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PHOTOS: Kiffin hints at Ole Miss prioritizing secondary in upcoming transfer portal window

Ben Garrettby:Ben Garrett•04/05/25•

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Ole Miss CB Cedrick Beavers (Photo credit: Ole Miss Football/Instagram)

Ole Miss could prioritize defensive backs when college football’s second transfer portal window opens in less than two weeks.

Lane Kiffin hinted as much earlier this week — the third with full practices for his Rebels this spring.

“I think the passing game on offense has done some really good things,” Kiffin said, in giving an overall assessment of the team. “We’ve got a lot of really good players in the passing game — obviously receivers, tight ends and running backs. That’s been really good to see. 

“We’ve had some injuries up front with the offensive line and shuffled a lot of things. A lot of different people getting snaps at different positions. That’s kind of a work in progress. Defensively we’ve had some guys do a really good job up front. It’s been good to see a lot of new linebackers get different looks. 

“A lot of work to do in the secondary.”

Versatile LSU transfer Sage Ryan is penciled in to start somewhere. He was at cornerback in the opening practices of spring football. However, he’s since shifted to one of the Rebels’ three safety spots. 

Washington State’s Kapena Gushiken has served as the primary JACK — the defense’s hybrid safety/linebacker position. Arkansas transfer Jaylon Braxton will occupy one of the others once he’s off the injury list. The Rebels could use help everywhere else. 

Encouraging, however, has been the emergence of a pair of returning cornerbacks in TJ Banks and Cedrick Beavers. 

Banks has taken every first-team rep at boundary — where Trey Amos was an All-American last season — since spring began.

Beavers, a former 4-star prospect signed out of junior college, has ascended to the starting unit opposite Banks only in the last few days.

Neither player saw much action last season. But they’ve added some stability on the back end, even if reinforcements are sure to come in the 10-day transfer window. Old Dominion two-year starting cornerback Rasheed Reason got in just this week. He had 49 tackles and an interception last season.

“They have taken a role and thrived with that,” Ryan said this week of Banks and Beavers. 

The included practice photos were provided by Ole Miss Athletics.

RB Logan Diggs

C Bryce Sanders

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin

LB Jaden Yates

RB Kewan Lacy

DE Kam Franklin

Ole Miss defensive line coach Randall Joyner and DT Jam Brown

LB Raymond Collins

CB Patrick Broomfield

Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin

QB Austin Simmons

EDGE Da’Shawn Womack

WR Cayden Lee

QB Austin Simmons

DT William Echoles

WR Winston Watkins

DEs DeeJay Holmes and Kam Franklin and RG Patrick Kutas

TE Luke Hasz

CB Cedrick Beavers

DBs Nick Cull and Andy Jaffe

DB Kapena Gushiken and WR Harrison Wallace

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