LSU 2024 Opponent Preview: Ole Miss

Our opponent preview series continues today with Ole Miss, LSU’s second SEC game of the year on Saturday, Oct. 12 with kickoff anywhere from 5-7 p.m. CT. Lane Kiffin has a fascinating roster with several new faces set to contribute paired with returning impact players at key positions.

Here’s a deep dive into everything to know about Ole Miss entering the season.

Previous opponent previews: USC, South Carolina, UCLA

Head coach: Lane Kiffin (5th season)

Offensive coordinator: Charlie Weiss Jr. (3rd season)

Defensive coordinator: Pete Golding (2nd season)

Last year

It was another massively successful season in 2023 for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, going 11-2 with a win over Penn State in the Chick Fil-A Peach Bowl. He is now 50-18 in his past seven seasons as a head coach at FAU and Ole Miss and further cemented himself as one of the top minds in the sport.  Wins over Tulane, LSU, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Arkansas should not be taken for granted at Ole Miss and building the Rebels into a program consistently punching above their weight has been something few expected when Kiffin took over. 

Offense

Behind the experienced quarterback play of Jaxson Dart and the high-level rushing attack spearheaded by Quinshon Judkins, Ole Miss averaged 35.1 points per game and were top 35 in the country in both rushing and passing EPA. The Rebels scored 27 or more in all but three games last year and were clearly among the best offenses in the SEC with a unique offense that fit the personnel perfectly.

Defense

Pete Golding stepped in and immediately made the Rebels a much tougher squad for most offenses they faced. LSU scored 49 and Georgia scored 52,  but no other team scored more than 25 for the entire year. The Rebels had three late-round draft picks from this defense, but not a lot of high-level playmakers, which they hope to address going into 2024.

Offseason moves

Notable departures

Drafted: DB Deantre Prince (153rd overall), DE Cedric Johnson (214th overall), DB Daijahn Anthony (224th overall)

Transfers out: WR Zakhari Franklin, RB Kedrick Reescano, S Isheem Young, TE Michael trigg, RB Quinshon Judkins, WR Jeremiah Dillon, Key Lawrence, DL Joshua Harris, EDGE Reginald Hughes.

In total, the Rebels had 23 players enter the transfer portal and three draftees. The only two four-star departures in the portal were Judkins and Franklin, who are talented players, but a running back and receiver ultimately. I don’t think Kiffin lost much top-end talent at all over the offseason, but had a lot of depth to replenish, which is normal in today’s landscape.

Important additions

2024 Class: DL Kam Franklin, IOL William Echoles, CB Cedrick Beavers (JUCO), LB Raymond Collins (JUCO), DL Kamron Beavers, DL Jeffery Rush, WR Deion SMith (JUCO), S Travaris Banks.

Transfers in: DL Walter Nolen, WR Juice Wells, EDGE Princely Umanmielen, OT Diego Pounds, LB Chris Paul Jr., CB Trey Amos, CB Isaiah Hamilton, RB Henry Parish, RB Rashad Amos, DL Chris Hardie, CB Cam Banks, TE Dae’Quan Wright.

On3 has Ole Miss as the No. 3 team in its transfer portal rankings, but in terms of quality, I’m not sure there’s a team that got more impact starters than the Rebels this offseason. Nolen, Wells, Umanmielen, Pounds, Amos, Paul, and others all project as immediate starters on a team looking to make the College Football Playoffs. Then, you add in a fascinating junior college haul with some of the best players in the JUCO ranks from this past season and a few high-level defensive linemen from the freshman class. Kiffin doesn’t care about continuity as much as he cares about talent and he’s gone all-in to make this team one of the best in the SEC.

Going into 2024

Top returners: QB Jaxson Dart, WR Tre Harris, LB Suntarine Perkins, RB Ulysses Bentley IV, TE Caden Prieskorn, DL JJ Pagues, DE Jared Ivey.

This is an impressive group of returners set to provide experience and some continuity on a roster with ample talent. Of course, Dart, Harris, and Perkins will all need to be elite for the Rebels to reach their ceiling this year, but there’s really no reason to doubt them. Dart doesn’t have the ceiling of an All-SEC first-team quarterback, but he’s solid, mobile, and tough and knows exactly how to run Kiffin’s offense. Perkins was a former five-star, while Pagues and Ivey combined for 19.5 tackles for loss last year and nine sacks.

Expectations

It’s playoffs or bust for Kiffin this year. Not in a sense that he would be on the hot seat if he were fired, but he has gone all-in on building a roster with as much talent as possible relative to what’s possible at Ole Miss. Winning 11 games last year was already potentially the best year in program history, but now, with another influx of talent could we see the Rebels legitimately make a push to get to the SEC title game and/or host a CFB Playoff game? On paper, it’s a quality roster, but when you take that many transfers there will always be questions as Kiffin will try to piece together a contender.

Early thoughts on LSU vs. Ole Miss

When LSU fans look at the schedule, most pencil in a 5–0 start without thinking too much about it. Then there’s a bye week. Then the SEC schedule really begins (sorry South Carolina) with a home game against Ole Miss. It will be a night game in Death Valley between potentially two undefeated, top 10 teams. After watching what Kiffin’s offense did to LSU last year, it’s hard to have a ton of confidence in this being anything other than another shootout, but at this point in the year, both defenses should know their strengths and in theory be able to cover their weaknesses. 

LSU is currently a field goal favorite, which is roughly what I would have guessed before looking it up. There’s a lot we’ll find out about these teams before they meet in early October, but at this moment, it’s close to a pick’em to me.