SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE FOOTBALL MEDIA DAYS

July 20, 2023

Deantre Prince

Ole Miss Rebels

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We have Deantre from Ole Miss. He's ready for your questions.

Q. What has been your understanding of the defense by Pete Golding so far?

DEANTRE PRINCE: Just multiple schemes. He's teaching us to become great defensive players, very well-communicated and educated on the game.

Q. Can you talk to me about the fellow corners that transferred in.

DEANTRE PRINCE: They're coming along pretty good. They are very smart and big corners. Experienced, too. They're very good in their conferences and their old teams.

I mean, it's all about just us when they come in, just making a bond with them, letting them know it's a brotherhood.

Q. You committed to Ole Miss in 2019. You went ju-co for a year, then came back to Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. What went into your decision to return to Ole Miss? What role did Coach Kiffin play in that?

DEANTRE PRINCE: Actually I just wanted to return to be a better player for this community. This is my dream school. To be here, I grew up in Mississippi. I always thought about Ole Miss. It's always been my dream to play there.

Q. Austin Keys, your former teammate, transferring to Auburn. What can you tell us about the kind of player he is?

DEANTRE PRINCE: They're getting a good linebacker, I tell you. Good personality, good attitude. Looking forward to see what they do for them this year.

Q. Any newcomer on the team that you think is going to have a breakout season?

DEANTRE PRINCE: Our true freshman receiver Ayden, I think he's going to have a breakout season as a true freshman, for sure.

Q. There's a lot of conversation about whether or not it's hard to keep culture of a team alive with so many transfers coming and going. You said Ole Miss is your dream school. Talk a little bit about the culture.

DEANTRE PRINCE: I feel like the culture, it's about the players. I'm a veteran now, so I feel like it's my duty. If somebody come in as a transfer, I feel like it's my job to collect fun activities for them on the weekend so we can get to know each other as a defense and as a team. I think that's very important.

Q. Speaking to Quinshon, have you ever seen an underclassman with the kind of talent and skills that he displayed last year?

DEANTRE PRINCE: No, no, I haven't. I haven't seen anyone like that, like Quinshon Judkins ever.

Q. You mentioned Ayden. We covered him a lot. He's quite the player. Also in talking to him, seems like he adapted well to Coach Kiffin's style. What is his personality like coming in?

DEANTRE PRINCE: He's a worker. We in the same, like, kind of lift group type of thing, in the weight room together. I see him putting in work. When we would have team run, he put in work.

I just try my best to encourage him, make sure he knows you can be a big-time guy.

Q. What can you tell us about the steps Jaxson took to win over the team last off-season as a transfer quarterback coming in?

DEANTRE PRINCE: I just feel like his leadership was A plus, was definitely something that we needed for that season. I think he's a great leader still. Just a great quarterback.

Q. Growing up in Mississippi, you must have great impressions of the Egg Bowl. Do you know people on both sides of the fight?

DEANTRE PRINCE: It's very important. Either way, win, lose or draw, I get the back end of the stick. My parents, they want me to win. Even if I do something bad or lose or something like that, they still going to be on me. Win, lose or draw, my family is deeply indebted into that game.

Q. You had a bit of a slide at the end of the past season. What would you say has to be the mindset, especially in the second half of the season, to be able to finish strong?

DEANTRE PRINCE: We got to make sure that we don't let one game define us. No matter who we lose to, we have to make sure we push out through the season, remain together instead of becoming individuals through a loss.

Q. The players between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, outside of that game, are pretty friendly. The fans get kind of riled up. Being an Ole Miss guy, is there a little bit more there? We're friends, but this is bigger?

DEANTRE PRINCE: It's kind of like we're friends. I mean, I had a friend on the team, Mississippi State, last year. We not friends at game. I'm not going to talk to you before the game, I'm just going to talk to you Sunday or something, after the game.