OXFORD — Coming off the first 11-win season in program history, Ole Miss will begin its charge to the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff this week.
The Rebels open fall practice Wednesday as they prepare for their much-anticipated 2024 season, which begins Aug. 31 against Furman at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Ole Miss is a near lock for the top 10 in the various preseason polls due to the return of key stars and additional talent brought in through the transfer portal. Among the players returning are senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, senior receivers Tre Harris and Jordan Watkins, senior tight end Caden Prieskorn, three of five starters on the offensive line and senior defensive linemen J.J. Pegues and Jared Ivey. Ole Miss also added premier players in the portal, including defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen and wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr.
Ole Miss finished the 2023 season on a high note, winning its final three games and defeating Penn State 38-25 in the Peach Bowl. The victory propelled the Rebels to a No. 9 ranking in the final AP poll, just the third top-10 finish for the program since 1969. The Rebels were picked to finish fourth in this year’s preseason SEC media poll behind Georgia, Texas and Alabama. Harris, Prieskorn and Nolen were each preseason first-team All-SEC picks, Ivey was second team and running back Ulysses Bentley IV and Umanmielen were third-team picks.
The Rebels are entering their fifth season under head coach Lane Kiffin, who is 34-15 at Ole Miss.
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