Ole Miss a consensus Top 10 team in all of On3’s post-spring/portal Top 25 rankings
Each of On3’s national college football analysts have now released their post-spring/portal Top 25 rankings for the 2024 season.
Ole Miss is a consensus Top 10 team.
JD PicKell, Andy Staples and Jesse Simonton all view Ole Miss as a playoff contender. The field next season expands to 12 teams, and the Rebels have been ranked inside the Top 10 in each of the last three.
However, they’re somewhat mixed on where to place Ole Miss in the preseason polls. PicKell has the Rebels highest, at No. 5, while Staples needs to see the Rebels ‘beat an elite team’ to move them up from their current No. 9.
Simonton came through with his slotting on Monday. Ole Miss was No. 6.
“Coming off their best season in school history (11-2), the Rebels have gone all-in on making the CFP and competing for an SEC Championship this fall,” Simonton wrote. “Lane Kiffin did yeoman’s work retaining the key portions of Ole Miss’ roster and adding star transfers like Walter Nolen and Juice Wells. During the spring, the Rebels grabbed a pair of tailbacks to supplement the offense’s lone weakness.
“If a defense full of mercenary transfers can coalesce, Ole Miss will top last year’s historic season.”
The Rebels have gone all-in on a title chase next season.
Ole Miss’ 11 wins a year ago were a program record. The Rebels return, among others, third-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, star receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins, tight end Caden Prieskorn, offensive linemen Jeremy James, Caleb Warren and Micah Pettus and defensive linemen Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues.
Ole Miss used two portal windows to land the nation’s No. 3 transfer class. Nolen was ranked as the No. 2 overall transfer and Princely Umanmielen (EDGE, Florida) was in the Top 10.
Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul was the portal’s No. 1 linebacker. Antwane ‘Juice’ Well was the No. 1 wide receiver. Safety Key Lawrence came over from Oklahoma. Cornerbacks Trey Amos and Isaiah Hamilton transferred in from Alabama and Houston, respectively.
The Rebels lost running back Quinshon Judkins to Ohio State in the off-season, replaced by Henry Parrish, Jr. (Miami/Florida), Domonique Thomas (Georgai State) and Rashad Amos (Miami/Ohio). Senior returner Ulysses Bentley, IV, will lead the room.
The Rebels are seemingly never done adding, either.
Chris Hardie is a defensive lineman from Jacksonville State and committed to Ole Miss on Sunday. Hardie was an All-Conference USA selection last season.
“Last year I know I had a pretty decent season, but this year I wanted to come in and focus on the details of my overall game,” Hardie said. He has 101 tackles, 30 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks for his career.
“I know that’s what’s going to get me playing better on this higher level of football.”
Essentially, Ole Miss has one of the most loaded-for-bare rosters in the sport with less than 100 days to go until the season.
“This roster is good enough to compete for the national title,” Staples said previously in evaluating the Rebels. Ole Miss appeared in two New Year’s Six bowl games the last three years.
“But the games against Alabama and Georgia last season showed exactly where the Rebels need to improve if they want to reach the level of those two programs. Not many teams can get appreciably better on the line of scrimmage through the transfer portal, but Ole Miss may have pulled it off.
“The Rebels get a visit from Georgia this year, but other than that, the schedule is manageable compared to some others in the SEC. Anything less than a playoff berth for Ole Miss would be a crushing disappointment.”
The post Ole Miss a consensus Top 10 team in all of On3’s post-spring/portal Top 25 rankings appeared first on On3.
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