Ole Miss Football Season Preview: 2024 Predictions, Impact Transfers, More

welcome back to Southeastern 16 I'm Chris Lee joined by Chase Robinson we continue our preview of SEC teams for the college football season today we get to the Old Miss Rebels and a team that I knew was going to be really good but my goodness chase the more I dug into their roster what they did in the portal where they added depth which is very underrated I am very excited to see what Old Miss can do this year this is a super super talented fun and interesting team that lane kein has assembled in Oxford it has he they call him the portal king or he calls himself the portal King and he did a great job in the portal this year as we'll dive into the roster I think this is the year well miss wants to make a run this this will be it before we dive into the rebels let's talk about bet online here in the world's most trusted betting platform and your number one source for everything online sports betting right now you can receive a 50% Free Bet of up to $250 on your first deposit to bet on anything from the Olympics to baseball to Formula 1 racing bet online has every stat every matchup and even live odds and spreads while the games are being played when the game's over head over to the online casino get in on a game of blackjack or poker unwind with one of the over 150 slots games head over to the website today to get in on the action use promo code believe bav for your 50% Free Bet credit on your first deposit up to $250 bet on line the game starts here Chase where I start with this team if you were just to pick say just and I'm I'm making this it's obviously we we fenced off this discussion and it's bias but like if you're going to say let's take a quarterback a receiving room and a tight end room is there anybody in this league you'd rather have than Jackson Dart and the guys he's got to throw to I more to football than that but I'm I'm just thinking about in those terms you got three wide receivers and Harris Watkins and Wells who are getting some preseason all SEC love Harrison getting some allamerican love PRI corn is on a lot of All-American list is a tight end I don't know that anybody's got better dudes to throw to and they got some depth too it's a little bit untested but I really like where they started with that I do too I mean you're right um you know and I feel like when you when when we see we read all these magazines when we look at the you know first team second team third Team all SEC pre-season you can't put you know five six players from one team on there but I think they could have uh with Old Miss that that's just what we're dealing with here um and so yeah this is uh and they've played together I think that what that's what really helps a lot of these guys they've been together uh they they've played together Jackson Dart this will be his third year starting Lane Ki has never had a third-year starting quarterback um Bentley back at running back Trey Harris Jordan Watkins uh they're they're back juice Wells has transferred in he'll fit in nicely prescor has been on the roster as well it don't miss so I mean just just the skill guys along with Jackson D them having played together um that just makes this so much more interesting and then the addition of juice Wells who is fantastic as we'll look at the wide receiver room more but uh yeah just the sheer fact that they've played a lot of snaps together I think is one thing but then the sheer amount of talent that they have is another and that combination is going to be very dangerous this year yeah what also I like about them two is I don't and I don't know how L kein does this okay like and you you've seen him do it in the quarterback room he brought in Walker Howard who was in LSU Legacy you know we don't have a place for you to play in fact three the quarterback room was even more crowded last year he threw what four passes all year stuck around and then they went did it with offensive line right because they've got a bunch of guys returning they got Jaden Williams uh Eli Akers played a lot as Reserve inside Caleb Warren made like 19 career starts Jeremy James started all games last year for them Micah Pettis started nine games I'm looking at that if I'm a transfer and I'm going okay wait a minute they got a lot of guys if they want me as an offensive line transfer it looks like a crowded room and you would think that they would want to lean on their own guys because they're used to playing together well they got not just one but they got four Dudes who played well three guys who played power five ball last year and one guy jquan Scott who started 42 games at Southern Miss four offensive line transfers including two from Washington Plus Diego pounds from North Carolina who all came in and all those guys may start the year other than maybe Nate kipo is a backup that's just amazing an amazing amazing sell job that that lane kein did there and I think their offensive line depth in terms of guys that have proven it may be as good as anybody's in this league yeah it it is and we have on another video on our SEC football hour show we ranked offensive lines and we both had Old Miss uh pretty high because of of what they've gathered here and this is uh you're right I mean it's it's it's amazing what Lane kien does in the portal and it's not just let's bring in a bunch of guys I've said this about other teams no they went out and got quality guys for these positions they got quite a bit of guys out of the portal but they're all good players they're all quality players and it's not just let's add numbers no it's let's add depth and they've done that and this is a deep offensive line and to have the skill guys to have the quarterback they do and a good offensive line there's gonna be some big numbers