The Rebels have been a dominant offensive force since Lane Kiffin arrived on campus, but should we anticipate anything different in 2025?
Lane Kiffin, the Ole Miss Rebels’ head coach, is widely regarded as one of football’s top offensive thinkers. He has put up stats from L.A. to Boca, and this has not changed since moving to Oxford. The Ole Miss Football social media accounts shared an eye-opening picture that illustrates half of the story: the Rebels have led the Power 5 in yards per game for the last five seasons.
While the graphics are entertaining and an excellent recruitment tool, players win games, and the Rebels have a plethora of productive players on the way out. How will they replace that production in 2025 and beyond? Let us get right into it.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart came to Ole Miss at a significant disadvantage, since he was up against Luke Altmyer, who had been in the system for a year, but Dart triumphed and won the job. He went on to shatter numerous records at Ole Miss, the most noteworthy of which being that he leaves as the winningest quarterback in school history. So, how does one replace a legend? With a lanky lefty from Florida.
Austin Simmons is thought to be the starter for the upcoming season, but the room remains slightly empty after Walker Howard hit the portal. AJ Maddox is the only other scholarship player in that room, so the Rebels will need to acquire another piece, either a veteran who will compete with Simmons and Maddox for the starting job, or perhaps a high school player. In either case, the Rebels will need to recruit since they are now one play away from a perilously thin scenario at centre.
Running Back
This was the story of the 2024 season: the Ole Miss running backs room. The Rebels are losing Henry Parrish, Ulysses Bentley, Rashad Amos, and Matt Jones in 2025, so what do they have in store?
Shekai Mills-Knight and Kewan Lacy are two major contributions to this room. Yes, Mills-Knight has no college experience, and Lacy played sparingly at Missouri, but consider Kiffin’s track record with inexperienced backs at Ole Miss, and don’t forget about Logan Diggs, who will be the veteran of the group. Still, it wouldn’t hurt for the Rebels to continue searching the transfer market for a capable back in the coming days.
Wide Receiver
The Rebels will lose Jordan Watkins and Tre Harris to the NFL Draft, while Ayden Williams and Noreel White have entered the gateway. Kiffin appears to always have his finger on the pulse of the receiver recruiting trail, as he has brought in a talented haul to replace some of the productivity that is leaving.
Caleb Cunningham and Winston Watkins Jr. are two huge names to watch in the newest recruiting class, both of whom are extremely talented and might work well together, with Watkins on the inside and Cunningham on the outside. You can’t forget about Cayden Lee returning and Alabama transfer Caleb Odom, who may not have the numbers to back it up but has been actively recruited by the Rebels, who see his potential. De’Zhaun Stribling is another player to keep an eye on, as the Rebels appear to have picked Oklahoma State’s pocket again, this time for their WR1, who racked up over 800 yards in Stillwater in 2024.