On Monday, it was revealed that offensive lineman Jeremy James would be returning to Ole Miss to play in his final year of eligibility in 2024. Over the past few years, James, a 6-5, 305-pound player, has established himself as a mainstay in the Rebels’ starting lineup.

James started all 13 games for Ole Miss during its historic 2023 season in which the Rebels became the first Ole Miss squad to ever finish a season with 11 wins. Ole Miss defeated Penn State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to cap off the campaign. James return means Ole Miss returns an accomplished starter to its starting lineup for the 2024 season in which the Rebels have been ranked as high as No. 5 in some of the way-too-early preseason polls.

James has played both right tackle and right guard at Ole Miss during his career.

James was named a freshman All-American in the Covid-shortened 2020 season. That year he started all 10 of the Rebels’ games and has not missed a start since. At this writing James has started 49 consecutive games for Ole Miss across four seasons.

Kiffin Bound For First-Ever National Championship With Rebels?

OXFORD, Miss. — The Ole Miss Rebels have crushed what is arguably the most important offseason in program history thanks to the efforts of Lane Kiffin and his staff. Ole Miss has not only successfully retained majority of its top talent for the 2024 season, it has also recruited the No. 3 transfer portal class in the country, per On3. The Rebels have already been labeled a “legit threat” to the 2024 college football playoff by the media, and now another outlet is chiming in on the Ole Miss hype train. On Monday, 247Sports listed seven college football coaches who could win their first-ever national championship, and Kiffin came in at No. 4 with “good” chances of winning the whole thing.

This could truly be a special season in Oxford when you consider that Ole Miss will be favored in at least 10 games given its portal-strengthened roster and double-digit wins should be more than enough to grab one of the at-large spots in the expanded playoff,” 247 writes. “Lane Kiffin focused on improving his defense this offseason and happened to add another top target on offense — South Carolina’s Juice Wells — to pair with Tre Harris and others on the outside offensively. It feels like the national championship window at Ole Miss is right now for Kiffin and next season’s two-deep.” Former Texas A&M defensive lineman Walter Nolen and former Florida edge Princely Umanmielen highlight the defensive additions made by Kiffin and Pete Golding this offseason, and you can read about the other players Ole Miss has added here. Kiffin has built an impressive roster around senior quarterback Jaxson Dart, whose role will be crucial in 2024 if the Rebels want to do more than just make their first CFP appearance. Heisman Trophy betting odds were recently released, and Dart is among the top betting odds to win the illustrious award next season.