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4 top candidates to win Ole Miss football's Chucky Mullins Courage Award in 2022

nick suss, mississippi clarion ledger
·3 min read

OXFORD — With just three weeks to go before the start of the 2022 season, Ole Miss football still hasn't announced which player has won this year's Chucky Mullins Memorial Courage Award and will honor Mullins by wearing his No. 38.

The award, given annually to the upperclassman defender who most embodies Mullins' legacy, has been given to a number of Ole Miss legends, including Patrick Willis and Mike Hilton.

The Rebels have plenty of veteran defenders who could take on Mullins' mantle this year. Here's a rundown of some of the best candidates.

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Defensive tackle K.D. Hill

A fifth-year senior from Eufaua, Alabama, Hill has started 17 games across the past two seasons, logging 33 tackles with two tackles for loss. He serves the ugly, often thankless role of absorbing double- and triple-team blocks in the Rebels' 3-2-6 defense.

Hill is also active in the Oxford community. Over the summer, he organized a kids' day at a local park that included face painting, cornhole, races, waterslides and food for the children to enjoy.

Safety A.J. Finley

Finley has been one of Ole Miss' most reliable defensive backs for three years. Since his freshman year he's made 168 tackles with 11 pass breakups and six interceptions – most notably a game-sealing pick-six against Texas A&M last season.

Finley's teammates have identified him as one of the leaders on defense this year, using his vocality and example to fill in for the losses of last year's leaders like Sam Williams, Chance Campbell and Mark Robinson.

Defensive end Tavius Robinson

After being limited by injuries in 2021, Tavius Robinson has big shoes to fill in 2022 as the Rebels look to replace Williams' production off the edge. Robinson made 28 tackles with 4.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks last year as well as three quarterback hurries.

Entering his final year at Ole Miss, the transfer from Guelph in Canada is another one of the Rebels' most respected and hardest-working defenders.

Safety Otis Reese

Few players on Ole Miss' roster have had to endure more to get to the point they're at than Otis Reese. After spending two seasons at Georgia, Reese transferred to Ole Miss before 2020 but remained ineligible by NCAA ruling until the end of November.

He proved to be one of Ole Miss' best defenders in his three games in 2020, making 23 tackles with an interception and a pass breakup. Reese backed up that performance with 91 tackles in 2021, the most of any returning Rebels player.

Reese enters his final year of college eligibility as one of Ole Miss' most experienced and productive players.

Contact Nick Suss at 601-408-2674 or nsuss@gannett.com. Follow @nicksuss on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: 4 candidates to earn Ole Miss football's Chucky Mullins Award in 2022