Dayton Wade Emerges as Leader, Prominent Player in Rebels Receiving Room

Wade came through in a big way for Ole Miss in its win over Tulane last weekend.

OXFORD, Miss. -- The No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels have a "next man up" mentality, but it helps when you have talent to go along with that.

While it is unclear how long names like Tre Harris or Zakhari Franklin will be sidelined for the Rebels, other wide receivers like Dayton Wade are keeping the offense going, especially in the passing game. Harris departed in the first half of Saturday's game against the Tulane Green Wave with an injury, but Wade stepped in and made some key plays down the stretch for his team.

"I was telling them the whole time, 'We're not new to this. We're true to this,'" Wade said in media availability on Tuesday. "We've been down before and shorthanded before, so, to us, we didn't really flinch. Some way, somehow we've got to get it done."

One catch in particular stood out in the second half for Wade, an acrobatic effort that pushed the Rebels deep down the field closer to a score. Even though it made highlight reels, he doesn't believe it's his greatest catch of all-time.

"All-time?" Wade said. "I've made some crazy catches, but I'll put it at No. 3 considering the situation and how much it meant, ranked opponent. My favorite, you'll have to watch my high school highlight tape."

Ole Miss wide receiver Dayton Wade hauled in seven passes for 106 yards on Saturday against Tulane, including this catch that went for 43 yards. 

Wade was asked on Tuesday if he felt that his role in the offense had grown over the course of the offseason and into this fall. He admits that injuries can cause receivers to change locations, but in reality, the offense is geared to help them all make plays.

"The way we run our offense, it depends on where the ball is, really," Wade said. "We work everything both ways. Nothing is scripted for a specific person. Since we were short a receiver, we may have to move you around. Just ball."

While the Ole Miss running game was out of sorts on Saturday, quarterback Jaxson Dart seemed to put his team on his back and will them down the field on offense. That didn't come as a surprise to his teammates, including Wade.

"This is my second year with Dart, so I know him," Wade said. "Personally, we're close. We have conversations. He just showed y'all Saturday how much he really wants it. It was no surprise to me or us. We all know he's a dog. We just rally behind him."

Now as the Rebels are hampered by injuries in the pass-catcher department, Wade and some of the veterans in that room are helping mold the younger players by their side. This helps carry on a positional legacy, one that has become famous at the wide receiver position at Ole Miss.

"We consider ourselves deep in the receiver room," Wade said. "We see ourselves as having a lot of talent, and anybody can go in at any time. I wouldn't say that I would have to get on people more than before, but I'm definitely mentoring the young. That's your job as an older player. You want to keep the legacy going."

Wade and the Rebels will take the field again on Saturday at home when they face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC Network.