On Tuesday, Ole Miss announced that defensive tackle Issac Gross will undergo season-ending injury on his neck. Gross will take a medical redshirt, which means he will be able to return to play next year.

For the rest of this year, however, the Rebels will have to work without him.

Ole Miss is fortunate this grievous injury hit them in a spot with a bit more padding, compared with other positions. Their depth on defensive line is pretty impressive, and Gross wasn’t even technically the starter at nose tackle. The subtraction of Gross means players may not be able to rotate through as much as defensive coaches would like, but otherwise no major impact should occur.

An area where Gross did excel is defending against the spread. HIs quickness off the line allows him easy access to the backfield, stopping those types of offensive players before they can happen. He also is ideal at chasing down a mobile quarterback, something which Ole Miss definitely has to look forward to in the future. So the question really becomes, is there someone else on the Rebels defense that is also effective against the spread?

The first name that comes to mind is Robert Nkemdiche. He showed on Saturday that he had the strength to barrel through a line of opposition when he blocked a field goal. He also showed his athleticism and speed when he ran for a 32-yard touchdown on offense. If he combines those two skills, he could be the best replacement for what Gross was able to do.

Otherwise, when comparing Ole Miss’s roster with stats from Week 1, freshman Breeland Speaks may be one of the better options. At 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, he is bigger than Gross. However, Speaks was able to make two tackles last week and get in a quarterback hit, which is somewhat similar to Gross’s numbers. Every other defensive tackle on the roster is either better fit for plugging up the run or still too inexperienced to trust with the task of pass rushing.

While Gross’s loss doesn’t seem like it will be a major concern, Hugh Freeze has expressed that juggling will need to occur in order to replace what Gross brought to the defense. At least the Rebels will be figuring it out while still in non-conference play.