Early Scouting Report: Ole Miss Rebels
We are less than two months away from the Kentucky football team reporting to campus for the beginning of fall training camp. Over the next few weeks at KSR+, we will start getting ready for the schedule.
For the seventh year in a row, I will be providing weekly scouting reports on Thursday for Kentucky’s upcoming opponent that will include an in-depth look at personnel, advanced stats, scheme background, betting information, series history, program profile, and keys to victory. That is just around the corner.
But it’s never too early to start getting some homework done. We are now pumping out some early scouting reports as we research and take a closer look at the foes on Kentucky’s schedule. Next up is an SEC program that is all-in.
Early Scouting Report: Southern Miss
Early Scouting Report: South Carolina
Early Scouting Report: Georgia
State of the Program
Following the 2019 season, Ole Miss decided to make a head coaching change relieving alum Matt Luke of his duties. That search ended with Florida Atlantic head coach Lane Kiffin rejoining the SEC.
The former head coach at Tennessee (2009) and USC (2010-13) has gone 34-15 through four seasons in Oxford and has twice taken this program to the New Year’s Six following 10-2 seasons in 2021 and 2023. Now the supporters of the program are all-in.
Ole Miss has one of the best NIL situations in the SEC, and that has given Kiffin’s staff some additional cap room when it comes to roster-building. The Rebels continue to put a big emphasis on adding players in the transfer market, but this program also does a good job of retaining talent. The combination of both has given Kiffin a team that many believe can truly compete for a national championship in 2024.
The Rebels are going to score points, play with tempo, and will have a great chance at another 10-2 finish as long as the defense plays at a top-40 level.
Transfer Portal Recap
Lane Kiffin earned the “Portal King” moniker earlier in his Ole Miss tenure, and that roster-building philosophy is not going away. Ole Miss again added over 20 transfers to the roster and had the top transfer class in the SEC once again. The Rebels found some star power on offense and defense.
Juice Wells (South Carolina) was one of the top receivers in the SEC in 2022 before missing most of last season with lingering injuries. The former James Madison transfer upgrades the passing attack. Washington transfers Julius Buelow and Nate Kalepo will upgrade the offensive line. Diego Pounds (North Carolina) likely begins the season as a starter at tackle.
Defensive tackle Walter Nolen (Texas A&M) and EDGE Princely Umanmielen (Florida) are both future draft picks with first-team All-SEC potential. Chris Paul Jr. (Arkansas) will be an instant starter at off-ball linebacker. Yam Banks (South Alabama) was a very good secondary player in the Sun Belt who can play multiple positions. Trey Amos (Alabama) and Isaiah Hamilton (Houston) seem to be locks to become the starting outside cornerbacks.
The Rebels addressed holes by adding transfers and found some potential star power in the process, but they also lost some big pieces.
Star tailback Quinshon Judkins will be running the ball for Ohio State this season taking 2,725 career rushing yards and 34 total touchdowns with him. Ole Miss also lost some depth pieces to power conference programs with Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, UCF, Baylor, Ohio State, Oregon State, Houston, and Vanderbilt all landing former Rebels.
The Rebels had to complete a balancing act in the free agent market, but once again, this program will be heavily dependent on first-year transfers playing key roles in the starting lineup.
Ole Miss Offense
Lane Kiffin has produced four consecutive top-20 offenses to begin his Ole Miss tenure, and a top-10 unit will be the expectation in 2024. Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. return nine of 14 players who played 200-plus snaps last season. There is a star quarterback, star receiver, and excellent offensive line depth off an offense that did some real damage in SEC play last season.
Scoring: 35.1 (No. 16 overall)
Points Per Drive: 2.80 (No. 19 overall)
Yards Per Play: 6.46 (No. 21 overall)
Yards Per Rush: 4.28 (No. 69 overall)
Yards Per Pass: 9.4 (No. 6 overall)
Snaps Per Game: 73.5 (No. 26 overall)
Run Play Percentage: 56.92% (No. 26 overall)
20+ yard plays: 84 (No. 7 overall)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 66.10% (No. 33 overall)
Ole Miss has leaned run-heavy in this spread tempo attack, but that could change some this year. Quinshon Judkins is gone, but Jaxson Dart (6-2, 220, Sr.) is back for year three at Ole Miss.
