By Billy Watkins
During Ole Miss’ bye weekend, defensive tackle Will Echoles made the 50-mile drive home to Houston.
He relaxed and watched football on Saturday. Went to church and visited with family on Sunday. Ate his mama’s home cooking: hamburger steak, chicken and dressing, greens and macaroni and cheese.
“It was good to watch other teams play, see how they do things,” Echoles said by phone. “We don’t get to do that a lot so I enjoyed it.”
Now, it’s back to work for the 5-0 and No. 4-ranked Rebels. Washington State visits Saturday for an 11:45 a.m. kickoff, followed by road trips to Georgia and Oklahoma.
Echoles, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound sophomore, is one of the rising stars on this year’s Rebel defense. After playing in nine games last season, he is fourth in tackles (24) this year, leads the team in sacks (2) and tied for second in tackles for loss (2.5).
He just turned 19 in August.
His mother, Regina Lyles-Echoles, isn’t surprised he is finding his way in college football.
“We were sitting at his place in Oxford the other day,” she said during a phone interview. “Out of nowhere, he looked at me and said, ‘Mama, it’s fun.’ I was so glad to hear that, even though I knew he was happy. I told him, ‘That’s good because when it’s fun, you’re going to play your best.’
“Nobody ever has to worry about Will giving a hundred percent. He is his own worst critic. If he does something wrong, he will keep at it until he does it right. He’s always been like that.”
Ole Miss finished second nationally in scoring defense a year ago. Several of the key players left for the NFL. Echoles and his mates heard the talk about how there would be a huge drop-off this season.
“Coach Pete (Golding, defensive coordinator) told us there would be no talent drop-off,” Echoles said, “but that we had to really concentrate on the details and get our minds and our technique down.”
So far, the defense has shown steady improvement and played its best game in a 24-19 victory over LSU on Sept. 27.
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He is hitting or getting hit on every play. Games are long and intense. I wanted to know why he enjoys a sport with such physical and mental demands.
“It comes down to this,” Echoles said. “You have to move a grown man where he doesn’t want to be, and I love the feeling when I do that, when I make a tackle or sack the quarterback. That never gets old.
“And on every play, one of you is going to get moved, and I don’t want to be the one who gets moved on national TV. I tell myself all the time, don’t look bad on television.’ “
His recruiting journey to Ole Miss was surprisingly smooth. He grew up in Houston, home of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who played college ball at Mississippi State.
When Echoles was named Mr. Football in Class 4A and rated the 14th-best defensive lineman nationally by 24/7, many thought he would follow Jones’ path to State.
“Houston is a real big State town,” his mother said. “We heard all that about him going to State but the truth is, Mississippi State didn’t recruit him as hard as others did. I mean, they talked to him but they never made him feel as important as other schools, especially Ole Miss. I think (defensive line coach Randall Joyner) talked to him every day.”
“I guess State thought he was coming there just because . . .”
It boiled down to Ole Miss and Auburn. Former Rebel defensive lineman Jeremy Garrett was his primary recruiter at Auburn.
“Coach Garrett was great,” his mom said. “He’s with the Chicago Bears now and he still checks on Will. And Coach (Hugh) Freeze was good, too.”
But during a visit to the Plains, Echoles had a question for Garrett: When he was being recruited, why did he choose Ole Miss?
Garrett was straight up with him: “Because it felt like home.”
“That’s how I feel about Ole Miss, too,” Echoles responded.
Other factors were working. One of his older sisters, Marquashia, graduated from Ole Miss in 2024,. Echoles’ twin sister, Olashaq, was strongly considering Ole Miss.
He soon committed to the Rebels, and Olashaq (known as “Lay”) enrolled, too.
“That was a big moment because he and Lay are so close,” his mom said. “But to say I was proud the day he signed would be an understatement. It was like attending a graduation. This little boy who used to watch football and study what they did, the little boy who said he wanted to do that one day was finally going to get his chance.
“And then the opening game this year, we looked up on the Jumbotron and Will was being announced as a starter. I was crying, the whole row of family was crying. He had fulfilled a dream and that’s all you really want for your kids.”
Now there is one thing she wants for herself: A No. 52 jersey just like her son’s. Powder blue.
“I’ve got all kinds of t-shirts to wear to games. Will has said he’s going to get me a jersey, but I know he is real busy.” she said and then laughed. “I’ve decided I’m just going to go ahead and get it myself and he’ll see it on his bank account.”
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Just before summer camp, the Echoles family went on a short vacation to Miami. Echoles’ best friend on the team, defensive end Kam Franklin, went along.
“We had a really good time,” Mama Echoles said. “Will and Kam said they’d like to go back sometime. I’d already done my homework on bowl games and the playoffs. I told them, ‘If y’all will play like you’re supposed to, you’ll be back sooner than you think”
The national championship game is set for Jan. 19, 2026, just outside Miami.
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