out of uh out of the Old Miss Rebels this year well let's talk defense too I I don't think anybody did more in the portal on the defensive line than they did they brought in uh princely yumaman I'm I'm going to hope that's right God help me trying to pronounce that one uh the kid who's been at Florida for a while Walter Nolan who everybody knows potential first round pick uh that they got a couple of returning potential CC guys and JJ pages and Jared Ivy that that is going to be I think when we start ranking defensive lines that I would be shocked if Miss is not on this list and that's been a thing that's been missing from this they've had the pieces offensively but it's can they compete with the big boys on defense that was a really phenomenal start yeah it was and you know last year is when Lane kein brought over um Pete Golding from Alabama and the year before the rebels they were all right at defense they allowed uh 25 and a half points per game uh last year that lowered to 22 uh just over 22 points per game and I think that's going to lower this year um just because of of what they have done uh on defense bringing so many good guys in and you mentioned this defensive front and it is again if you could list out all this first team second team third Team all SEC a lot of these guys could be first team all SEC that's that's what we're dealing with here on the defensive side as well and so you know we talked talking about how this roster is made up to to go to make a Deep Run yes they definitely are on offense but I think it's almost the same on on defense uh because it all we know it all starts up front and they've played a lot of football these these guys on on the front of this defense have and they've they've played a lot of tough football but I think they're going to play really well together even the guys who've transferred in like I I they see the they see the goal in mind and that's what excites me about Old Miss this year just again as we look at this rosters we dive deeper into this uh this is a really good defense and yeah this is uh yeah this is they're they're gonna turn some heads this defense is this year Chase they've got eight guys on this defense that I have seen mention somewhere as potential all guys now that might be Phil Steels fourth team or athlon's fourth team or whatever but if you were a top quarter at your position in this league you're you're probably a pretty good player and they've got they got two corners and Isaiah Hamilton and Trey Amos that the Alabama transfer who've been getting some love they've got John Saunders back who was very productive for them a year ago at safety and then they added with some pieces ke Lawrence from Oklahoma was a key guy that secondary last year Gan Banks from South Alabama um another guy who's been a really productive player had three interceptions last year they got Brandon Turnage who's played at Tennessee and Alabama again oh and Chris Paul from Arkansas middle linebacker again I'm I'm just amazed that not only did they add the stuff they needed but his ability to convince guys to come in and say all right you might be second team behind some established guys but C can I sell you on on this and his ability to do that to me was just again something you saw him do on the defensive side of the ball yeah and one thing that I I think we should you know talking very high of defense I think is is the right thing to do I'm interested to see how they how they play together how they J this is a lot of guys from a lot of different teams who have been learning a lot of different vernacular and everything else and and now they're all on one team you know and so I'm interested to see if it takes time for them to kind of Jael and get on the same page and as far as communication goes on defense just because again there's so many new faces from so many different places you know maybe that's something to uh to watch and keep an eye on but um yeah the the corners Trey Amos from Alabama Isaiah Hamilton at Houston two really good players I think they're going to be great on the corners uh for uh for Old Miss we talk a lot about offense in the SEC there's G to some really high-powered offenses um and I think this this defense is designed really good to stop those High powerered offenses and I think they're going to do uh do well at that this year even with all these different pieces even if it does take a few games to jail I think they're ready for that yeah if you want to pick nits I don't know that they're outstanding on special teams but they're not bad um Davis has been an okay field goal kicker for and before um Frasier Martin just kind of a probably a below aage SEC pter but Jordan Watkins is gonna be one of the better return guys and we completely glossed over this chase that running back room uh they got Henry Parish back from Miami of course we know who they lost but they got Logan digs in from LSU I think was LSU's leading rusher a year ago played at Notre Dame two years ago they got Lis Bentley who's been there three years they got they got a lot of guys it's kind of the the old Georgia style approach under Kirby Smart where you give a bunch of guys the ball and you got a bunch of guys the end of the year with 600 yards rushing and everybody's fresh that feels like what they've tried to do there yeah I think they have and I think that's a really good approach to take um to have a to have a deep room utilize that deep room we've talked about their deep at wide receiver they're going to be throwing the ball a lot with Jackson Dart but um they also can run the ball very dangerously as well because of those guys you just mentioned I like Bentley I think he's a he's been mentioned for all SEC uh honors yeah I like parish and digs those are great additions so any number of