Lane Kiffin details the importance of offsetting lost production in wide receiver room

As Ole Miss gets set to head into its fourth season under head coach Lane Kiffin, the Rebels will do so knowing they need to replace some key offensive production, particularly in the wide receiver room.

Veterans Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo are both gone, suiting up for NFL teams now.

Kiffin outlined his expectations for the players tasked with replacing some of that production during spring football practice.

“Just really to play really well with the new quarterbacks, meshing in there with Jaxson (Dart),” he said. “Those guys will have a lot of work to do and a lot of production to be replaced from those two outside receivers.”

How much production does the wide receiver room need to replace? More than half of 2022’s totals.

Heath led the team in receiving with 60 catches for 971 yards and five touchdowns, while Mingo was just behind at 51 catches for 861 yards and five scores.

Both receivers averaged more than 16 yards per catch, leading any other wideouts on the team by about five yards per catch. So not only will Ole Miss have to replace receiver production, it’ll also have to replace explosive receiver production.

Some candidates in the wide receiver room

There are two Ole Miss receivers who return who saw extensive action during the 2022 campaign: Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade. That duo finished third and fourth on the team in receiving, respectively.

Watkins accounted for 40 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns, while Wade recorded 27 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns.

There are some others who had minimal production last year, namely JJ Henry, Bralon Brown and Qua Davis. None tallied more than five catches last season.

Then the Rebels have some talent incoming via the 2023 recruiting class and the transfer portal.

Former five-star prospect Chris Marshall, a transfer from Texas A&M, is the most notable addition. He had a big impact during the team’s spring practices and looks to be a surefire contributor in the rotation come fall.

Other additions to the wide receiver room include Jackson State transfer Shane Hooks, Louisiana Tech transfer Tre Harris, four-star signee Ayden Williams and three-star signee and early enrollee Cayden Lee.

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