HOOVER, Ala. - Ole Miss defensive tackle Jerrell Powe picked up quickly where the question was headed and smiled with satisfaction.

Powe, the Rebels' lone first-team choice on the media's preseason All-SEC team, joined offensive tackle Bradley Sowell and defensive end Kentrell Lockett as the three players picked by head coach Houston Nutt to represent the program before more than 900 media members.

On a day when he served as a team spokesman, Powe was asked to recall times earlier on his journey when his education was played out in public, and his mother was quoted as saying he was a "good child but just can't read."

Powe contends his mother was misquoted.

Powe, who was recruited by former coach Ed Orgeron, was twice ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Powe graduated from Wayne County High School in 2005. Orgeron was gone, and Nutt was coach at Ole Miss before Powe was finally ruled eligible.

"It was definitely disappointing to have my momma quoted wrong in the paper," Powe said. "People continued to bring that up, and it made my family feel very bad, but it motivated me not to stop. I'm excited to be here, and I hope those people read this paper like they were reading all the bad stuff."

Nutt said he had no reservations at all about bring Powe to Media Days.

"It was a no-brainer," Nutt said. "There was no question in my mind he could stand right there in front of you and answer whatever you want to ask him."

Defenders will stay with Land Shark

Whether bear, horse or Muppet-like characters, Ole Miss defensive players have already chosen their mascot.

The shark is an option being considered in a student-led process to choose an on-field mascot. Whatever the decision is, Lockett says players will carry on the recent "land shark" tradition.

The late Tony Fein, a senior linebacker on the 2008 team, is credited as its creator. After a tackle for loss or key defensive stop, a player will raise his hand to the top of his head like a makeshift shark fin.

Lockett said players aren't getting too caught up in the mascot process.

"We will always be the Ole Miss Rebels. We'll just have some on-field entertainer, somebody in a costume jumping around," he said. "When a big play is made by the defense, I think we're still going to throw up a land shark no matter what."

Lockett said the land shark salute is way of remembering Fein as well maintaining a spirited competition among defensive players.

Sowell's progression

Sowell says he wasn't prepared for what hit him early last season as the replacement for All-American Michael Oher.

"Against Alabama I really had a good game, then I had some other good games and it kind of took off," he said.

Sowell could tell he was getting better at keeping blind side rushers off his quarterback in the second half of last season.

There was nothing he could do to change the struggles he endured in September, struggles that motivated him to improve.

"I was not down on myself, but I was down, because I love Ole Miss, and I felt like I was the guy who was hurting the program," he said.

Now Sowell, a fourth-year junior from Hernando, is who Nutt mentions frequently when he says, "Our tackles will give us a chance" in sizing up this year's offensive line.

Sowell's improvement hasn't gone unnoticed outside the program, and he received mention on Phil Steele's preseason All-SEC team.

Making the postseason team is an individual goal, and Sowell has sought advice from former Ole Miss tackle Todd Wade on how to improve to that level.

In the meantime he's just glad to head into practice more confident in where he stands in the program.

"It's great to go from being the guy everyone was down on to knowing what I'm going to do and what the season is going to be like," Sowell said. "My strength levels are really high right now. I'm in the best shape of my life, and I could run all day."