The 2023 college football season was one to remember for Ole Miss fans. It was arguably the most successful season in school history. They did have a national championship back in 1962, but that wasn’t the modern era of college football. This year, they won 11 games for the first time in program history. For most Rebel fans, that surpasses the ’62 season. This is especially true given the 13-point win over Penn State in the Peach Bowl. But now it’s time for the offseason, which means building on that momentum.
Roster retention, roster building, and keeping coaches are all part of that. So far, the coaching staff in Oxford over the past few years has done a good job of that, winning 10, 8, and 11 games respectively over the last three seasons. But with the sport set to move to the long-awaited 12-team playoff, things are changing.
Can Ole Miss change and adapt to the times?
Roster Retention
The biggest news surrounding this topic for the Rebels came late last week, when running back Quinshon Judkins entered the transfer portal, shocking many throughout the college football landscape. He’s since landed at Ohio State. But even Judkins’ departure couldn’t put a damper on the momentum Ole Miss managed to build throughout the season.
That’s due to everything else Lane Kiffin and company are bringing back next year. At the quarterback position, Jaxson Dart is returning for one last run. They also expect to have solid backups Walker Howard and Austin Simmons available, as well.
At running back, despite Judkins leaving, the Rebels should get Ulysses Bentley IV back. They also have returning freshman Kedrick Reescano, who has plenty of buzz surrounding his potential. While the Judkins decision was unfortunate, the Ole Miss rushing attack should keep rolling along next season.
On the outside, they arguably had one of the best receiving rooms in the country last year. Despite that, they bring nearly everyone back, with Dayton Wade being the exception. Tre Harris, Jordan Watkins, and Caden Prieskorn (technically a tight end) have all announced their returns. In addition to the returners on the edge, they’re also returning their best offensive lineman Micah Pettus.
On the other side, the defense took a few hits. Cornerbacks Deantre Prince and Daijahn Anthony are both out of eligibility. On the line, they lose Isaac Ukwu, but return Jared Ivey and J.J. Pegues. However, the losses on the defensive side are primarily where the transfer portal has come into play for the Rebels.
Portal Additions
The transfer portal has also been a huge plus for the Rebels this offseason. On the defensive side of the ball, they’ve essentially rebuilt their defense through the portal.
On the defensive front, Walter Nolen, Princely Umanmielen, and Tyler Baron are all defensive linemen committed to Ole Miss. They’re also all top-10 portal players, according to 247Sports. Nolen was listed as the top portal prospect, Umanmielen came in at two, and Baron found himself at 10.
But Kiffin also added some back-end defensive talent, as well. At the linebacker position, he picked up Chris Paul Jr. from Arkansas. In the secondary, Key Lawrence from Oklahoma, Decamerion Richardson from rival Mississippi State, and Tahveon Nicholson from Illinois have all joined for next season.
And that list doesn’t include offensive transfers. Wide receivers Juice Wells and Deion Smith are set to join an already solid receiver corps. Logan Diggs from LSU has committed, joining Bentley in the backfield. And Gerquan Scott and Diego Pounds are coming in to sure up a shaky offensive line.
With these portal additions, Kiffin and defensive coordinator Pete Golding seem to have done an excellent job filling holes that opened following last season’s departures.
Coach Retention
One other big aspect of the offseason is whether or not teams can hold on to their coaches. So far, it appears that the Rebels are bringing back nearly all of their coaching staff from last year.
Despite Alabama’s job opening up following Nick Saban’s shocking retirement, it looks as if Kiffin will be back in Oxford. This is news seeing as his name had popped up in connection with the Crimson Tide opening.
As for coordinators, both Golding and offensive coordinator Charlie Weiss Jr. look as if they’ll be keeping the same roles next year. Amongst other coaches, there’s some speculation that Wide Receivers coach Derrick Nix may leave at some point this offseason to take a promotion somewhere else. But at this point, he remains on staff in Oxford. If Kiffin and Ole Miss can retain Nix, it’ll be a virtual clean sweep of keeping everyone from last year’s staff, at least in terms of primary position coaches.
Needless to say, that would be a massive plus going into next season.
The Push Toward the 2024 Season
While there’s still another signing day coming up in February, and a transfer window opening up throughout the end of April, much of the roster building for 2024 is complete.
The work moving forward is to develop that roster and make sure players stay healthy heading into fall camps and next season. For the past few years, Ole Miss has done a good job of that. But with expectations for the program at an all-time high, those aspects are more important than ever.
The good news for Rebel fans is that it looks as if it’ll be a nearly identical coaching staff leading the way through this offseason. That should be enough to put much of the stress to rest, as it’s been made clear the program is in good hands.
