INTEL from Ole Miss Preseason Camp: Why CFP should be on Lane Kiffin’s, Jaxson Dart’s mind
Few teams in college football are more intriguing than Ole Miss in 2024-25.
The Rebels won a program-record 11 games last season, including a convincing win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl. Suffice to say, expectations are high in Oxford for Lane Kiffin’s fifth season.
Ben Garrett from the Ole Miss Spirit/On3 sat down earlier this week with On3 national college football analyst Andy Staples to discuss the year ahead.
“(Depth) held them back, and it was obvious when you watched the Alabama and Georgia games last year, especially on the line of scrimmage,” Staples said.
“They weren’t as deep as those guys.”
The Rebels certainly are now.
Ole Miss signed the No. 3 portal class in the country, according to On3, and the Rebels focused a good chunk of their attention on the offensive and defensive lines.
Ole Miss added a pair of Top 10 transfers in Walter Nolen (defensive tackle, Texas A&M) and Princely Umanmielen (EDGE, Florida). The Rebels are in their fourth week of preseason camp and open the season against Furman on August 31. Umanmielen has been limited as he works his way back from labrum surgery.
Chris Hardie was an all-conference EDGE at Jacksonville State. Diego Pounds was Drake Maye’s blindside-protector (left tackle) at North Carolina last season. Gerquan Scott, a transfer from Southern Miss, has replaced three-year starter Caleb Warren as the Rebels’ starting center.
Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow were a pair of OL starters for a playoff team (Washington) last season.
“Repeatable depth in the trenches is why Georgia is Georgia and Alabama is Alabama and Ohio State’s Ohio State,” Staples said. “That’s the difference between them and everybody else.
“That’s why what Ole Miss has done this off-season in the portal is so interesting.”
RELATED: Kalepo ‘back and ready to go’ as potential starter for Ole Miss offensive line
