Ole Miss’s 39–34 triumph over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Thursday was bittersweet. It was a jubilant victory for the Rebels, who stormed back to erase a nine-point halftime deficit to continue their magical College Football Playoff run after former coach Lane Kiffin spurned the team to join SEC rival LSU. But the win also carried a somber note, for it came without freshman defensive lineman Corey Adams, who was tragically killed in a shooting in Tennessee back in July.
But Adams was not far from the minds of the players, who, led by defensive tackle Will Echoles, gave a heartfelt tribute to Adams, as well as his mother, who was in attendance at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans during the postgame trophy ceremony.
Ole Miss freshman Corey Adams was tragically killed in a July shooting
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 2, 2026
Ole Miss sophomore Will Echoles took the mic to salute Corey's mother after winning the Sugar Bowl 🥺❤️
(via @OleMissFB) pic.twitter.com/1lWCG6aNKq
“The whole season—we've been dedicating our season to Corey Adams,” Echoles said. “His mom's in the stands over there. Let's give her a round of applause. C4—C4—we do it for C4.”
Adams, a defensive lineman from New Orleans who twice earned All-State honors at Edna Karr High School, committed to the Rebels in June of 2024 and enrolled at the university this past winter. Adams was killed in Cordova, Tenn., outside a residence on the night of July 19 in a shooting that also left four other men wounded. Adams was 18 years old.
“He’s been on my mind heavy. He’s on my mind really all day,” Echoles said of Adams after the game. “When we breaking it down after practice, we break it down on C4. We gave his mom the game jersey yesterday before the game, and we talked with her a lot. She shares more stories about him and how great of a kid he was. And I was just glad that we got to come to New Orleans and to play in his home state and represent him.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ole Miss Players Gave Heartfelt Tribute to Former Rebels Teammate Killed in Shooting.
