Joey Chestnut Reveals College Football Fandom at Ole Miss Rebels' Grove Bowl Games

Champion eater Joey Chestnut is a big college football fan, and he took time to speak with the media in Oxford on Saturday.

Joey Chestnut / Ole Miss Athletics

OXFORD - World champion hot dog eater Joey Chestnut has been to Oxford before, but Saturday is a new experience for him.

Chestnut is present for the first-ever "Grove Bowl Games," a series of events that replaces the Ole Miss Rebels' typical scrimmage format to conclude spring practice. Along with 7-on-7 drills, a dunk contest, and tug-of-war, there is a hot dog eating contest at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, and that led head coach Lane Kiffin to direct message Chestnut on X to request his presence in Oxford.

"I saw a message request and was like, 'Who's this guy?'" Chestnut said. "Then I was like, 'Oh my gosh, Lane Kiffin.'

"It's been awesome. Beautiful weather, happy people, and everybody seems to be really excited. You guys have a big season coming up."

READ MORE: Hot Dog Eating Champion Joey Chestnut to Attend Ole Miss Rebels 'Grove Bowl Games'

Chestnut's biggest day of the year comes on Independence Day with the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, and while that event is still a few months away, he is slowly preparing his body for that gauntlet.

"Right now, it's not full-on training for July 4 until about eight weeks out," Chestnut said. "Right now, I'm working on capacity with liquids, other foods, jaw strength, and doing some exercises. Trying to make sure I keep my weight dropping. I'm losing weight pretty good. I'll be exactly where I want to be at the end of the month, and then I'll start doing practices."

The world champ also had some advice for the Rebels who are amateur competitors in this sport on Saturday.

"You've got to practice and ignore your feelings," Chestnut said. "Your body's going to be telling you a lot of things. You've listened to your body your whole life, and you've got to ignore those feelings. You're not full, even if your body is telling you you're full. You just gotta push it."

Of course, the main theme of Saturday's games is a celebration of college football, and Ole Miss has plenty of momentum this offseason heading into a critical 2024 campaign. The Rebels finished last year with an 11-2 record and Peach Bowl victory, and they are eyeing their first-ever College Football Playoff berth this fall.

Chestnut is a big college football fan, and he's hoping that this isn't his only appearance in Oxford this year.

"I try to go to a couple of games a year," Chestnut said. "Last year, I went to an IU game, a Georgia game. I went to Athens last year. I do love college football, but they're always Saturdays, and a lot of my events are Saturdays, so I don't get to go to nearly as many as I'd like to. But I'm really hoping I can make it back out here for the Georgia game."