Locked On Ole Miss - Daily podcast on Ole Miss Rebels Football, Basketball & Baseball · Locked On Podcast Network, Steven Willis

🚨 WARNING: Pete Golding's Defense KEY for Ole Miss as SPRING BEGINS | All Eyes on John David Baker for 2026

·28 min·1 clip

Will Echols finished with 68 tackles, five sacks, and 11.5 tackles for loss.

1. Locked On Ole Miss focuses on Pete Golding’s defense and John David Baker’s role as spring practice begins. 2. Stephen Willis hosts the show and frames Ole Miss football around defense, while mentioning Ross Jackson and the Locked On Podcast Network at the top. 3. The episode asks whether Ole Miss can reach the playoff if the defense becomes reliable enough to match a strong offense. 4. Willis says the 2024 defense had to play drop-eight because the safeties were the weak point, not the cornerbacks. 5. He names Trey Washington and A.J. Finley as the type of back-end players Ole Miss lacked a year ago. 6. He says opposing SEC offenses could run almost at will when they stayed committed to the ground game. 7. Jay Crawford is presented as the key transfer portal addition because he can play man and zone on the outside. 8. Willis says Antonio Kite can now settle into the No. 2 corner role if Crawford holds the other side. 9. The safety group remains the main concern, with Ladarian Cardi, Edwin Joseph, Jonel Aguero, Sharif Denson, and Jalen Braxton all in the mix. 10. Willis says Pete Golding wants man coverage so the front seven can attack with more than three defenders. 11. Will Echols is described as the player Ole Miss wants to build around on the interior, and Willis calls him the Walter Nolen comparison for this defense. 12. He cites Echols’ 68 tackles, five sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, and Sugar Bowl defensive MVP performance. 13. Cam Franklin is compared to Jared Ivey as a strong-side defensive end with five sacks. 14. Santana Perkins returns with 81 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 12.5 tackles for loss after playing coverage-heavy linebacker snaps. 15. Willis says linebacker has been the hardest personnel spot to solve over the last two seasons. 16. Luke Farrelly is expected to wear the green dot, and Willis says that role requires trust because Ole Miss handled the situation carefully. 17. The tone is analytical and roster-focused, with Willis moving quickly between coverage structure, transfers, and spring-practice evaluation. 18. The format is a solo commentary show with a lot of direct opinion, stat references, and repeated reminders about the defense and personnel fits. 19. Ole Miss fans tracking spring football, defensive personnel, and John David Baker. 20. Listeners wanting game-by-game play-calling details or off-topic banter.

As heard by us

A brisk Ole Miss spring check-in that treats the defense as the whole story.

Ole Miss spring practice gets treated as a defense first test, with Pete Golding stepping in as head man and John David Baker drawing early notice.

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Why you'd press play

Want the real Ole Miss spring practice question? It starts on defense.

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