OXFORD |As Ole Miss' third-string tight end Caleb Odom earned 28 targets, doubling his total from the previous season with Alabama, as a sophomore throughout the 2025 season.
Of those 28 targets, Odom hauled in 19 receptions for 197 yards (10.4 YPC), two touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
However, of the nine incompletions where he was targeted, Odom had a bit of a drop problem. It wasn't anything that ended up costing the Rebels' offense much at the time, but it was an area where Odom and the team wanted to see improvement.
Part of the problem was Odom's eyesight, which was addressed during the offseason.
"I've always kind of had bad vision, but I never took an initiative to get it fixed. I think last year that was a huge problem for me with the drops and the stuff I could've made plays on and just kind of messing it up," Odom explained earlier this week. "I went to the eye doctor, got some contacts (and) started actually wearing them. I started wearing my glasses. I have my contacts in right now actually. It's been good though.
I definitely think that was a big thing, but just making sure that catching every ball, seeing it into the tuck."
LASIK eye surgery could be an option later down the line for Odom. But, for now, contacts and glasses will work just fine for the Rebels' tight end this season.
"For right now, I'm just sticking with that. I haven't really done much research into LASIK (or) looked at anything like that. But if it's a possibility and if it's safe and I got the right people, then I'm going to do it for sure," Odom said.
Sep 6, 2026; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Mississippi Rebels tight end Caleb Odom (4) warms up prior to a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Now in his second season in Oxford, Odom is no longer considered a backup for the Ole Miss offense.
Even with Luke Hasz giving Ole Miss more of a traditional look at the position, and likely to play more snaps, Odom is going to be a critical target for Trinidad Chambliss at points throughout the season.
Against Louisville, Odom played in 47 of the Rebels' 81 total snaps, making the most of his opportunities by catching three passes for 66 yards and a touchdown.
All three of his catches in the ranked win came in the fourth quarter. Perhaps his biggest came on a third-and-six as Ole Miss was driving down the field for the eventual walk-off field goal.
Since Odom was a high-end recruit coming out of Carrollton High School in Georgia, most have known about his abilities and potential as a pass catcher.
Besides the desire to eliminate drops through the air, Odom also wanted to take another step as a protector.
"That's been something that I've been trying to definitely pride myself on now that I'm trying to embody this more tight end role and really be able to be that Swiss Army knife that can block a (defensive) end," Odom added. "And I don't run in the game and everybody's scream 'Pass! Pass! Pass!' and it's more of a 'Okay, we really don't know what he's going to do'...Definitely putting on weight and then just really honing in on my technique."
Ole Miss' offense had trouble functioning efficiently in the first half of Sunday's win against Louisville.
Now, the Ole Miss offense will get to open its home slate against a Charlotte team that allowed The Citadel to run wild while scoring 43 points on its way to an upset victory.
Despite having LSU right around the corner, the Rebels say they aren't overlooking Charlotte in Week 2 and that the objective is clear as near 50-point home favorites.
"I mean to be honest, this week, and every single week, is based on the opponent that we're going up against. I think it's more, ultimately, every single week of us getting better," Odom told reporters. "Like PG says all the time, a lot of games are lost and not won. We shot ourselves in the foot a lot against Louisville. I think just focusing on us is what we ultimately have to do, and getting better at our thing, so that way when we get to the games it's not mistake after mistake after mistake, and we play those clean and flawless games that help us get victories over any team."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/olemiss as With Improved Eyesight, Caleb Odom Looks to Elevate Reliability for Ole Miss .
