Oklahoma 2025 Football Opponent Preview: Ole Miss Rebels

Oklahoma wraps up the first half of its SEC schedule against Ole Miss on Oct. 25.

The Sooners lost 26-14 to the Rebels in Oxford in their first SEC season. OU took a 14-10 lead into halftime before Ole Miss scored 16 unanswered points in the second half to win.

Here’s what to know about Ole Miss:

2024 recap

The Rebels started hot last year, winning their first four games all by more than 30 points. Those wins, though, came against middling teams — Furman, Middle Tennessee State, Georgia Southern and Wake Forest.

They got a reality check in their first SEC game, falling 20-17 to Kentucky, which finished the season 4-8. The Rebels then routed South Carolina before falling to LSU in overtime to bring them to 5-2.

Ole Miss found its footing again in the second half of the season, winning four of its last five games with wins against OU, Arkansas, Georgia and Mississippi State. The lone defeat in that stretch came against Florida.

The Rebels narrowly missed the College Football Playoff, ranked No. 14 in the final CFP rankings of 2024.

Coach Lane Kiffin called out the CFP committee for his team’s — and other SEC teams’ — position on the wrong side of the bubble.

You guys actually meet for days and come up with these rankings?? @CFBPlayoff Do you actually watch the quality of players, teams, and road environments (we played in one of yours this year 💤) or just try and make the ACC feel relevant ?? Btw one of your teams paid us not to… https://t.co/2WZucjAQSX
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) December 4, 2024

The Rebels backed up Kiffin’s sentiments, beating Duke 52-20 in the Gator Bowl to end the year 10-3 overall.

Key returners

WR Cayden Lee (Jr.), TE Dae’Quan Wright (Sr.), OL Jayden Williams (Sr.), DL Jamarious Brown (So.), LB Suntarine Perkins (Jr.).

Notable transfer portal additions

OL Patrick Kutas (Arkansas), DE Princewill Umanmielen (Nebraska), TE Luke Hasz (Arkansas), WR Harrison Wallace III (Penn State), WR DeZhaun Stribling (Oklahoma State), DE Da’Shawn Womack (LSU).

Strengths

Talent wise, not many teams compare to Ole Miss. Kiffin has done an excellent job during his tenure with the Rebels, both on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal.

Weaknesses

As college football has seen with programs like Nebraska, Texas A&M and plenty of others, talent doesn’t always pan out.

The Rebels will replace Jaxson Dart, who threw for over 4,000 yards in his last year in Oxford and earned a first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft (New York Giants). They’ll also be without their leading rusher and receiver — Henry Parrish Jr. and Tre Harris, respectively — from 2024, as well as defensive stars Chris Paul Jr., Walter Nolen III and Trey Washington.

Ole Miss is very capable, on paper, of making a deep run in the College Football Playoff. But the Rebels also could grossly underachieve.

How do the Rebels match up with OU?

Ole Miss had arguably the SEC’s best passer in Dart last year, which didn’t make the matchup easy for OU.

This year, the Rebels are expected to start Austin Simmons, a redshirt sophomore who also plays for their baseball team. Simmons played in nine games last year, primarily appearing in mop-up duty in lopsided games.

Simmons could be great, or he could struggle to mesh with his offense. If it’s the latter, Oklahoma’s defense has an opportunity to take advantage of a favorable matchup.

OU’s offensive efficiency is yet to be seen with new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle and quarterback John Mateer — but the expectations are high. Even so, the Rebels’ defensive talent won’t make things easy for the Sooners.

Oklahoma does get the benefit of playing in Norman rather than the raucous atmosphere at Vaught Hemingway Stadium in Oxford.