Meet Christian Russell.

The 6-foot, 235-pound inside linebacker has played just one season of SEC football since arriving at Ole Miss as a junior college transfer in 2014. He has 23 career tackles to his name and about as much playing experience as you’d expect from someone with those career numbers.

He’s also poised to assume the Rebels’ starting middle linebacker job this fall.

Russell is likely to replace departing sixth-year senior Deterrian Shackelford, the player with two degrees and two knee reconstructions who was granted a rare sixth year of eligibility in 2014 and made the most of it to the tune of 65 tackles (5 for loss) and two sacks.

Ole Miss will be replacing college football’s most experienced leader at the heart of its defense with a player few have heard of during his 13-game FBS career. It’s safe to say Russell will have his work cut out for him, especially this spring, if he’s to be up to speed by Week 1 this fall.

He benefits from the experience he gained last season, even though he spent much of the year watching Shackelford play with the first team after losing the position battle in training camp. Still, Russell was able to move on from the 3-4 defense he played at East Mississippi Community College and get himself acclimated with Dave Wommack’s 4-2-5 base system.

“The 4-2-5 has similarities but at times it can be, ‘Hey, I’m not used to this.’ But as far as the mike (linebacker) goes, it’s the same as you would in a 3-4 because you play off a (three-technique tackle) and everything is off that,” Russell told the Jackson Clarion-Ledger before the start of last season.

The time for watching is over, and the time for playing has nearly arrived. Russell must translate a year of learning into consistency on the field. If he can’t, he might be replaced altogether.

According to C-L reporter Hugh Kellenberger, Wommack is fond of backup middle linebacker and rising sophomore DeMarquis Gates, who recorded 13 tackles and a forced fumble as a freshman last season.

Watch out for sophomore DeMarquis Gates, who Wommack (who will now be coaching linebackers, incidentally) could not help but play in 2014 even though he was not really needed. Among everyone on the current roster, Gates probably has the most upside.

It’s likely the two will share time at the middle linebacker spot, but many assume the starting job is Russell’s to lose if he can look the part this spring and again during training camp in August. However, if Russell fails to impress, the coaching staff may opt to leapfrog him and begin heavily developing Gates, who will still have two years remaining after the 2015 season.

Whoever wins the job will get to play alongside rising senior Denzel Nkemdiche, who will return at outside linebacker this spring after suffering a season-ending leg injury in the middle of last season.

Nkemdiche is far more experienced than Russell or Gates (145 tackles compared to the 38 recorded by both Russell and Gates combined) but he’s never held a starting job outright. He’ll serve as a small piece of insurance alongside the new middle linebacker, but in the long-run Nkemdiche will not be able to handle both linebacker positions during the course of a full season.

So even though Ole Miss must find a new quarterback and replace two All-Americans in the secondary, it’s the vacancy at middle linebacker that may be the most glaring hole on the team entering spring ball.