Ole Miss Football: 3 position groups the Rebels need to strengthen for 2024

Ole Miss heads into December ready to compete in their fourth bowl game in four seasons under head coach Lane Kiffin. However, bowl games won’t be the only thing on Kiffin’s mind. It will be strengthening key position groups next season.

With the early signing period in sight, Kiffin will already have players on his list that he wants to bring to Oxford. Also, with players leaving Ole Miss to declare for the NFL Draft and moving onto pastures new in college football, Kiffin will be monitoring players entering the transfer portal.

Since the new transfer portal rules, Kiffin has been very effective at picking up players to strengthen areas of the team. He will likely have to get players in for the three position groups below.

Wide Receiver

Lane Kiffin has had success in picking up receivers from the transfer portal in the last few years. Tre Harris and Malik Heath have been examples of that, both players having productive seasons in their one season in Oxford.

Tre Harris could follow the same route as Heath, with just one season with the Rebels before opting to declare for the NFL Draft. If Harris does head for the draft, it leaves a hole in the position group.

With fellow 2023 transfer Zakhari Franklin unlikely to be back with the team as it stands, Kiffin will need to dive into the transfer portal to add some experience. You can never be sure who will enter the transfer portal, but it feels like Jordan Watkins and Dayton Wade will be with the team next season.

They will need to add a big-bodied receiver to the room, with the lack of height being a likely problem if Harris and Franklin are not on the roster next season. Kiffin will need to work his magic again to have one of the best position groups in the SEC at receiver.

Defensive Line

The defensive line has been one of the most productive position groups of Ole Miss this season. They have been disruptive in the opponent backfield, contributing to 34 sacks on the season, putting them top 20 in the FBS.

Jared Ivey, JJ Pegues and Cedric Johnson are likely heading to the NFL Draft after having good 2023 seasons. However, this is a lot of experience to lose across the defensive line for the Rebels. The three players mentioned combined for 14.5 of the team’s sacks this season.

Kiffin will need to add some experience at defensive end and defensive tackle. They do have a group of guys capable of stepping up. Also, they have two 247sports four-star defensive line commits in the 2024 class, Jeffery Rush and Kamarion Franklin. There’s no guarantee that these players can be starters as true freshmen.

Out of all the positional groups, the defensive line has the most production to replace for the 2024 season.

Offensive Line

Out of all the positional groups, the defensive line has the most production to replace for the 2024 season.

It’s been plain to see that the Ole Miss offensive line has been one of the worst position groups on the team. It’s struggled for consistency all season, giving up numerous sacks, pressures and plenty of penalties.

The biggest head-scratcher was that the Rebels returned numerous starters from last season, with most thinking the offensive line would kick on in 2023. It was far from the case, with the group taking a huge step backwards.

They had more injuries than any of the other position groups, with plenty of guys playing in different positions across the offensive line. Even before that, the problems were a concern.

They have two 247sports four-star ranked offensive linemen committed from the 2024 recruitment class. Kiffin needs to work his magic in the transfer portal and possibly more recruits.