We’ve reached the middle of February, which means that the college football offseason is officially underway. Programs have passed the second and final Signing Day, and most are preparing for Spring practice. They’re also looking for hints of potential difference-makers on rosters for the coming season. Ole Miss is no exception, with the Rebels’ offensive line serving as a crucial differentiator in Oxford.
The Ole Miss offensive line was a bit of a concern last year, as it had been for many years prior. In fact, for much of the last decade, the unit has been arguably the program’s weakest offensive unit.
Micah Pettus Returning
The good news surrounding the offensive line for Rebel fans started before last year’s season-ending. 6’7″, 360-pound lineman Micah Pettus announced he was returning to Oxford in an announcement made on his social media pages on December 11th. Widely considered as the best offensive lineman on the team, this was a welcome relief for Ole Miss fans everywhere.
Before the Georgia matchup from last season, Pettus saw his season come to an early end due to an injury. For the following few weeks, the offensive line seemed to begin what can only be described as a downward spiral. This can, at least partially, show the type of impact he has on the unit when he’s on the field. Little did anyone know at the time this would be the first step to rebuilding the Rebel offensive line.
New Additions
Not long after Pettus made the statement announcing his return, Lane Kiffin landed another big-time commit from another offensive lineman. This time it was Southern Miss’ Gerquan Scott, who transferred to Ole Miss following a short stint in the transfer portal. At 6’4″, 330 pounds, Scott was ranked as the 10th best interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal, according to 247Sports. As a Golden Eagle, Scott made 37 career starts over four seasons while in Hattiesburg. With his transfer to Ole Miss, he’ll have one year of eligibility remaining.
Nearly a month after the Scott commitment, the rebuilding of the offensive line continued. This time, it came in the form of 6’5″, 330-pound Diego Pounds. After spending three seasons at North Carolina, including eight starts in 2023, Pounds decided to join Kiffin in Oxford. He’s likely to be a day-one starter at Ole Miss and will have two years of eligibility remaining.
Landing Two Washington Transfers
While Pettus returning, and the addition of Scott and Pounds was all good news, there was a bigger announcement on the horizon. On January 24th, former Washington offensive linemen Nate Kalepo and Julius Buelow made their commitment to the Rebels official. With Washington making a run to the national championship game this season, they both bring plenty of needed experience to the Rebel offensive line. It’s also worth noting that the Huskies offensive line won the Joe Moore Award. That award is given annually to the best offensive line unit in the country.
The 6’6″, 327-pound Kalepo started all 15 games for Washington this season, primarily at left guard. He was also listed as the fifth-best interior offensive lineman in the transfer portal upon entering. For the season, Kalepo allowed only one sack and 16 pressures, on 923 snaps.
On the other side of the line, the 6’8″, 313-pound Buelow started at right guard for the final eight games of the season. This came after he missed two games due to an injury. While not as highly touted as Kalepo coming out of the portal, he’ll have the chance to make an immediate impact for the Rebels in 2024.
Much Needed Depth on the Line
The talent being added to the offensive line is a huge plus for the Rebels. But there’s arguably a bigger advantage the transfers will bring to Oxford. That advantage is the added, much-needed depth. The glaring issue with the offensive line last season was oftentimes getting worn down late in games. This became more obvious following Pettus’ season-ending injury.
By adding these four transfers, and getting Pettus back, depth should no longer be a problem. We’ll have to see how Kiffin decides to utilize the line. But what we know is that guys should no longer need to play virtually every snap. The ability to rotate solid players on the offensive line hasn’t been a commonplace luxury in Oxford. This luxury should be able to keep everyone fresh, even late in games.
Can the New Additions Mesh?
The talent that has been added to the Ole Miss offensive line is without question. However, that won’t matter if they can’t play well together. A huge aspect of success on the line is communication, so there’s always slight hesitation when rebuilding this position group. If they manage to mesh, success isn’t hard to imagine. This could also easily lead to them being the best offensive line unit we’ve seen in Oxford in the past decade. But if they don’t, quarterback Jaxson Dart may find himself running for his life more often than he’d like.
Kiffin has already shown a willingness to take chances with the transfer portal. This season won’t be any different. If everything goes well, particularly on the offensive line, he’ll appear like a genius. If it doesn’t, many Ole Miss fans will be left wondering where things went wrong. This is expected to be one of the best squads Ole Miss football has ever produced. With the additions to the offensive line, they are now a significant part of the reason.