guy can touch the ball and you may not have like that one back that has the big yards because they can spread it out and I think that's really good keep fresh legs in there and the times you need a to to run it down somebody you can because that's what kind of room you have so uh yeah it's a great running back room and and uh yeah Special Teams as well you know I think back to Kaden Davis he hit that 56 Y at two lane uh last year which was a huge moment for Old Miss and so uh yeah I think they're uh they're they're good on special teams as well yeah Chase can't wait to see these guys play that the schedule really gets interesting starting that October 12th night game at LSU then they got Oklahoma after that that Georgia two weeks after that that's when really it's going to matter for the rebels those are the games they've got to win not all of them I don't think anybody expects them to nobody's saying hey go go play Georgia and you lose that one you don't get the playoffs but that LSU Oklahoma stretch right there is going to be really key it is and you know I think that LSU game is is Monumental for them to be able to to go down to Baton Rouge and win that game I think will be huge because you think back l kein has not had that big Monumental win yeah at all Miss he has had some really good wins he has had you know some uh some some great moments but he hasn't had that oh that is that is a Monumental win by Lane kein and Old Miss he can do that this year uh whether it's game in the season to get into the playoff whether it's a playoff game like I think it's set up for for him to win that big game this year and I think that will uh will help him a lot but yeah the schedule that LSU Oklahoma L at LSU and then Oklahoma are going to be two really huge games and then you think back to last year they got dominated by Georgia and you know they they they remember that you know even with all these new like they remember that and uh so I think that game could look much different it's in Oxford Mississippi this year and they're gonna they're GNA have that on their mind when they play uh on November the 9th so I mean they won 11 games last year best Old Miss has ever done uh Lane kein has got this program right where they need to be but this is the year like you you talk about you know the uh sometimes it there there's one year for a team that this is their time to do it all and this is that for Old Miss now will that will this be the norm will he be able to get this much Talent out of the portal and years to come I think we'll just have to wait and see but we know what this roster is I think Jackson Dart could have a special year and if he does have a special year we're going to be talking about Old Miss in the month of January because they're still going to be playing football uh that's what kind of team this is and uh Lane K has never had a third-year starting quarterback like I mentioned earlier in this video so I think this is set up to be a a a prime time year uh for yeah the Old Miss Rebels and and Lane kein and so um I mean this is uh this is this is a deep roster and I think he's done a good job of of putting this together so yeah call him the portal King whatever but he has done a great job of assembling a a championship type roster for uh for 2024 and that's what this is a championship type roster chase you mentioned one thing that's worth talking about that Old Miss has kind of always been that team trying to get in there right and youve you mentioned winning big games I thinking maybe the biggest game he's won and one of the ones that comes to mind was the the famous mustard game in Knoxville what 2021 I think it was um but you remember that they get your popcorn game we know how that went g games on that type stage he's not done well but he hasn't had that type of talent either there there's one thing that's going to be an interesting Dynamic and that's the fact that this is going to be the first time that Old Miss has kind of been that team with the target on its back uh reev have been kind of playing from the back of the pack and and looking ahead a little bit that it's going to be interesting to see how they handle that yeah and you know that's the case for a couple SEC teams this year who uh you know I think Missouri being another one where you know they're they're kind of ahead of everybody Old Miss is ahead of a lot of people now they're not having to play from behind you know and and going back to the big game thing I think you think about that the the get your popcorn ready game and and then all the hype going into that one last year Lan kein had a chance to beat Alabama and I think he should have beaten Alabama last year but he didn't and again that was one of those games that that I was sitting there watching I was like th this could be a kind of a legacy game for Lane kein he wins this one this is the biggest game he's ever wed his career and and he couldn't get it done so I'm still waiting for that big game and I I I think this is the year I think you have a couple big wins uh this year one of those big Legacy Monumental wins but uh cuz feel like he's set himself up for that with this roster yeah I do too well we'll be here to cover it it be an exciting season we cover football baseball and basketball here at South Eastern 16 best way to find it I'll hit that subscribe button it is free it's like a like so please do that tell a friend and if you're interested in advertising caroline. Smith Southeastern 14.com yes we know we've changed the name that email will still get there but we got an audience in the millions every year so if you're looking to reach an SEC football audience uh we got you covered there all right I'm Chris Lee for Chase Robinson thanks for watching here at South Eastern 16 presented by bet online