It’s been a long week for the Ole Miss football program. The week started on a bad note on Sunday morning. News broke early that incoming freshman defensive lineman Corey Adams was shot and killed in Cordova, TN, just outside of Memphis, late Saturday night. And with the latest news coming out of Oxford, it doesn’t appear that the week is getting any better. While less serious in nature, it was learned Wednesday that tight end Luke Hasz sustained a lower leg injury and is likely to miss much, if not all, of the 2025 season.
With last year’s starting tight end, Caden Prieskorn, having moved on to the NFL, the loss to Hasz could ultimately have a huge impact on the Rebels this season. So, who is Hasz, and what does the injury mean for Ole Miss moving forward?
Luke Hasz’s Injury
Who Is Luke Hasz?
Hasz is a junior tight end from Bixby, Oklahoma. As a four-star prospect, the 6′-3, 240-pounder chose Arkansas out of high school. His career as a Razorback started extremely promising. In five games as a freshman, he caught 16 passes for 253 yards, as well as three touchdowns. However, a broken collarbone ultimately ended his freshman season early.
Then, in 2024, following the injury, he put together another decent season. As a sophomore, he managed to bring in 26 catches for 324 yards. He also caught four touchdown passes last season. Arguably more important than the stats, however, was the fact that he played in all 12 games in 2024. This showed that he could put together a full season of healthy football.
Following last season, he decided to enter the transfer portal, where he was listed as the number two tight end available in the portal. Despite interest from numerous schools, he chose to join Lane Kiffin and the Rebels, continuing what many have suggested seems to be a pipeline from Arkansas to Ole Miss. With his commitment, Kiffin and company clearly thought they had found the replacement to Prieskorn.
Now it appears that won’t be the case, at least not for the near future.
A Questionable Future Following Another Setback?
If there’s a bright side to the situation, it’s that it isn’t a career-ending injury or anything of the sort. The downside is that this is now the second major setback in a promising young career. While one injury seems to be almost expected in today’s football, coming back from two serious injuries starts to raise questions about a player’s durability.
For Hasz, the talent is without question. He almost certainly has the talent to play on Sundays. However, that future has now likely been pushed back another year. Even if he manages to take the field at some point this season, it seems to be expected that he misses enough time to be eligible for a medical redshirt.
With that, the next question becomes whether he decides to stay at Ole Miss. In the past, this wouldn’t even have become a concern. However, with the transfer portal, we’ve seen plenty of guys ultimately land at a school, essentially never play (often due to injury), then decide to move again.
If he were to decide to stay at Ole Miss, clearly Kiffin and company would be overjoyed. The injury would obviously be viewed as unfortunate. But the good news is that he’d be available for next season. On the flip side, if he were to decide to transfer again, it would be a major loss all the way around for the Rebels.
What Does the Injury Mean for the Ole Miss Offense?
For the Ole Miss offense, it’s a big blow. But it may not be crippling. They still bring back Dae’Quan Wright, a transfer tight end from Virginia Tech who will be entering his second season as a Rebel. In his first season in Oxford, Wright managed 27 catches for 394 yards and four touchdowns. While some thought Wright would ultimately primarily be used as a backup behind Hasz, it’s obviously now expected for Wright to become the starting tight end.
The other good news is that Kiffin brought in another transfer tight end this offseason, as well. Trace Bruckner was brought in from New Mexico and is expected to add good depth to the position. The 6’3, 245-pounder from Frisco, TX, is entering his senior season after three promising years as a Lobo. In his career, he’s caught 46 passes for 421 yards and five touchdowns.
So there’s no denying that the loss of Hasz is going to have an impact. But with the tight end pickups over the past two seasons, the negative impact could be mitigated. After all, still having two adequate, healthy tight ends should ease some of the pain caused by the Hasz injury.
Main Image: Syndication: Online Athens
