Resetting the Ole Miss football roster: A look at the current 2022 Rebels

Spring practices are still a few months away and the February National Signing Day is still a couple weeks away, but it is never too early to take stock of who the Ole Miss football team currently has in their ranks.

We parsed through those Rebels who will no longer be on the team, either by heading for the NFL Draft out of eligibility or threw their name into the transfer portal and found a new home.

Now, lets reset the current roster of Rebels. This will undoubtedly change as the spring semester rolls on as more players will come to Oxford and maybe some decide to see what else is out there for them after the spring.

OFFENSE – QUARTERBACK

• Luke Altmyer – Sophomore
• Kincaid Dent – Junior
• Alex Grado – Freshman

The quarterback room currently led by Altmyer is the one that could see more change to it in the coming days and weeks, if USC transfer Jaxson Dart decides to pick the Rebels.

Right now, Altmyer is the guy as he was tabbed as the No. 2 behind Matt Corral in head coach Lane Kiffin’s offense. Dent rarely has seen the field in Kiffin’s first two seasons, leaving the starting job Altmyers, at the moment.

OFFENSE – RUNNING BACK

• Isaiah Woullard
• Urriah Shephard
• Kentrell Bullock
• John Porchivina
• Bobo Miller
• Matt Jones
• Fred McAfee
• Quinshon Judkins
• Zach Evans – (Not officially announced)

The running back group is one that is full of bodies but very few proven players. That is mostly due to the three-head monster of Jerrion Ealy, Snoop Conner and Henry Parrish, Jr. this past season. All three are now gone, leaving the room prime for the taking, which most would assume will be TCU transfer Zach Evans spot, once the school announces his official addition to the roster.

OFFENSE – WIDE RECEIVER

• Jonathan Mingo
• Dannis Jackson
• Sellers Shy
• Nevin Wells
• Jalen Knox
• Qua Davis
• Sellers Shy
• Jordan Jernigan
• Marc Britt II
• Bralon Brown
• Calvin Wilson
• Rayf Wilson
• Joshua Pfeifer
• JJ Henry
• Brandon Buckhalter
• Jordan Watkins
• Larry Simmons
• Jeremiah Dillon

Clearly the wide receivers room is not hurting for bodies with one of the largest position groups on the team, numbers wise. The issue is production. Mingo is the leading returning receiver with Dannis Jackson the next most seasoned receiver. Clearly, all of those players will not become contributors on the field and if the transfer portal can provide some more veteran talent like Watkins, that will do nothing but bolster the Rebels receiving corps.

OFFENSE – TIGHT END

• Casey Kelly
• Luke Knox
• Hudson Wolfe
• Jonathan Hess
• Chase Rogers
• Sam Murphey
• Payton Rogers
• Jack Greer
• Kyirin Heath

Possibly after the quarterback position, the next largest question mark is the tight end group. Casey Kelly and Hudson Wolfe would be the favorites to be listed as starters with Chase Rogers mixed in. But the Rebels are still waiting on the decision of Dart’s teammate in Michael Trigg, which would give this group a massive boost in talent.

OFFENSE – OFFENSIVE LINE

• Jalen Cunningham
• Caleb Warren
• Nick Broeker
• Peyton Cox
• Eli Acker
• Jeremy James
• Jordan Rhodes
• Cedric Melton
• Hamilton Hall
• Erick Cade
• Tobias Braun
• Jayden Williams
• Carter Colquitt
• Cedrick Nicely
• Micah Pettus
• Reece McIntyre
• Luke Shouse
• Flip Carswell
• Cam East
• Preston Cushman
• Mason Brooks (Not Officially Announced)

The offensive line got some good news when Broeker opted to not head for the NFL Draft but to stay for another season in Oxford. That provides more experience on the line and with the impending addition of Brooks from Western Kentucky, it allows for Broeker to possibly move in to the guard slot.

DEFENSE – DEFENSIVE LINE

• Tywone Malone
• KD Hill
• Amani Johnson
• Taleeq Robbins
• Clayton Ladd
• Demarcus Smith
• JJ Hawkins
• Tavius Robinson
• Isaiah Iton
• Jamond Gordon
• Jaden Dicks
• Desanto Rollins
• Zxavian Harris
• J.J. Pegues (Not Officially Announced)

The loss of Sam Williams on the defensive front hurts and will be a big hole to try and fill this fall. The addition of Pegues coming home from Auburn could be a big boost along with the addition of Harris.

DEFENSE – LINEBACKER

• Austin Keys
• Ashanti Cistrunk
• Demon Clowney
• Cedric Johnson
• Brandon Mack
• Andrew Griffith
• Tyler Banks
• Reginald Hughes
• Jaylon White
• Jaron Willis
• Danny Lockhart, Jr. (Not Officially Announced)
• Troy Brown (Not Officially Announced)

The Linebacker position is another question mark with Chance Campbell option to head for the NFL and not use his final season of eligibility. Losing their leading tackler from 2021 is a tough blow for the Rebels. Will be interesting to see how the linebacker group evolves over the spring, and if the portal gives another boost like Campbell did a year ago.

DEFENSE – DEFENSIVE BACKS

• Otis Reese
• Miles Battle
• Deantre Prince
• Derek Bermudez
• MJ Daniels
• AJ Finley
• Trey Washington
• Tysheem Johnson
• Markevious Brown
• Demarko Williams
• Richard O’Bryant
• Kyndrich Breedlove
• Jalen Denton
• CJ Terrell
• Elijah Sabbatini
• Daniel Newman
• Nick Cull
• Taylor Groves
• Jarell Stinson
• Isheem Young (Not Officially Announced)

The secondary is another group that has plenty of bodies and a lot of returning experience among it. Finley, Reese and Battle provide experience and veteran stability along with the addition of Iowa State’s Young. If the younger guys can come into their own this spring under co-defensive coordinators Chris Partridge and Chris Kiffin then they should be a fairly stable group.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Caden Costa
• Cale Nation
• Fraser Masin
• Charlie Nichols
• Solomon Landrun
• Jared Lawrence

The uncertainty of Costa’s suspension for testing positive for PEDs is the only question mark for the special teams. Nation was the kicker for the Rebels in the Sugar Bowl and did miss both field goal attempts (49, 35 yards). Nichols and Masin are the the two punters on the roster.