Two important factors played into Ole Miss senior tight end Caden Prieskorn’s decision to return to the Rebels for his COVID year instead of trying his hand at the professional football level.
One, he had performance hindering injuries a good portion of last season.
Two, he checked to see who else was coming back and he liked what he saw.
“I was injured a good portion of last season and when I saw who else was coming back it played a huge role in my decision,” he said. “I think we can make a run next year.
“Toward the end of the year, I got healthier, but it took a long time for me to overcome my foot surgery early in the year.”
Naturally, by “a run” he meant a run at the whole ball of wax – the big trophy of college football.
The injury last year opened his eyes to something he wasn’t fully aware of.
“Not being able to play showed me just how much I love football and just how much I wanted to be out there with my teammates,” the 6-foot-5 255-pounder said. “I just wanted out there and play.”
Prieskorn is the elder statesman of the tight end room which includes junior Hudson Wolfe, junior transfer Dae’Quan Wright , redshirt freshman Jayvontay Conner and true freshman Dillon Hipp , who enrolled at Ole Miss early to go through spring drills.
“We have a good group. We are doing good things in the passing game and in the run game,” Prieskorn continued. “I think Dae’Quan is a great addition to the team, Hudson looks healthier, Jayvontay has done a great job this spring because he is learning the position more and more, and Dillon, who is a big young player.”
Prieskorn likes the look of the Ole Miss team as a whole.
“We look good and we are playing at a high level, but like coach (Lane) Kiffin says, we have a good roster, but that doesn’t make us a good team,” Prieskorn explained. “We have a lot of work to do.
“I will say this though – with the returning players we have coming back, it’s going to be easier to blend in the new guys and easier for us to gel, I believe. We have me and some of the O-Linemen and Tre (Harris) and J-Wat (Jordan Watkins) and (Jaxson) Dart and Dude (Ulysses Bentley IV) on offense.
“We have a lot of core guys returning on defense too like J.I. (Jared Ivey) and J.J. (Pegues) and Trey (Washington). All that just makes it easier to be on the same page.”
Despite the injuries and playing while less than 100 percent, Prieskorn was the fourth leading receiver on the team with 30 catches, 10 of which were in the Peach Bowl win over Penn State when he was feeling nearly full speed.
There’s no doubt he’s looking for, and expecting, more days like that in his final season.
Prieskorn has big plans for himself and the team in 2024.
Rightly so.
The post Caden Prieskorn believes Ole Miss will make ‘a run’ in 2024 appeared first on On3 .
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