OXFORD - Freshmen and newcomers - most of them at least - reported to Ole Miss Friday as the Rebels prepare to begin football practice Sunday afternoon.

Veterans sign in today.

Friday was about the new folks, though, and most of the conversation centered on one player: former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.

Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt welcomed a group of 30 scholarship players and walk-ons.

A handful did not report, some of them at the very thin position of wide receiver. The list of non-reports includes defensive linemen Bryon Bennett and Delvin Jones, receivers Vincent Sanders and Quadarias Mireless, defensive back Tony Grimes and tight end Cordell Giles.

In a sweeping statement on the group Nutt said he expects them in "soon," possibly by the middle of next week.

The only signee that Nutt confirmed at this time will not be a part of the team is Cape Coral, Fla., defensive back Eric Mitchell.

"I feel good about those guys being qualified," Nutt said. "A lot of them did not get to go to the first session of summer school. Some went to the second session only, and that makes for a tough turnaround to get grades on transcripts."

Regarding two other names of interest as the season approaches, running back Tim Simon will be around the program only to further rehabilitate a knee he tore up at South Carolina last September, and redshirt freshman Darius "Tig" Barksdale is currently a team member in good standing.

Zero tolerance

Masoli went through the process of checking in and getting acclimated Friday.

After compiling a 20-6 record as a two-year starter at Oregon, he had two run-ins with the law in less than six months following the Ducks' 26-17 loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl. He was dismissed by UO coach Chip Kelly in June.

Athletics director Pete Boone said the decision to pursue Masoli was not an easy one but that Ole Miss had done its "due diligence" in checking into Masoli's past.

Boone told Nutt that Masoli needed to walk on to show commitment to the program. After that, Boone said he told Nutt that he would support the move if Masoli was admitted into graduate school.

He has been, and the last remaining hurdle is the waiver of an NCAA one-year residency rule. Nutt stopped short of calling the waiver a "formality" but believes everything will work out.

"There's a chance they could deny it, but we're hoping everything will be OK," he said.

Nutt said Masoli would operate under a "zero tolerance" behavior policy.

Sunday, he will begin a competition for the starting job that will included third-year sophomore Nathan Stanley, who left spring drills at No. 1, and junior college transfer Randall Mackey.

Walk-ons Witt Haggard and Evan Ingram are also on the roster at quarterback.

Nutt said Stanley and Mackey have been supportive of bringing Masoli on board.

"This is a very difficult league, but again, it goes back to team, goes back to your players. You have an obligation to this organization, and that's what I felt," Nutt said. "So after weighing everything out, especially after getting Jeremiah here on an official visit, looking him in the eye. He understood. I'll have a contract with him. He understands it will be zero tolerance, and he has to do what's right."

The same zero-tolerance policy will apply to Barksdale, the former South Panola star. A gifted athlete, Barksdale missed the 2009 season with an undisclosed medical condition. He was suspended for spring drills. Nutt said he was more concerned with Barksdale's conditioning at this point and did not say whether he would start out at running back or defensive back.

"We have a little contract with him as well, and we're going to hold him to that," Nutt said. "I've been very pleased with his attitude, the hours that he passed in school. Everything looks good right now. He has to keep going."