The former USC transfer has accumulated 7,691 passing yards and 63 total touchdowns during his collegiate career. The senior is a true dual-threat having rushed for 500-plus yards in both seasons at Ole Miss. Dart is a legitimate dual-threat option who posted an impressive explosive pass rate (26%) last season. However, Dart has averaged under 28 pass attempts each season at Ole Miss. That could change thanks to the personnel on the roster.
Former Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris (6-2, 205, Super) turned into a true No. 1 receiver for Ole Miss last season recording 54 receptions for 985 yards and nine touchdowns. Former Louisville transfer Jordan Watkins (5-11, 190, Super) is also in year three at Ole Miss and is coming off his best year including career highs in targets (74), receptions (53), and receiving yards (741). The veteran slot receiver can now be WR3 for Ole Miss after the program landed one of the top players in the transfer portal.
Juice Wells (6-1, 210, RSr.) only played three games for South Carolina last season but was very productive in 2022 recording 68 receptions for 928 yards and six touchdowns. That was a year after earning FCS All-American honors at James Madison in 2021. Wells will help improve what is one of the best pass-catching units in college football.
Caden Prieskorn (6-5, 255, RSr.) is back at tight end and another former transfer. In his first year at Ole Miss after coming over from Memphis, Prieskorn recorded 30 receptions for 449 yards and four touchdowns. Kiffin and Dart have one of the best pass-catching arsenals in college football at their disposal. The offensive line is also in a good position.
The Rebels get three starters back on the offensive line with center Caleb Warren (6-5, 310, Super), right guard Jeremy James (6-5, 305, Super), and right tackle Micah Pettus (6-7, 360, RJr.) each returning. Each is a multi-year starter. Reece McIntyre (6-5, 305, Super) is a quality interior backup. Ole Miss brought in a handful of transfers to compete for starting spots. Diego Pounds (6-6, 330, RJr.) could open the season as the starting right tackle. Nate Kalepo (6-6, 325, Super) is expected to fill a starting role at left guard after starting 15 games for Washington last season. Gerquan Scott (6-4, 330, Super) was also added to provide interior depth.
Ole Miss does not project to have one of the best offensive lines in the SEC but they have legitimate quality depth across the board and are in position to be a good offensive line this fall. That should make things easier on the tailbacks.
The loss of Judkins looms large, but the Rebels have options. Former SMU transfer Ulysses Bentley IV (5-11, 200, Super) is back for year three at Ole Miss and has rushed for over 2,000 yards in his collegiate career. Bentley is a big play threat.
Kiffin added LSU transfer Logan Diggs (6-1, 215, Sr.), Miami (Ohio) transfer Rashad Amos (6-2, 235, RSr.), and Miami transfer Henry Parrish Jr. (5-10, 190, Super) to bolster the room. Each is a two-time transfer. Parrish is returning to Ole Miss after two seasons at Miami, Diggs moves over from LSU after spending his first two seasons at Notre Dame, and Amos rushed for over 1,000 yards last year after beginning his career at South Carolina. All three have SEC experience and have produced in their careers. Ole Miss might not have clear star talent, but this appears to be the deepest running backs room in college football with a good blend of size and speed.
Ole Miss has one of college football’s best quarterbacks, a couple of All-American contenders at wide receiver, and impressive depth at tailback and offensive line. All the pieces are in place for Kiffin to field his best offense in Oxford. Expect this group to score a ton of points and become a top-10 unit this season.
Ole Miss Defense
Offense has been a strength for Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. The same cannot truly be said about the defense. The Rebels have only truly been bad one season but this has been a group that had sputtered having churned through three play callers in four seasons. But the newest defensive coordinator seems to have been a home run hire.
After spending five years as Nick Saban’s defensive coordinator at Alabama, Pete Golding arrived at Ole Miss last season and immediately delivered the program’s best defense in nearly a decade. The Rebels were a top-25 unit last fall and have a chance to become one again in 2024.
