Class Impact: Rebels’ OL Commitment Brycen Sanders

Brycen Sanders adds size and versatility to the Ole Miss offensive line depth chart.

OXFORD – Brycen Sanders is the first offensive lineman to join the Ole Miss Rebels' 2023 recruiting haul. With his talent and versatility, he’s also a very important cog to what Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss coaching staff plan to do long-term.

Position Flexibility and Recruitment

The Rebels need flexibility with the offensive line, i.e. players that can play multiple spots to help overcome injuries, graduation, and maximizing overall performance. Sanders fits that profile well.

Sanders is a major pickup for the Rebels' 2023 recruiting class / @BrycenSanders1

As seen with Sanders’ junior film, he’s a player that bends well (knee bender), can play in space, and those qualities lead to why he can be a tackle or guard. Those qualities also speak to why he was coveted as a national recruit by the likes of Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Stanford, TCU, Michigan State, and Florida State. He’s also helping to build off of last season’s group of OL recruits for the Rebels.

2022 Ole Miss OL Haul

This past recruiting class saw the Rebels land a plethora of talented OL. Whether it’s along the interior or at offensive tackle, Ole Miss found a prospect with a high upside. Now, combining the talents of players like Brycen Hurst, Preston Cushman, Falentha Carsell, and Cam East to Sanders continues the strong trend.

Big Bodies in the Trenches

All four of those 2022 players above were recruited by multiple SEC programs, and all of them could play multiple positions. It is obvious that Kiffin and his staff value versatility. They also value size.

When the shortest offensive lineman from the 2022 class is Cushman at 6’5”, it’s obvious that long-term size and length are valued at a premium. Ole Miss will have some massive offensive lines in the coming years.

Preston Cushman is now up to 295-pounds, and he's much like Sanders in that he could play tackle or guard / Courtesy of Preston Cushman

Sanders is much the same. He’s 6’6” and weighs 280-pounds. He’s not even close to filling out yet, so there’s room to surpass the 300-pound plateau with time in the weight room.

What Ole Miss is Building

To win in the SEC West, high-level offensive line play is a must. A good way to accomplish this task is placing two good OL classes in consecutive years.

With four talented players along the offensive line from last year, Kiffin and his staff can be a little bit pickier with 2023 OL recruiting. Signing just three might be okay, if it’s the right three. Ole Miss does need balance if it goes with three.

It would be great if Ole Miss could land another high-upside offensive tackle like Falentha Carswell in the 2023 class / @BigFlipper00

At least one tackle (preferably two that can play tackle), one guard and a player that can snap and play center. That’s the ideal three-man class. If the Rebels go with four or more high school trench prospects, signing at least two offensive tackles is the best scenario.

Offensive tackles with the athleticism to protect against the SEC’s elite edge rushers are hard to come by. Having back-to-back classes with multiple high-level tackles would be great for the Rebels. Sanders can be one of those players. He’s a fantastic start to the Ole Miss OL recruits for 2023.

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