OXFORD — Ole Miss is ranked No. 6 in the preseason AP Poll, which was released Monday morning. It is the highest preseason ranking for the Rebels since 1970, when the Rebels were ranked No. 5. Ole Miss is coming off the first 11-win season in program history and a 38-25 Peach Bowl win over Penn State.
Fifth-year head coach Lane Kiffin is 34-15 all-time with the Rebels and led the program to its first AP top-10 finish (No. 9) since 2015 last season and just its second such finish since 1969. The Rebels are also ranked No. 6 in the preseason Coaches Poll. The Rebels were ranked No. 22 in last year’s AP preseason poll.
Ole Miss has won 10 or more games in two of the last three seasons, the first occurrence for the program since three 10-win seasons in four years from 1959-62.
The Rebels return several key starters on both sides of the ball — highlighted by quarterback Jaxson Dart, wide receiver Tre Harris, tight end Caden Prieskorn and defensive linemen Jared Ivey and JJ Pegues — and added the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country, headlined by defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen. Georgia is the preseason No. 1 team in the AP Poll, followed by Ohio State, Oregon, Texas and Alabama. A total of nine SEC teams were ranked in the preseason top 25.
Ole Miss begins its 2024 season on Aug. 31 against Furman at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.
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