Ole Miss Football Preview 2025: Can Lane Kiffin's Rebuilding Rebels Make the College Football Playoff?

Miami Herald

09-05-2025

Seriously, how good is Lane Kiffin?I went in detail in last year's Ole Miss Preview about how everyone thinks the Rebel program is a historical powerhouse, but it's actually been totally meh over its 119 years of existence with just 64 winning seasons, coming up with ten wins or more ten times.Kiffin has three of those ten-win seasons in his five years with the program, and they all came in the last four years. And there but for an odd home loss to Kentucky, or the gajillion interception game from Jaxson Dart in the loss to Florida, and Kiffin's Rebels would've been in the College Football Playoff.
How good was last season's team? Two of the three losses were by three points, and the other by seven. Ole Miss rolled by Georgia, stuffed South Carolina, and now it'll be something different.It's Ole Miss and it's Lane Kiffin, so the transfer portal once again beefed up the talent, but the star power isn't coming in like normal, and most notably, there wasn't a high-profile quarterback.The talent level isn't quite the same as it was over the last few seasons, but the schedule is about as favorable as it gets for an SEC team, and Kiffin is still in Oxford.It's College Football Playoff or bust. Kiffin is due to take the program up another notch.
Ole Miss Rebels Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- To keep harping on the same theme, a Lane Kiffin offense is going to be good. It'll go really fast, it'll keep defenses on their toes, and there will be times when it can't be stopped. It might not be as good as the one that finished second in the nation last season, and there are a whole lot of new starters, but it'll produce.- Is Austin Simmons ready to be the main man? The Ole Miss quarterback is a statistical-superstar position, and without and big-time transfers coming in, the mobile 6-4, 215-pounder has to be an instant star - more on him in a moment.
- Simmons has a new receiving corps to work with. Cayden Lee was second on the team in receptions, and Dae'Quan Wright should shine as the main tight end, but the top five other options are new. It's a portal-heavy bunch with De'Zhaun Stribling coming in from Oklahoma State along with Harrison Wallace, a dangerous threat from Penn State.- The offensive line is filing in the parts. The depth is really young and really new, but the starting five should be okay around center Brycen Saunders and tackle Jayden Williams. Patrick Kutas (Arkansas) was one of the star gets through the portal - he can play inside or out, and Delano Townsend (UAB) should settle in at one of the guard spots.The running backs are thin on experience. Logan Diggs got one carry last year, Dominique Thomas was fifth on the team in rushing, and Kewan Lacy got in a little work last year at Missouri.
Ole Miss Rebels Preview 2025: Defense
- The offense gets all the attention, but the Ole Miss defense was No. 1 in the nation in sacks and tackles for loss, and 14th in total D. Unfortunately, almost all the stars are gone to the next level including tackles Walter Nolen (Arizona) and JJ Pegues (Las Vegas), linebacker Chris Paul (LA Rams), and corner Trey Amos (Washington). However, the defense has more key returning parts than the offense.- The line can't replace Nolen and Pegues, but 6-7, 320-pound Zxavian Harris is a big body on the inside, and the portal brought in the pass rushing prospects in Princewell Umanmielen (Nebraska) and Da'Shawn Womack (LSU). The problem is that the ends haven't blown up yet - they're more prospects than proven.
- The linebacking corps has the star power. Suntarine Perkins and TJ Dottery might not be big, but they can move. The 210-pound Perkins led the team with 14 tackles for loss, and Dottery was second on the Rebels with 76 stops.- The secondary is undergoing one of the team's biggest overhauls. It's all about the four transfers - corners Ricky Fletcher (South Alabama) and Jaylon Braxton (Arkansas), and safeties Sage Ryan (LSU) and Kapena Gushiken (Washington State) to be terrific right away. Basically, the new guys had better work.
Ole Miss Rebels Key to the Season
Always score in the red zone.It's a slight issue with the speedy style of Ole Miss. Inside the 20, the hurry-up factor gets negated. The Rebels scored 5-of-14 times in the red zone in the three losses, and 44-of-47 in the ten wins.Ole Miss had a missed field goal against Kentucky - it lost by three. It went 3-of-6 scoring in the red zone against LSU - and lost by three. And then there was the Florida debacle, coming away empty in all three trips inside the 20.
Ole Miss Rebels Key Player
Austin Simmons, QB Soph.The transfer portal quarterbacks have rolled into Oxford under Lane Kiffin. There were a few in this round, but they're backups to the home grown guy. Simmons has to replace New York Giants savior Jaxson Dart, who replaced statistical star Matt Corral. Before the Kiffin era is was Jordan Ta'amu and Shea Patterson. Simmons has the upside to be as good as any of them, but it has to be now.
Ole Miss Rebels Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Patrick Kutas, OG Jr.The Rebels needed guards, and they might have grabbed the best in the transfer portal. The 6-5, 315-pounder from Arkansas has tackle size, and he can move - making him the ideal guard for the Rebel offense.Top Transfer Out: Micah Pettus, OT Sr.The Ole Miss line should be okay, but it would've been really, really nice if the 6-7, 350-pounder was still around as an option for one of the tackle gigs. Instead he's blocking at Florida State now.
Ole Miss Rebels Key Game
at Georgia, Oct. 18Everything else is manageable. However, even with a favorable slate, it's asking a lot to beat Georgia two years in a row, and this one's in Athens. Win, and ten wins could be a must. Lose, and the date at Oklahoma the following week becomes more interesting.- 2025 Ole Miss Rebels Schedule Breakdown
Ole Miss Rebels Top 10 Players
1. Suntarine Perkins, LB Jr.2. TJ Dottery, LB Jr.3. Austin Simmons, QB Soph.4. De'Zhaun Stribling, WR Sr.5. Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE Jr.6. Logan Diggs, RB Sr.7. Jayden Williams, OT Sr.8. Patrick Kutas, OG Jr.9. Sage Ryan, S Sr.10. Harrison Wallace, WR Sr.
Ole Miss Rebels 2024 Fun Stats
- 1st Quarter Scoring: Ole Miss 147, Opponents 37- Sacks: Ole Miss 52 for 340 yards, Opponents 29 for 167 yards- Average Yards Per Play: Ole Miss 7.3, Opponents 4.5
Ole Miss Rebels 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
The team isn't as good as the 2024 version, but the final result might be stronger.The one problem is the timing. It would've been great if the Rebels had a few more warm-up games - like, play The Citadel in early September instead of November - because the SEC opener at Kentucky is in Week 2. Everything has to be rocking right away.It's the SEC so the Any Given Saturday cliché thing applies, but there's no Alabama or Texas to deal with. There's no Auburn, Missouri, Tennessee, or Texas A&M, either. The road game at Georgia is a problem, the date at Oklahoma is a big deal, and everything else to worry about - LSU, South Carolina, Florida - is in Oxford.
If the starting 22 is ready, and there aren't any major injury issues, this is a ten-win schedule. But there will be a misfire - like Kentucky and Florida last year - to be just enough to keep the Rebels out of the playoff again.Set The Ole Miss Rebels Win Total At … 9Likely Wins: Citadel, Georgia State, Tulane, Washington State50/50 Games: Arkansas, Florida, at Kentucky, LSU, at Mississippi State, at Oklahoma, South CarolinaLikely Losses: at Georgia
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