Ole Miss has a defensive front that can hold its own against top competition

(In the next week or so, we are going to break down every football position based on what we saw during Ole Miss’ spring drills and keeping in mind that coach Lane Kiffin does not want a depth chart or injury information, unless it’s already known, out.)

When Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin talked about needing a more physical presence on the line of scrimmage to compete with the “big boys” of college football, he wasn’t just referring to the offensive line.

It was the trenches on both sides of the ball – the offensive line and the defensive line.

We’ve already delved into the impact the transfer portal had on the offensive line with four big men coming Ole Miss’ way, but on the defensive front, there was use of not only the transfer portal, but of high school recruiting as well.

From the high school ranks, the Rebels were signed the best defensive linemen in the state and two of them – defensive end Kam Franklin and defensive tackle Jeffery Rush – enrolled in school second semester and went through spring drills.

(DT William Echoles and DL Kamron Beavers will enroll this summer.)

Franklin and Rush did not have a lot of impact on the defensive line in spring as they were simply learning the ropes of their positions, but there is anticipation Franklin will contribute in fall after more indoctrination during the summer and fall camp.

From the portal, Ole Miss signed Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen and he made his presence known immediately in spring drills. Up close and personal, his movement and quick first step even surprised coaches who had seen him play on television.

Also, from the portal came Florida defensive end Princely Umanmielen, who showed his mettle in spring until he was sidelined due to an old injury.

Those are some important pieces moving forward, but it was not like the defensive line cupboard was bare of returning Ole Miss players.

The Rebels return senior DT J.J. Pegues, the bell cow of the defensive front; DT Zxavian Harris, who has come into his own now after two seasons of learning the ropes and changing his body; DE/DT Jared Ivey, a steady veteran playmaker; DT Akelo Stone, a quality fill-in-the-gaps backup; Jack/DE Suntarine Perkins, a dynamic athlete entering his second season; redshirt freshman DT Jamarious Brown, who the coaches are high on; DT Demarcus Smith, who flashed in spring; redshirt freshman DEs Chamberlain Campbell and DeeJay Holmes, Jr. are improving steadily and could contribute next season.

Pegues and Nolen will feed off each other – blocking up both will be difficult. Harris is now 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds as opposed to the 305 he played at last year. Ivey will play more on the outside this season after he was moved inside last season out of necessity. Jared’s best position is defensive end.

Perkins, Umanmielen and Holmes will provide the speed off the edge and Stone’s quick first step has helped him make plays in the backfield in the past and hopefully Franklin and Echoles will give the Ole Miss defensive line instant relief.

The Rebels are currently in the market for another defensive end if the right one becomes available in the portal, but they feel good about the players already on campus.

Ole Miss’ offensive line gained instant help via the portal while the defensive line dipped into the portal for a couple of players and racked up from the high school ranks.

How quickly those high schoolers can blend in and impact will be important next season, but there is still a good base of older players as well.

As one offensive lineman told us unprompted recently, “Our defensive front is hard to handle.”

Next up, the Rebel linebackers.

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