With the Recent Transfers, Ole Miss Now Has a Top 5 Running Back Room, According to On3

Ole Miss is no stranger to being mentioned regarding top position groups in college football. According to one media site, their running back room is considered one of the nation's best.

Two top-20 wide receivers, a top-10 quarterback and now a top-5 running back unit. On paper Ole Miss has one of the best offenses in the nation and media sites agree.

Jesse Simonton of On3 ranked the Ole Miss running back room as the 5th best in the nation, one spot ahead of Alabama. The only SEC team ahead of them was Georgia, with the others being Penn State, UCF, and the No.1 ranked unit, Ohio State, the team on which Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins landed.

Ulysses Bentley is the only surviving running back on the roster from last season. In 2023, Bentley outperformed Judkins in yards per carry. Despite this, head coach Lane Kiffin went to the transfer portal to replace the lost talent.

The Loss of Judkins Combated With a Trio of Transfer Portal Commits for Ole Miss

Just after Judkins' departure, Ole Miss brought in LSU transfer Logan Diggs. The big, physical back looked set to complement Ulysses Bentley in the 2024 season. Unfortunately, Diggs is set to miss most of the season, if not all, due to recovering from knee surgery. 

This meant the "portal king" would have to work his magic again, doing just that during the spring transfer portal. First, he picked up a commitment from New Mexico transfer Jacory Croskey-Merritt, a highly productive rusher who only needs the smallest of spaces to make huge plays.

Not satisfied with just having two experienced RBs, Kiffin brought back former Rebel Henry Parrish with extensive help from running backs coach Kevin Smith. Parrish's familiarity with the system made the running back room even stronger.

Unfortunately, the new players coming in made it difficult for second-year running back Kedrick Reescano to see more of the field in 2024. He looked to further his career by hitting the portal. However, the running back room is solid, with all three players offering differing styles for Kiffin and Smith to work with.

With each player's experience, talent, and even further room to improve, you can see why On3s Jesse Simonton has Ole Miss as the No. 5 ranked running back unit.