This offseason, Ole Miss sought to get deadlier up front; was the aim accomplished?
When defensive coordinator Pete Golding arrived at Ole Miss, he made it plain that the defensive front needed to be built solidly. Last year’s team had enough depth to bring in new players to make crucial plays late in games. As a result, the Rebels managed to win nearly half of their games in the second half.
However, Lane Kiffin and his staff understood that more beef and talent were required to compete with the cream of the crop of college football and become a contender in the SEC and nationally.
After six months, it looks that Golding and Kiffin have developed the defensive line they envisioned.
Ole Miss’ defensive line is ranked fifth best in college football by PFF, trailing only Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, and Georgia, their SEC opponent on November 9. While Ole Miss boasts a dynamic offense with both returners and transfers, Kiffin recently stated that his defensive line is the position group he is most excited to play.
“I’d say the defensive line,” Kiffin remarked while speaking with fans at the Rebel Road Trip gathering in Memphis. “We haven’t had a premier D-Line since we were here. We have the opportunity to have that. We have players who have the potential to be high NFL Draft picks. That’s a huge deal at this conference. It happens at any conference, but especially here. You witnessed how much of an influence it might have when we played Georgia last year. I’m thrilled about it. If they develop properly, we can look really excellent on defense up front. That hasn’t been the case since we arrived here, or in past years.”
The Rebels have returned Jared Ivey, J.J. Pegues, Akelo Stone, and Zxavian Harris from the previous season. Ole Miss’ No. 1 transfer portal class is led by top-prize Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen, the latter of whom had a 22.2% pass rush win percentage in the country according to PFF and is now recovering from a shoulder injury. Both guys are anticipated to be selected in next year’s NFL draft.
Ole Miss’ top-25 high school signing class includes defensive lineman such as Kamarion Franklin, William Echoles, and Jeffery Rush, all of whom represent Mississippi.
PFF Top-10 Defensive Line Units:
1. Ohio State
2. Michigan
3. Miami
4. Georgia
5. Ole Miss
6. Notre Dame
7. Pennsylvania State
8. Texas
9. Clemson
10. Oregon
The Rebels will play Furman on August 31 at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium to kick off their highly anticipated 2024 season. Kickoff is scheduled at 6 p.m. CT and may be seen on SECN+/ESPN+ or heard on the Ole Miss Radio Network.
