On3 experts believe making CFP isn’t enough for Ole Miss in 2024

On3 national college football analysts Andy Staples and JD PicKell came together on Friday to discuss Ole Miss football’s all-in push for a national championship in 2024.

The Rebels’ 11 wins a year ago were a program record. They return, among others, third-year starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, star receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins, tight end Caden Prieskorn, offensive linemen Jeremy James, Caleb Warren and Micah Pettus, and defensive linemen Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues.

Ole Miss used two portal windows to land the nation’s No. 3 transfer class. Texas A&M defensive tackle Walter Nolen was ranked as the No. 2 overall transfer. Florida EDGE Princely Umanmielen was in the Top 10.

“I actually think they can make the playoff without beating Georgia, but I don’t even think just making the playoff is enough given what they brought in,” Staples said.

“This team needs to make the playoff and makes some moves based on the talent on the roster.”

Chris ‘Pooh’ Paul was the portal’s No. 1 linebacker. Antwane ‘Juice’ Wells was the No. 1 wide receiver. Safety Key Lawrence came over from Oklahoma. Cornerbacks Trey Amos and Isaiah Hamilton transferred in from Alabama and Houston, respectively.

All-CUSA defensive lineman Chris Hardie, from Jacksonville State, committed to Ole Miss March 27.

“There’s enough juice from last year (to go with) the guys that came back and the portal guys to where you start looking at who they could draw in that first round as a five or six-seed,” PicKell said.

“You draw a favorable matchup but you lose to insert whatever G5 school. Is that a success?”

It’s a fair question considering the projected roster for 2025.

Each of the listed returners will be gone, as will Ulysses Bentley, IV, the highest-graded returning running back in the SEC. Most every starting spot on both sides, offense and defense, will be new.

“The situation they’re in right now is fascinating,” PicKell said. “If they have success at a high level and they do win a playoff game … Lane’s a portal guy. Do we maybe see that elevate the high-school level, where they don’t have to lean quite as heavily on the portal? Maybe they can have a little bit more homegrown talent.”

Ole Miss has signed back-to-back Top 20 classes. The Rebels are currently ranked No. 15 for 2025, headlined by five four-stars. Leading the way is Akylin Dear, the nation’s No. 2 running back.

“We’ve seen what Ole Miss can do from a collective standpoint,” Staples said. “They’ve done a great job getting portal guys, but they’ve also done a great job retaining the good players on their own roster.

“When On3 surveyed some of the top guys in the class of 2025 about NIL, one thing we noticed is the dollar figures for the freshmen have kind of flattened out. Freshmen are actually cheaper than some of these really good portal players and guys they’ve been getting.

“So, going forward, do you kind of want to invest in some of those lower-cost investments down the road?”

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