of feel like they're on your back, with all the noise and everything,” Denson said. “But I feel like if we go in there, execute the first couple drives, and take the crowd out of it, we're going to be OK.”
Stopping Florida running back Jadan Baugh will be a major part of that. Through three games against Florida Atlantic, Campbell and Auburn, Baugh has run 54 times for 458 yards and eight touchdowns.
Denson said he knows Baugh well.
“Me and JB were cool, still are cool,” Denson said. “Team run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I used to see him every day.
He runs under his pads. He's very strong in the weight room and on the field.
He's got good hands, good pass blocker - he can really do everything. There's nothing he can't do.
And he breaks a lot of tackles through contact. His balance is really good.
So you've just got to bring your feet and wrap up to tackle him.”
Ole Miss will have more help around him this time, with Denson, cornerback Antonio Kite and others back in the mix. For Denson, that’s the biggest difference heading into a tough SEC road test.
“We've got all our brothers back,” Denson said. “Everybody is playing together, playing for each other, knowing we've got each other's backs. Just ready to play together.”
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