'Just Play Ball': Rebels' Dayton Wade Not Worried About Notoriety, Focused On Making Plays

Ole Miss Rebels wide receiver Dayton Wade was the fourth-most productive wide receiver last season, but has shown versatility and mental growth ahead of 2023.

Ole Miss Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin is the transfer portal king.

He brought in Zakhari Franklin and Tre Harris — two of the best transfer wide receivers in the country — in addition to top returning pass-catcher Jordan Watkins. But wait, what about Dayton Wade?

Wade had a solid season with 27 receptions for 309 yards and three touchdowns and is an under-the-radar threat in this Rebels offense. What does Wade think about all this?

"I don't really mind," Wade said. "Last year, I was in a similar spot. I came in, walked on, media wasn't giving me any attention, not anything like that. It ain't nothing new. It is what it is. At the end of the day, we got to put the ball down and players make plays. I don't really put too much thought into it. I just play ball."

Wade took a leap of faith in his transfer from Western Kentucky. He didn't have a guaranteed spot walking on at Ole Miss, but made the most of his opportunities and earned his spot with the Rebels.

The Atlanta native said the coaches didn't really realize his talent early on last season because he wasn't recruited by Ole Miss' staff, but then they took notice when he popped up on tape more and more. 

"Coaches do their job, they watch film, they're like, 'Hold on, we might have us one,'" Wade said. "As the season progressed, they started seeing, 'OK, we can use him way more.' Towards the end of the season, they were like, 'OK, these are his strengths, so let's play towards his strengths and then try to exploit his strengths now.' Right now, I would say we're on the verge of exploiting what I'm good at, putting me in positions to win."

Wade said he's become more versatile in the offense, playing both outside and inside, which has forced him to be more cerebral and think about his assignment and what he has to do. He said with the newcomers on the field with him, he's had to also be there to answer any questions they might have.

Wade said ahead of this season he wants to be more efficient.

"Efficient with understanding what's going on," Wade said. "I can be quicker when it comes to analyzing things, seeing the defense and things like that to make my job easier so I won't have to out-athlete everybody. I can just go back to out-smarting them."

When Ole Miss' offense needs to throw the football, it will have no shortage of weapons to throw to and Wade should be right in the thick of the Rebels' passing production.

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Follow Casey Smith on Twitter @casey_smith2419

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