Ole Miss: The Portal King’s Machine Reloads for Another Playoff Push
I have the Ole Miss Rebels at No. 17 in my preseason Top 25. After a 2024 season that had a “National Title or Bust” feel, head coach Lane Kiffin’s program was left with a confusing legacy of brilliance and heartbreak. They proved they could build a roster capable of winning a championship, only to fall short in a few agonizingly close games. Now, after losing a modern-school-record eight players to the NFL Draft, the “Portal King” has worked his magic again. While a repeat of their SEC title contention seems unlikely with so many defensive departures, the offense is reloaded and this team is strong enough to remain in the top half of the league and earn a preseason Top 25 ranking.
2024: A Season of Confusing Brilliance
Last season was a wild ride. The Rebels looked like the best team in the country at times, especially after a dominant win over dynasty-tier Georgia. My opponent-adjusted rankings had them as the #2 team in America. But three losses, by a combined 13 points, turned the dream season into a “what if” scenario. While they failed to make the Playoff, they still notched consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since the 1960s, proving that Kiffin’s model of aggressive transfer portal acquisition could build an NFL-ready machine.
Offense: Reloading the High-Flying Attack
Despite losing an All-SEC quarterback, three starting receivers, and an All-American linebacker who moonlighted as a short-yardage back, the offense is poised to be elite once again. The keys are now in the hands of Austin Simmons, a left-handed former four-star who has drawn comparisons to Tua Tagovailoa. He got his feet wet last year, leading a crucial game-winning drive against Georgia after Jaxson Dart was injured.
The skill positions have been completely reloaded through the portal. At running back, Logan Diggs returns from an ACL injury to take over as the feature back. The receiver room, a potential weakness after losing all its starters, was transformed into a national strength with the addition of five Power 4 transfers, including two former WR1s in De’Zhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State) and Harrison Wallace (Penn State). The tight end room is also elite, with Dae’Quan Wright returning alongside the #2 transfer tight end, Luke Hasz (Arkansas). This unit will once again light up scoreboards.
Defense: A Total Rebuild on a Championship Foundation
This is where the challenge lies. Pete Golding’s 2024 defense was the best Ole Miss has seen since the “Landsharks” of 2014, a unit packed with five NFL draft picks and seven All-SEC players. Now, just five of the 22 players from that two-deep return.
The defensive line lost four All-SEC stars, including superstar Walter Nolen. The secondary is undergoing a “total rebuild” after losing its top six players. The staff is banking on another top-rated transfer haul to fill the gaps, bringing in players like former five-star defensive end Da’Shawn Womack (LSU) and four-star corner Jaylon Braxton (Arkansas). The most intriguing move is Suntarine Perkins, an All-SEC rush end, moving back to linebacker to become the new leader of the defense. This unit is a major question mark.
The Schedule and the Path
In the brutal SEC, a team with this much turnover on one side of the ball will find it difficult to compete for a conference title. The path for Ole Miss is to get its new defensive pieces to gel quickly while the offense carries the load. They are talented enough to stay in the top half of the league, and a strong finish could see them in a high-quality bowl game.
Why I’m Confident
Here’s why Ole Miss remains a Top 20 team despite the massive roster turnover:
- Lane Kiffin’s proven “Portal King” strategy to reload, not rebuild.
- An offense that is once again stacked with elite talent at the skill positions.
- A high-ceiling quarterback in Austin Simmons ready to take over.
- A defensive scheme under Pete Golding that has proven to be championship-caliber.
- A program culture that now expects to win 10 games every year.
This team’s success will once again be a testament to the power of the transfer portal. At No. 17 in my preseason rankings, Ole Miss may fall out of SEC title contention, but they have more than enough firepower to be a dangerous team and a fixture in the Top 25.
