Aidan Gallardo
Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo was named the SEC Co-Offensive Player of the Week after his record-breaking performance in Saturday’s 52-28 victory over Vanderbilt.
Mingo finally had his break-out game, something that fans have been waiting to see from him this year.
The senior had nine catches for 247 yards and two touchdowns against the Commodores. He had a staggering average of 27.4 yards per catch, largely due to his pair of 70-plus-yard touchdowns.
Mingo also grabbed a career-long receiving touchdown with his 72-yard catch-and-run during the late stages of the fourth quarter.
With his 247 receiving yards, Mingo broke the school record for the most receiving yards in a single game. The previous record was held by Elijah Moore when he had 238 yards in 2020 against Vanderbilt as well.
“Really during the game, I didn’t know that I had that many yards until I had about three or four more to go (to break the record),” Mingo said in the press conference after the game. “It really wasn’t my main focus. I’m really just happy to be playing.”
After his junior season was cut short because of a broken foot he suffered during the week of practice before the game against Alabama, Mingo decided to stay one more year at Ole Miss in hopes of truly showcasing his potential. After last Saturday’s performance, it’s safe to say that he has every NFL scout’s attention.
“I just really like him as a kid,” Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin said at Monday’s press conference about Mingo. “He’s an awesome leader by example. Never says anything but just works and never complains.”
Kiffin remembered how Mingo was trying to play in the game against Alabama, despite breaking his foot earlier that week.
“I just remember the passion he had when the guy came out and tried to practice for Alabama when there was no way he was going to be able to go and still tried,” Kiffin said. “The tears in his eyes and it’s just special … when you really love football, you practice and prepare like this guy does. So it’s just awesome to have around.”
Mingo is currently first in the SEC in receptions (507) and yards per reception (23.05) and tied for fifth in receiving touchdowns (3).
Mingo received a lot of praise from his fellow wide receiver, Jordan Watkins, in Monday’s press conference.
“I think Mingo’s such a hard worker,” Watkins said. “Coach (Kiffin) mentioned it today that it’s somebody who just comes into work every day and kind of just puts in the work. It’s finally good for it to come out and just be brought to life a little bit.”
It has now been four straight weeks that an Ole Miss player has received a weekly SEC award. Quinshon Judkins earned an award twice, Nick Broeker and Micah Pettus have each earned one and now Mingo joins his fellow Rebels in that special category.
Who’s next in line to break the stat sheet like Mingo did last week? Find out Saturday, Oct. 15, when Ole Miss faces the Auburn Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Kickoff is at 11 a.m. CDT on ESPN.
