Antonio Kite knows the faces on the other side of the line of scrimmage this week. Some of them used to share a locker room with him.
The fifth-year Ole Miss cornerback is preparing for Saturday’s home matchup against Missouri with more than just another SEC opponent on his mind. Former Rebels quarterback Austin Simmons, defensive back Chris Graves and wide receiver Cayden Lee now wear Tigers colors, and Kite is ready for the reunion — competitive edge and all.
“It’s going to be fun to see them like in person again, rather than just being on the game or talking on the phone and stuff. It’s going to be fun,” Kite said during Tuesday’s press conference previewing the Missouri game.
The transfer portal has made such matchups increasingly common, and Kite acknowledged as much. Friendships do not disappear when players change teams. Neither does the competitive fire.
“Especially with the transfer portal. It’s very common,” he said. “All the transfer guys we know about them. You know, they were here last year with us.”
Kite expects plenty of chatter with Graves in particular. “You know, it’s going to be a lot of trash talking, me and Chris Graves,” he said with a smile. He still approaches the game with the same intensity he brings every Saturday.
“They’re a great team. But like I’m going to take it as every game is a high level game, especially when I’m playing against some old friends.”
Antonio Kite
That mindset fits the broader tone Kite and the Ole Miss defense are carrying into the week. The Rebels are coming off a decisive 52-17 bounce-back win at Vanderbilt after a tough loss at Florida. Kite, who recorded an interception in the Vanderbilt victory as part of a season-high four turnovers forced by the defense, credited a return to fundamentals and identity.
“It was just more about us being us. You know, just executing at a high level, playing hard with heart, like just going out there and be us and ball,” he said.
The open date after the Florida defeat gave the Rebels time to reset. Kite was careful not to romanticize the loss but made clear the lessons stuck.
“I don’t want to say a loss is a good thing, but I think we just learned from it,” he explained. “We don’t want to feel that that feeling again. So you know, everything is on the line. We just want to go out there and win every game, play our best, have fun.”
Creating turnovers has been a point of emphasis. Against Vanderbilt the defense produced two interceptions (Kite and Nick Cull) and two fumble recoveries. Kite said the group has been drilling that area daily.
“That was big for us to see a lot of guys go out there and get the ball,” he said. “You know we haven’t been doing that. But we’ve been working on it every day at practice trying to get the ball more and be better. Better at that.”
Health is not a concern. Asked if he is fully healthy, Kite answered simply, “Oh yes, sir.”
Even the lighter moments reflected his easy personality. When a reporter asked about his hairstyle, Kite turned the question around, asking how it compared to teammate Sharif Denson’s. Told that Denson’s looked more “organized,” Kite laughed and defended his own look: “I know that’s what makes mine more unique, I think.”
The Anniston, Alabama, native has traveled a winding path to this point — Alabama, a stop at Auburn, then Ole Miss, where loyalty to head coach Pete Golding helped keep him in Oxford for a second season. Now in his fifth year of college football, Kite is focused on leading a secondary that continues to grow and on delivering another strong performance against familiar faces.
Ole Miss hosts Missouri at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, with the game airing on the SEC Network. For Kite, it will be business as usual — with a little extra trash talk mixed in.