By Billy Watkins
This is the way college football used to be.
Brycen Sanders of Chattanooga, Tenn. was the. No. 4 recruit and the No. 18 interior offensive lineman nationally in the recruiting class of 2023, according to On3. He helped lead Baylor School to a state championship his senior season. He was offered a scholarship by seven SEC schools and dozens of others. He settled on three finalists: Oklahoma, Tennessee and Ole Miss. He signed with the Rebels.
During his first two seasons in Oxford, he played a total of 118 snaps — mostly on special teams. He red-shirted his freshman year.
“I’m thankful for those two years,” he said when I interviewed him during preseason camp. “I was able to learn from some guys who had played a whole lot of football. Guys like Jeremy James and Buckshot (Caleb Warren). It helped me a lot.”
He also reshaped his body. A little less fat, a lot more muscle. He stands 6-foot-6, 310 pounds.
And in Ole Miss’ season-opening victory over Georgia State last Saturday, the 21-year-old Sanders started at center. Played 74 snaps, more than anyone on offense.
But here is where things really get old school. He never once sniffed the transfer portal because he wasn’t playing.
“Ole Miss was the first school to offer him. It was right after his sophomore year,” said his dad, Gary, who coached Brycen during his state title season. “They were the first to see his potential. And there is a lot to be said about loyalty.
“He came to Ole Miss for a reason — to get a degree and represent the school on the football field. He loved Oxford on the first visit, its small-town, sentimental atmosphere. Its fan base. And he feels loyalty toward Coach (Lane) Kiffin for staying loyal to him during the recruiting process. This is where he wants to be.”
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He suffered through some dark days when he wasn’t playing much.
“My mental health, especially last season, was challenged,” he said. “Football can be really hard when you’re not playing. I had doubts creeping into my mind. My self-confidence tanked a little bit. I’m naturally very hard on myself. Last year, I put too much pressure on myself. I have unrealistic expectations.
“I had to realize that going against the guys I’m going against, I’m not going to win every battle. I had to learn to let a bad play go and move on to the next one. But that’s hard to do.”
He made that a point of emphasis during spring training and preseason camp. He sought therapy at Ole Miss’ Counseling and Sports Psychology department, which helps student athletes deal with issues such as depression, loneliness, anxiety and family problems.
“It helped me,” he said.
I asked about the cross he wears around his neck . Has that helped?
“A hundred percent,” he said. “I think my faith grew a lot the past two years. I realized I had to trust God’s plan. It’s got me to where I am today so I just have to keep trusting Him.”
And he does everything that he can control off the field to put himself in a position to play his best.
“He loves football,” his dad said. “Eats, breathes and sleeps it. so he’s vey picky about what he puts in his body. He eats at the football facility, but he also eats a lot of dinners on his own. He even cooks his own meals lots of times, thanks to his mama (Allie) teaching him.”
So what’s a typical day on his menu?
“I basically eat the same thing,” Sanders said. “For lunch, I’ll eat a half a pound of ground beef and about 500 calories of rice. For dinner, it changes some throughout the week but I always have the same (protein) shakes every day.”
He also has a regimented sleep schedule and prides himself on being one of the first people in the football facility each morning. He’s been a regular member of the academic honor roll since he arrived.
“Just being disciplined,” he said.
I asked what he does in the little spare time that he has.
“I love the stock market, investing, that sort of thing,” said Sanders, who is majoring in entrepreneurship.’
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I talked with Sanders again this week to get his take on the offensive line’s play in the opener. Ole Miss gained 697 yards, including 291 on the ground, in a 63-7 rout of Georgia State.
“Personally, I think I did some good things but also have a lot of things I need to fix,” he said. “I did a lot better about getting past a mistake and going on to the next play. You really have no choice when you’re playing center and have to make (blocking) calls and snap the ball on time,” he said.
Turning to the entire line’s performance, he pointed out that because of injuries during the preseason “the guys out there didn’t really have much time playing together. And that’s so important. But we’ve got players who want to win, who want to work to get better. I love the guys in our room.”
Up next, Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in Lexington, is a rematch with Kentucky — the team that shocked Ole Miss in Oxford last season, 20-17.
“Even though I only played on special teams, walking off the field I didn’t feel like we lost. It was unbelievable,” he said. “I know the guys are looking for revenge, especially for those who graduated. Even with the new guys, they understand the hype. It being our first SEC game, they know what this week is about.”
His usual support group will be in the stands Saturday — his parents and his sister, Avery, who also attends Ole Miss.
They go to every game, home and away.
His parents won a trip to Scotland last year, but it was the same week Ole Miss played Tulane.
“He wasn’t starting, but we just felt like we needed to be there,” his dad said.
They’ll try to see Scotland another time.
“I had so much fun coaching Brycen his senior year,” said his dad, who played offensive line at Middle Tennessee State 1999-2002. “When I was a senior in high school, we lost the championship game. But when Brycen won it, we beat the same coach who beat me. How’s that for a storybook ending?”
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