Scoring: 22.5 (No. 40 overall)
Points Per Drive: 2.08 (No. 51 overall)
Yards Per Play: 5.46 (No. 58 overall)
Yards Per Rush: 4.00 (No. 53 overall)
Yards Per Pass: 7.2 (No. 61 overall)
Tackles For Loss Per Game: 6.31 (No. 31 overall)
Passes Defended Per Game: 4.85 (No. 26 overall)
20+ Yard Plays: 58 (No. 77 overall)
Red Zone TD Percentage: 63.41% (No. 88 overall)
Takeaways: 18 (No. 59 overall)
The Rebels had some issues getting stops in the red zone, but had no clear weaknesses other than that. Against an SEC schedule that included four top-20 offenses that was more than enough to allow Ole Miss to have a big season. Expectations will now be higher in year two of the new system.
Ole Miss runs a 4-2-5 base under Golding and returns five of its eight top tacklers from last season. The Rebels also added six potential new starters from the transfer portal. The defense is very intriguing entering the season.
Defensive tackle JJ Pegues (6-2, 315, Super) and defensive end Jared Ivey (6-5, 265, Super) both return after combining for 10.5 tackles for loss and 35 pressures last season. Both are quality SEC starters who will be joined by Texas A&M defensive tackle transfer Walter Nolen (6-4, 290, Jr.) and Florida EDGE transfer Princely Umanmielen (6-5, 255, Super). Nolen is a former five-star recruit who recorded 37 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks last season. Umanmielen brings 15 career sacks with him and was one of the SEC’s best pass rushers in 2023.
Jacksonville State transfer Chris Hardie (6-2, 275, Super) will come off the bench after recording 16 tackles for loss in the C-USA last year. The floor for this defense should be fairly high thanks to the talent on the defensive line.
At off-ball linebacker, Ole Miss added Arkansas transfer Chris Paul Jr. (6-1, 235, RJr.) The South Georgia native has recorded 137 tackles and 15 tackles for loss with a strong missed tackle rate (9.6%) in SEC play. Khari Coleman (6-2, 220, Super) will join him as the former TCU transfer is now in year three at Ole Miss and has logged over 30 career tackles for loss. Former five-star recruit Suntarine Perkins (6-3, 205, So.) is in year two at Ole Miss and will play some type of role as a hybrid LB/EDGE.
In the secondary, Ole Miss went transfer heavy to fill roles. South Alabama nickel Yam Banks (6-1, 210, RSr.), Alabama cornerback Trey Amos (6-1, 200, Super), and Houston cornerback Isaiah Hamilton (6-1, 175, RSr.) should all open the season as starters. Banks was an intriguing addition with seven career interceptions. They will be joined by returning starters John Saunders Jr. (6-2, 200, RSr.) and Trey Washington (5-11, 205, Sr.) at safety. Washington could be the only starter on defense who signed with Ole Miss out of high school. The duo own 12 combined interceptions during their collegiate careers and are both solid tacklers.
Ole Miss is old, experienced, and brings back some proven playmakers. In the portal, the Rebels landed four SEC transfers to go along with some Group of Five stars. All the pieces are in place for this to be a top-seven defense in the SEC again.
Ole Miss Outlook
We are entering the 12-team College Football Playoff era in 2024 and Ole Miss figures to be a program that would benefit the most. Almost any team that has earned a New Year’s Six Bowl in the past will get into the tournament and the Rebels have done that twice in four years under Lane Kiffin. The schedule could soften in a divisionless era.
Ole Miss enters the 2024 season with one of the best on paper rosters in program history, an easy non-conference slate, a trio of winnable SEC road games, and avoids Alabama and Texas. All of the pieces are in place.
Jaxson Dart has a legitimate chance to make a Heisman Trophy run as Ole Miss should field a top-10 offense this fall. The defense also looks good at each level entering the season. Another 10-2 finish is the bottom-line expectation. If the Rebels miss the playoff this season will be considered a disappointment.
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