The Ole Miss Rebels have started off the 2025 season 2-0, with a blowout win against Georgia State in the opener and a thrilling 30-23 comeback victory on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats to begin SEC play. The rebels are headed towards another SEC matchup this upcoming Saturday back inside Vaught-Hemingway stadium against the Arkansas Razorbacks.
During the offseason, the Rebels made major headlines with signing three of the best players from Arkansas. They included TE Luke Hasz, OG Patrick Kutas, and DB Jaylon Braxton. They were all some of the top players in the portal at the respective positions.
So far, Patrick Kutas is the only one to suit up for Ole Miss. He has also received mixed reviews in his first two starts. Kutas was one of the better IOL in the SEC a couple of seasons ago, but he suffered with injuries during his Razorback career, and those issues have followed him to Oxford. He missed significant time during fall camp that has hampered his readiness for the season.
The other two, Luke Hasz and Jaylon Braxton, have yet to take a snap. Hasz suffered a broken ankle during the summer. He was originally expected to miss significant time of the season, however it now seems like he is ready to go. Kiffin said this week that he "expects him to play this weekend." Hasz should be a game changer for the Rebels offense, and it will be great to see him get involved against his former team.
This case of Braxton is different. He was a Freshman All-American during his first season at Arkansas. His second season hardly got underway as he injured early and out for the year. He was still hurt when he arrived at Ole Miss and missed the spring.
He was however on track to return for the season and was playing in the last scrimmage before the Georgia State game. It also seemed like he was on track to start against Kentucky but according to Kiffin suffered another setback.
Braxton could really change the outlook of the rebels secondary, which is arguably their weakest group. He worked between both the cornerback position and safety room, and he has the talent to make an instant impact.