The Ole Miss offensive appears to be nearly flawlessly designed for a team that is ready to compete in the College Football Playoffs this autumn.
Nearly.
Jaxson Dart, a Heisman Trophy candidate, is back at quarterback for the Rebels. He will be passing to a group of wide receivers who some have dubbed the best in the country. At least two of the tight ends on the club have the potential to play pass reception for an NFL team in the future. By bringing in four starters from other programs via the transfer portal, the offensive line has been reconfigured. Among them are two-fifths of the Washington Huskies’ Joe Moore Award-winning line from the previous campaign.
Quinshon Judkins left for Ohio State at the running back position, therefore the nearly fills that spot. In 2023, Judkins amassed 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns during the Rebels’ historic 11-2 campaign. Who will replace him? Even better, is this the solution for now, and if so, who will replace the 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns from the previous two seasons?
Heads immediately turn to senior Ulysses Bentley IV, who has been an effective RB2 for Ole Miss the past two seasons and ever since he transferred from SMU before the 2022 campaign. In 2023, Bentley amassed 540 yards and four touchdowns via running. His first season at Oxford was marred by injury.
Bentley is a different type back than Judkins. He is more of a finesse runner who uses his outstanding speed to his advantage.
The next player up is Houston, Texas native and former four-star prospect Kedrick Reescano, a sophomore who 247Sports ranked as the eighth best running back in the nation for the 2023 class. Reescano did not carry the football during his ten appearances with the Rebels in 2023. Although we haven’t seen it in action yet, there is believed to be serious potential.
There are two depth options on the team: Matt Jones and Fred McAfee.
Logan Diggs, a transfer portal acquisition who joined Oxford earlier this year from rival LSU, is the subject of this discussion. Starting quarterback for LSU, Greggs, concluded the 2023 campaign with 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 10 Tiger games. There is a caveat, though. It will be some time before we know if he is ready for the autumn because he appears to have an ACL tear. Though the human body generally heals at its own speed and an ACL tear is considerably more crucial for running back, estimates have ranged from October to spring of 2025. Ole Miss signed Diggs as their lone running back during the late recruiting season.
Having said that, we think Ole Miss will be fierce in its pursuit of bringing in a last offensive piece for what is anticipated to be the Rebels’ greatest and biggest opportunity to upset the College Football Playoffs in 2024 when they open the transfer portal cycle. The following cycle of the portal will begin on April 15 and end on April 30. The depth chart designations will be decided at this point, which usually leaves several players unhappy with their current circumstances, after the majority of spring workouts.
According to 247Sports, Ole Miss now boasts the top transfer portal class in the country.
