On3’s PicKell has Ole Miss ‘thinking playoffs’ and ranked No. 5 for 2024
On3 national college football analyst JD PicKell, on Thursday, released his post-spring Top 25 rankings.
He placed Ole Miss at No. 5.
The 2024-25 season is less than 100 days away. The Rebels kick things off against Furman August 31 at a time still yet to be determined. Ole Miss is coming off a history-making campaign in which the Rebels won a program-record 11 total games.
Ole Miss has been ranked inside the Top 10 of Top 25 polls in each of the last three years. The Peach Bowl win over Penn State in December was the second New Year’s Six bowl game appearance for the Rebels in the last four.
Ole Miss is one of just 14 teams in college football history with 25-plus all-time bowl wins.
“Lane Kiffin watched this transfer-portal cycle this past winter, looked at everyone around the table, probably was texting in the group chat with the SEC head coaches, looked at his chips and said, ‘I’m all in. I’m all in, baby,’” PicKell said.
“‘Cause, 2024, they know what they have on offense. They know they’ve got Jaxson Dart for one more year (and) Tre Harris for one more year. They understand that. I promise you, they’re well-aware. They’re also well-aware that that head coach in Alabama, Nick Saban, is no longer there that used to be a final-boss level for them.
“They also understand it’s a 12-team playoff now, so you don’t have to win the SEC to make it in the (playoff), though Ole Miss, I think, will very much so be in that conversation.”
Ole Miss this week had five named to On3’s Top 100 players in college football for next season.
Third-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, at No. 13, was ranked the highest of all Rebels. Star second-year wide receiver Tre Harris was No. 30.
Harris is one of two Rebels and 10 active players with the most career receiving yards. Harris, a one-time transfer from Louisiana Tech, has 2,515, while the other is Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells (2,833).
Wells was a member of an Ole Miss winter portal haul that ranked Top 3 nationally. PicKell ranked Wells No. 91.
“I love everything about his offense,” PicKell said. “Jaxson Dart, already mentioned, I think he’s going to make a massive jump from Year 2 to Year 3. Tre Harris is a beast. You add in Juice Wells, who, going into last season, was in that discussion for one of the best wide receivers before he got dinged up.
“Lane Kiffin’s teams have always scored a lot of points. He’s always found a way to scheme up some production. The difference with this (team), though, is Lane Kiffin went out and got some USDA approved sirloin beef on the defensive line.”
PicKell was specifically referencing Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen.
Nolen and Umanmielen transferred in from Texas A&M and Florida, respectively. Nolen was the portal’s No. 2 player. PicKell ranks Nolen No. 23 and Umanmielen No. 53.
“They have all the makings, I believe, of a college football playoff team,” PicKell said of the Rebels. “Are they going to be win the SEC? We’ll see, but they have all the makings to be a college football playoff team.
“The schedule, it’s not ‘Hunger Games.’ It’s not what Florida’s dealing with. Ole Miss is thinking playoffs.”
The post On3’s PicKell has Ole Miss ‘thinking playoffs’ and ranked No. 5 for 2024 appeared first on On3.
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