Deep and talented, Ole Miss wide receiver room lands 3 on Biletnikoff watchlist

There is a growing reputation of Ole Miss as wide receiver U. This narrative has been supercharged under head coach Lane Kiffin, as he has frequently put together really talented receiving corps. Whether it was Elijah Moore putting up insane number in the Covid year, Jonathan Mingo being a second round pick in 2022, or Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins tearing up the field the last two seasons.

The staff went to work in the transfer portal and the high school ranks to put together what might be the deepest and most talented receiver room since Kiffin arrived in Oxford, MS. The head coach had this to say about his receivers in weekly press conference, "This is the deepest receiver group that would allow us, if we stay healthy, to truly rotate like you should in this system."

The optimism about this group is just not internal. There is a high level of praise coming in from the national media. The Biletnikoff Award, which goes annually to the nation's top wide receiver, announced their pre-season watch list this week and it includes three Rebels. The list include Oklahoma State transfer De'Zhaun Stribling, Penn State transfer Harrison Wallace III, and returning Rebel Cayden Lee, who broke out last season.

Stribling is entering his fifth year of college football, and Ole Miss will be his third school. The Kapolei, Hawaii native began his career at Washington State, who he will have the opportunity to go up against this season. In his two seasons there he put up nearly 100 catches and more than 1000 yards to go along with 10 touchdowns. He then transferred to Oklahoma State. Last season, he put up a career year, hauling in 52 reception for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns. This came on a team that had major troubles offensively, particularly at the QB position. Stribling was a four-star transfer and one of the top guys in the portal, he is expected to fill a role similar to Tre Harris.

Harrison Wallace III was another prized addition out of the transfer portal for the Rebels. He spent the first three years of his collegiate career at Penn State. The Pike Road, Alabama native will return to the south for his final season and was a top 20 receiver in the transfer portal.

His first two seasons at Penn State saw him post 20 catches, 200 yard seasons. Last year was his breakout season for the Nittany Lions, in which he caught 46 passes for more than 700 yards and added 4 touchdowns. He expected to be a starter on the outside for the Rebels, most likely replacing Jordan Watkins.

Finally, we have Cayden "Honeycomb" Lee. Lee has managed to break the mold, really being the only high school receiver recruited under Kiffin to turn into a significant contributor. He flashed in limited game time as a freshman before fully breaking out in his true sophomore season.

He benefited from some injuries to the veteran receivers on the team, but found himself as the starting slot receiver, a role which he will reprise this upcoming season. Last year he had 57 catches for 874 yards, second most on the team behind Tre Harris. Most impressively, Lee is yet to drop a pass in his college career.

While those three are most likely the top three receivers on the roster, the talent doesn't stop there, as the room is incredibly deep. Kiffin also highlighted the want to be able to rotate consistently. The Rebels also added a trio of younger, but really talented transfer receivers.

Traylon Ray, who transferred from West Virginia, has been receiving rave reviews and will back up Stribling. Additionally, the Wake Forest transfer, Deuce Alexander, has the speed to take the top off and will be behind Wallace. Finally, the Rebels added former 5-star, freak athlete, Caleb Odom from Alabama. He will be used on the outside and out of the Tight End position.

The Rebels also put together their best high school recruiting class at the position. It is headlined by 5-star and the best player in Mississippi, Caleb Cunningham. It might be hard for him to get significant playing time due to how deep the room is, but the talent in undeniable.

Additionally, 4-star Winston Watkins is a star in the making, his play making ability is making waves in camp, and he will receive playing time out of the slot early. The freshman receiving class is rounded out by 4-star Dillon Alfred and 3-star Samari Reed.