Ole Miss Football vs. Mercer at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi on September 2, 2023. Photo by Reed Jones / Ole Miss Athletics Twitter and Instagram: @OleMissPix
Ole Miss
2023 Results: 11-2, 6-2 SEC
2024 Projection: 11-1, 7-1 SEC
Overview:
If Lane Kiffin could lease out quarterback talent, he would be an even richer man. Even with Jaxson Dart coming off a stellar season, elite quarterbacks in the transfer portal want to hop on the Lane train. The portal king brought in some help on defense and both sides of the ball have the majority of their top contributors returning. Expectations in Oxford are high, and they should be.
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- Ole Miss Football defeated Penn State 38-25 in the 2023 Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Photos by Joshua Mccoy/Ole Miss Athletics Instagram and Twitter @OleMissPix
Offense:
Dart decided to run it back and just about everyone else followed suit. He has weapons all over the field. The dynamic duo of Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins will be joined by All-SEC South Carolina transfer, Antwane Wells Jr., to bolster an already elite receiving corps, and Caden Prieskorn returns at tight end for another excellent target in Dart’s arsenal. The Rebs do have to replace Quinshon Judkins at running back after his defection to Ohio State, but Ulysses Bentley IV looks like he is up to the task.
Defense:
This side of the ball has never been Kiffin’s calling card, but he has managed to bolster this unit through the portal as well. The additions of Walter Nolan and Princely Unmanmielen could give Kiffin the best defense he has fielded at Ole Miss. They highlight a stellar portal haul on this side of the ball and Pet Golding will be hard at work integrating them with the returners from last year’s already much-improved unit.
Final Thoughts:
The Rebels should cruise to 6-0 and then the sledding gets a little tougher. They get Georgia in Oxford and that will be a measuring stick game for this program after getting smacked in Athens 52-17 last season. With the returning experience and added talent through the portal, the sky is the limit for the Rebels, and I would be shocked if they aren’t one of the top eight in the playoffs.
